Chapter Ten
June 17th, 10:38 AM
The sun blasting through Erin's window woke her much earlier than she would've liked. Placing a pillow on her face blocked out the light, but nothing could prevent the memories of last night from flooding her brain. She sat up in bed, totally naked, and placed her hands on her head.
Her first outing as a non-costumed superheroine had been, in a word, disastrous. The night had started off so promisingly-- she had infiltrated the party in her cute dress, defeated a few guards, and found a way into Hammerson's secret files-- and then taken a horrible, humiliating turn. She had been bound, tortured, and then had to watch the spectacle of Margot also being defeated and tied up. To make matters even worse, after a ruthless interrogation, it appeared that Sunny had figured out Erin's secret: she knew who the Blue Lynx was! Granted, she didn't actually have a photo or a mask in her hand. But Erin knew Sunny: she knew that once Sunny had a "theory" like this, she was going to follow up on it.
It made Erin shiver.
Of course, she and Margot were "saved," in a way: the Spaniel had swept in, what a badass (not), and did was the Blue Lynx never had a proper chance to do. But the bastard had just left them there. Alone. It had taken Erin and Margot thirty minutes to get their chairs back to back, retrieve a Bobcart Dart from Margot's belt, and patiently saw through the ropes binding their wrists. It was a completely unnecessary punishment. Weren't superheroes supposed to look after each other?
Erin shook her head. No. There's no way she would've helped the Spaniel, if the situation had been reversed. She hated him.
It was almost three in the morning when the girls finally got out of the basement, away from Hammerson's estate, and into the comfort of their beds. Bruised and beaten, it had taken Erin a minute to fall asleep. She had gotten nearly seven hours of peace. But it was a new day, now. The fears and anxieties were real, once more.
What would happen to her? The Spaniel said get a document or else. Would he announce her secret identity to the world? Would he put posters around town with her face? And what about Sunny? Would Sunny find out where she lived? Oh God. She already knew where she lived! Would she be coming over? Picking through her stuff? Would she get on the news and tell her side of the story? Would she and the Spaniel, like, join forces to come up with an ultimate unmasking plan?
Erin took a deep breath. "Settle down, kid," she told herself. "Get some coffee. Take a shower. Relax. What happens will happen."
It wasn't great advice, but it was enough. She jumped out of bed. She squeezed into a pair of teal panties and an oversized gray shirt she found strewn on the floor. She walked into her living room. Margot was still asleep. Good. She probably needed rest more than Erin did. She'd actually done some real superheroine work last night... And nearly got a concussion in return.
Erin went into the kitchen. She turned on the sink and filled up a glass of water. She chugged it, finishing it in one go, and exhaled. She wiped her lips. She heard a sound, a small knock on the front door, maybe? She went back to the living room and peered out the peephole. No one was in the hallway. She opened the door a crack and looked outside. Again, no one around. There was, however, a large yellow envelope sticking out of her mailbox.
Erin had seen this before. She took the envelope, shut the front door, and paced into the kitchen. She cut open the package with her fingernail and extracted a single piece of folded white paper.
She read the note.
Miss Steele,
We need to talk.
My place. Today. 5 o'clock. You come ALONE. No sidekicks.
This is your LAST CHANCE,
The Spaniel
Erin sighed.
The last time she went to Brian Nelson's apartment was the worst day of her life.
What did he have planned for her, this time?
She looked up. Margot walked into the kitchen and started making coffee. She was dressed in pink pajama pants and a black spaghetti-strap top. Her hair was an uncombed mess.
"Good morning," she muttered, clearly still in pain from last night.
"Hey," Erin replied.
Margot blinked at the letter. "That another one? From..."
"Yep," Erin said. "He wants me to come over. Alone. Later today."
"Well," Margot said, turning the coffee machine on. "Are you gonna do it?"
Erin set the letter on the counter. She stared at it for a second, and then looked into Margot's eyes.
"Yes," Erin said. "I have to."
On to Chapter Eleven
No comments:
Post a Comment