Shadows and Secrets Book Three (A MCU FanFic)

Chapter 17: Fish Hall

Emmy's POV

    "What?" Marjorie said, sharper than Emmy was expecting. Emmy took a startled step back. "Sorry," muttered Marjorie tiredly. "What's up?"

    Marjorie was wearing a sweatshirt over plaid pajama pants, with her hair braided and no makeup. She held her door partially closed, obscuring the view of her room. Emmy bit her lip: she should have realized she was probably asleep. Marjorie didn't have to go to classes at 9 am or get breakfast, and therefore wouldn't be required to be ready for school at 8:30.

    "Sorry," apologized Emmy with a deep purple blush. "I forgot you didn't have to get up early like the rest of us."

    "I was already awake," she replied, instantly making Emmy feel better. "What brings you here?"

    It was Thursday, so Emmy's second art class of the week was this morning. A few of the art kids had decided to paint a few more fish in the fish hall, and Marjorie would be a great asset to the project. Thomas had asked Emmy to ask Marjorie because he had noticed they were besties. "Do you want to help add to the fish hall?"

    Marjorie's eyes lit up. But then she hesitated, saying, "Who will be there?"

    "Just Thomas, Joss, and Mars." Emmy had never understood why Marjorie always wanted to know who and how many people were going to be at an event. Or why she never hung out with a lot of people at once.

In fact, Emmy was pretty sure she left the Halloween party early, before she could find her in the crowd. Sometimes, it was almost like Marjorie actively tried to avoid people. Emmy didn't understand it.

"Okay, give me thirty minutes to get ready." Marjorie didn't sound nearly as enthusiastic as Emmy felt, but that was probably because it was early in the morning.

"Meet us in the fish hall!" chirped Emmy before she fully closed the door. "We'll be there after 9!"

~

The fish hall was a hallway that connected the English classrooms' section to the Art classrooms' section. It was blank—no lockers or classrooms to mark it as a school hallway—and completely painted in gradients from deep blue to teal. Fish and other aquatic lifeforms were painted on the wall by different art students over the years, giving it the feel that you were walking on the ocean floor. Or, at least, and aquarium.

Thomas—a low level telekinetic that had been in Emmy's classes since freshman year—followed while Emmy, Joss, and Mars pushed a cart loaded with paint.

"You could help," snapped Joss. "This is heavy."

"I am helping," argued Thomas. "I'm emotional support."

"It's not that heavy," said Emmy to break up the argument. "We're almost there!"

"Not really," stated Mars dully. "A more accurate measurement would be two thirds."

"That's still more than half! We're doing great!"

"I guess," they agreed dispassionately. Mars never did anything passionately. It used to irritate Emmy, but she eventually realized they just expressed their emotions differently. Mars was happy on the inside and didn't translate it to the outside.

"You're just being a jerk," commented Joss to Thomas. Her wings ruffled angrily.

"Am not! I got totally drained Tuesday in Mentals. Emmy was there, she'll tell you."

Mentals were the class for abilities related to the mind. "He did try to lift several things at once, much more than normal," considered Emmy. "He dropped everything, including two water bottles that got everything wet."

Thomas scowled. "It's not my fault, I didn't know they were open." At Joss's muffled laughter, he changed the subject. "Did you see if Marjorie would come?" he asked hopefully.

"She said she would." Emmy beamed at the prospect. Marjorie was so cool.

"Really? Is my hair okay?"

Joss rolled her eyes. "I don't think she's interested, Thomas."

Interested in what? wondered Emmy.

"Yeah," agreed Mars, "your crush is pathetic."

What crush? She didn't understand the conversation anymore.

"She's waaaaay out of your league," added Joss. "Plus, I'm pretty sure she already has a boyfriend."

He sighed. "But she's so perfect."

"Try not to be too embarrassing," advised Mars. "Maybe just don't talk to her."

~

"Hi, Marjorie," chirped Emmy. She, Joss, Thomas, and Mars had already started setting up. She and Joss were mixing paint, and Thomas and Mars were sketching on the wall.

"Hey," she said quietly, and then sat down next to Emmy. Marjorie was wearing a black Lorde t-shirt and black leggings. She had her hair clipped up and gold makeup on.

"We were going to make a flapjack octopus, if that's cool with you?" she bubbled.

Marjorie nodded, and looked at the reference picture. "You should add a bit of red to your yellow."

"Oh, you're right," said Joss, looking at her paint.

~

"Hi, Marjorie," stuttered Thomas after several minutes of silence that was making Emmy uncomfortable. Mars and Marjorie seemed fine with it, though, and Joss had her airpods in. Thomas seemed the only other one uncomfortable.

Marjorie looked at him out of the side of her eye. "Hi?"

Thomas looked embarrassed with a slight blush. "How—how are you?"

Marjorie stared at him for a minute, and then unexpectedly turned her face away—hiding a smirk. "Fine."

Emmy waited for her to ask a follow up question, and was frustrated when she didn't. She knew Marjorie wasn't good at talking to people, so Emmy would have to help her. They were good friends, after all. "Have you met Thomas, Marjorie?"

"No." She looked like she was trying not to laugh. Thomas had turned scarlet.

"Well," continued Emmy, forcing cheerfulness, "this is Thomas! He's pretty cool!"

"Okay." Marjorie turned to him, seemingly to finally get Emmys hints. "Hi, Thomas."

"Uhhhhhhh," said Thomas, who was still red. "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Hi."

Emmy stared at him, completely baffled.

Mars poked her in the back to get her attention. "Don't meddle, Emmy," they whispered.

What was going on?

"...Nice to m-meet you?" he continued to stutter. It seemed now Thomas had started, he couldn't stop digging his hole.

"I guess," agreed Marjorie.

"Uhhhh... Your hair looks nice!" he blurted.

Joss had realized what was happening, pulled out her headphones, and appeared to be filming.

"Thanks."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." Thomas didn't appear to be breathing. In fact, he looked like he was having a panic attack or a stroke.

Marjorie narrowed her eyes. "Are you having an episode of cardiac arrest?"

"...No?" asked Thomas. "Uhhh... What's—what's cardiac arrest?"

"A sudden and unexpected loss of heart function, breathing, and consciousness," she said cheerfully.

"Oh. I–" he fumbled his hands around "–don't think so?"

"Okay."

That seemed to be the end of the conversation, and Thomas pulled his hood from his jacket over his face. Joss looked ecstatic and started editing her video into a highlights reel. Mars and Marjorie went back to painting. Emmy didn't know what had happened, and doubted she ever would again.