Level Down

3

The times of day that Elodie would forget about the stranger she met in the alleyway were always welcome times, although they never lasted long. There was too much about the encounter that she couldn't push from her mind. Even days later, Elodie found herself unsettled by what he had said to her.  Even more unsettling was the nagging possibility that he could be right. 

Elodie's side was bruised from her fight with the cloaked stranger and still ached faintly through the day. It wasn't the only bruise she had been left with, but it was the largest and most annoying of them. It only ever bothered her when she needed to exert herself but it still slowed her down when she got tired. The upper limb of Elodie's bow had been bent at an odd angle during their fight. It was just enough for her to notice the difference but not enough for her to remember that it needed to be repaired at the end of the day. Elodie figured it should be easier to remember, especially when all of her shots felt wrong and her aim was off as a result. Despite this she still found herself distracted by her classes. Secretly Elodie didn't mind forgetting about anything if it had to do with the stranger and her bow was no exception. 

Elodie's most dedicated peers were as encouraging as ever despite her somewhat less than phenomenal performances in class but that was something Elodie expected. It was the students who muttered to each other and glanced at her from the corners of their eyes that Elodie noted as being abnormal. As much as she adored the positive attention she was still being given, all the love in the world couldn't keep her distracted from the strange behaviour for long. Elodie had yet to check her phone. She kept it in her dorm room when she left for classes in the morning.

It was two days after her encounter with the stranger when Elodie found herself staring out the window of her room as the sun went down. It wasn't technically a lie when she told her fellow students that she was tired before retiring to her room, but Elodie had no intention of actually sleeping. She sat on her bed as she watched the clouds crawl across the orange tinted sky outside. Elodie planned to return to the bodega that night. All her extra work being completed and having no early classes the next morning left Elodie with the opportunity to miss nothing more than a few hours of sleep when she left the school grounds again. Elodie stood up to sneak out of her room through the window the same way she had before, this time catching a bus away from P.O.I.N.T. Prep and into Lakewood. 

The mostly empty bus was brighter than the sidewalks it passed, though it still wasn't completely dark outside. Elodie stared out the window at the buildings and lights that passed. When the bus stopped in front of Lakewood Plaza, the parking lot was nearly empty. A number of shops were beginning to close down and Gar's Bodega was one of them.

Enid was outside locking the front doors of the store when Elodie approached her. Enid turned when she heard Elodie's footsteps behind her and met her gaze. When neither of them spoke, Enid looked back to the door and finished locking up. Elodie's dread pooled in her chest and for a moment she froze as Enid returned a pair of keys to her pocket.

Enid turned to face Elodie and paused, looking at her from where she stood only a few steps away. Enid's expression was blank. All that Elodie could glean from her was exhaustion. Enid nodded her head once as a sort of silent greeting. Her mannerisms towards Elodie were stiff.

Elodie stepped forward, wringing her hands and holding them close to her chest.

"Enid," Elodie started before finding herself unable to continue. She took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Elodie." Enid's response came without missing a beat.

"No, I wasn't-" Elodie lifted her hands to wave her denial before freezing again. "I'm scared."

Enid's expression shifted to one that Elodie hoped was of confusion and not of annoyance. Enid stuffed her hands into her pockets and leaned against the door behind her. "Scared?"

"That people are talking about what happened," Elodie continued, unreceptive to the way Enid's expression twitched. "They think I'm a villain, Enid, and I was approached by-"

"They think you're a villain?" Enid interrupted. "They think you're an angel, Elodie. One snide remark won't change that overnight."

"I've never-"

"You've never what?" Enid interrupted, a sharper tone developing in her voice as she continued. "Had to deal with people telling you exactly how they feel to your face?"

Enid seemed to flinch at herself and took a deep breath after speaking. Elodie didn't say anything for a moment before responding.

"Are you done?" Elodie had lowered her voice, but despite her biting tone, she could feel a tightness in her throat. She tilted her head down slightly as she spoke.

Enid's shift in expression was far more noticeable than it had been before.

"Nowhere close!" Enid replied stiffly. "People have been messing with me for days because of you dropping a level when I had nothing to do with it! I've been dealing with these people because they think you're incapable of wrongdoing and that it's my fault for beating you in a fight when you were the one accepting challenges! You have people throwing themselves at your feet because of your talents and you know what? We may have been friends once but you still lied to me! You lied to me, and I believed you! No matter what we had, you chose to be the way you are! I may not hate you anymore, but I can definitely start again! Maybe you're even less of a hero than I ever thought you were! I wouldn't know, all you care about is how many people know your name!"

Elodie could feel an uncomfortable pressure rising in her throat. She held Enid's gaze, hoping to force a retort when she couldn't manage to choke out any words at all. Barely any time had passed between them before Elodie couldn't see clearly anymore. She looked down at the ground in front of her when she lacked a response to Enid's accusations.

Enid paused, suddenly realizing what she had said. She placed one hand over her mouth lightly, watching as Elodie took a step back, keeping her face low. Another short moment of quiet passed as Elodie's vision only became foggier. She clenched her jaw tightly and kept the rest of her body stiff with her eyes still fixed on the pavement. When neither of them spoke, Elodie turned around and began to walk away.

"Elodie, wait," Enid quickly spoke up and took a step forward, making up for the lost space. Elodie stopped but didn't look up. "Listen, I'm just-"

"Shut up, Enid," Elodie turned and lifted her head again, trying her best to appear as though she could be taken seriously while crying the way she was. Her face was red and blotchy and her voice wavered when she forced her voice past the lump in her throat. Elodie fought back her urge to sob and tightened her fists before bringing them to her face to catch her tears. She turned away from Enid again and began to walk away.

Enid couldn't find anything to say. She could feel uncomfortable warmth rising behind her eyes as Elodie's pace picked up until she was sprinting through a now empty lot. Elodie left Enid alone in front of the bodega with only the buzzing street lamps to light her surroundings. She ran until her legs began to sting and even then she kept going until the gaps between the buildings she passed opened up into dark alleys. Elodie stopped when she saw the shadows in her peripheral vision shift.

Elodie stopped to catch her breath. She paid no mind to the lurking shadow in the alleyway as she pulled her old necklace up to the light and turned it over in her hand. She sniffed, closing her fist over the locket and standing still for a moment before pulling at the chain suddenly enough to snap the cheap clasp that held it together. Still holding it in her hand, Elodie stared into the gap between the buildings. She looked back at her locket and dropped it from her hand. She watched the necklace hit the concrete sidewalk and when nobody spoke, Elodie turned and disappeared into the alleyway.