The REM Trials

Chapter 21

I rest my head back against the bench of the bus as I try to get some rest. Dad has been texting me non-stop since the incident, and it's getting harder to pretend that I'm not still avoiding a supernova as the night of the accident keeps replaying in my head.

My phone buzzes, and I peek down to see another from Dad. "Just a heads up. Your mom is insisting on picking you up." I let out a sigh before the next one comes in. "I tried to convince her otherwise, but she wouldn't hear it. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Of course, bug."

Peter seems to notice the downward shift in my mood as he move over from his seat next to Ned to me. "Hey, your parents still freaking out?"

"Yep. Apparently they just got through arguing over who gets to pick me up when we get back." I shake my head and rub my temples. "Sometimes I just wish they would stop pretending to put up with each other for me."

"Do you mind if I asked what happened? I mean, they obviously cared about each other at some point if—if, you know—"

"They had me? That was a long time ago. I think they haven't forgiven each other for stuff that happened back then." I rest my head on Peter's shoulder with a sigh. "Right now, I just need to figure out how I'm gonna make it through this weekend."

"If you need a prison break, let me know?"

"Might take you up on that, Mr. 'I broke out of a secure SHIELD facility.'" Peter and I both laugh at the comment, and I can't help but glance over at him. "What actually happened? You never told me about it."

"It—it was nothing."

"Pete, you wound up locked in a secret agency's most private and secure storage. That doesn't just happen by accident." He avoids looking at me, and I get the feeling he doesn't want to tell me for my own protection. "Hey, I know it doesn't always seem like it, but I can handle myself. I just want to know what happened."

"I went after them." He sighs and tells me the full story of what happened. How he came face to face with Vulture again and got himself trapped in that container. I can't look at him as he recounts the full story, which he definitely seems to notice. "Hey, Lia. I'm fine, just like I promised."

"I know, but that doesn't mean things couldn't have gone differently." I whisper and curl in on myself. "Those guys are crazy dangerous, and one day you may not get out."

"Nothing happened, and you're not gonna lose me."

I nod and avoid talking about it further as we continue on in silence the rest of the way back to the school. ARTI keeps a rolling list of information on the criminals Peter—and I—have been tracking, and I try to find a way to get to them before anything else can happen or someone gets hurt. Or, you know, before the people behind the REM Trials try to get a hold of them for alien tech.

By the time we pull into the school's parking lot, there's already a collection of parents anxiously waiting for us to get off the bus and make sure for themselves that we're okay. I watch from my place inside as my teammates are wrapped in hugs and cry with their parents. It makes me wish that Dad was here to remind me that it's all okay.

Instead, I'm greeted by my mum, who shuffles her feet as I step off the bus. "Hey, sweetheart." She whispers and tugs me into a bone-crushing hug that I really don't want. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." I try to hold back the tears as I speak. "Just want to get some rest."

"Alright, let's get you home then." She tells me, and I have to keep back a biting comment about how the apartment isn't nearly home. Peter offers me an encouraging smile as we both head our separate ways, and I take every ounce of support I can get before the inevitable interrogation.