I Am Not Number Seven (TUA/MHA Crossover)

7. Vanya: Solus

The run to Vanya's gate did not take long, especially since she was a fast sprinter, but it felt like it took an eternity to weave through the crowd of the airport.

She ignored the shouts of surprise that people let out behind her, already way past them. Vanya slowed to a stop when she saw the AirJapan logo in front of her gate, a long line of people already waiting to get their ticket scanned. She quickly slid in behind the last person in line, shuffling her bag in her arms to pull out her ticket from the manila folder.

Vanya shoved the folder back into her bag and waited, ticket in hand. She closed her eyes, steadying her breathing, and listened to the heartbeats of the people around her, not listening for anything in particular, just getting a feel for the types of people that surrounded the girl.

In Vanya's training, she had learned to pick up specific traits of people based on their heartbeat. With her enhanced hearing, she could tell if someone was lying or was hiding something, as the body had physical signs when not telling the truth. Someone lying would have higher blood pressure, fast breathing, and/or a fast heartbeat. During training at the Academy, Vanya would be placed in a room with Academy employees and listen to them say different statements then she would have to pick out the lie among them based on their body's physical reaction. It was like being a human polygraph.

But an interrogation wasn't the only reason Vanya would listen to heartbeats. In the Academy, Vanya would constantly be surprised by sneak attacks during her lessons. She would have to spring into action in the middle of a lesson and defend herself after being caught off guard when her Russian language teacher suddenly decided to attack her. After this had happened enough times to be a nuisance, Vanya learned a trick. The girl noticed that the teacher's heartbeat would speed up just seconds before she was attacked. This was a small advantage but enough to prepare her for whenever somebody was about to attack her. Vanya would listen to the heartbeats of the person in front of her, no matter who they were, Academy employees, language teachers, her father, or her siblings as a precaution, even if she trusted them fully.

Trusting meant relaxing and relaxing led to vulnerabilities. It was just easier to half-listen to heartbeats than to be surprised by an attack.

The heartbeats around her though were all fast with anxiety. Hurried breathing and quick steps made up the roar of noise surrounding Vanya, she'd never seen a place so filled with people before. It would be loud for a normal person but with her enhanced hearing, it bordered on unbearable.

Vanya opened her eyes, satisfied with what she heard around her, and looked at the line. It had barely moved in the quick moment it took to center herself, she noticed. A buzzing against her thigh made the girl jump, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

[Ben:] Boarding now. Text you guys when I'm there. See you soon.

[Allison:] Text me asap when u land, bye everyone <3

[Me:]  me too, i love you guys, bye

Vanya smiled at how her siblings typed, seems like they were already getting used to their phones. The chat binged as more messages came in.

[Diego:] Fuck u guys for leaving me alone w Monkeybrain

[Diego:] I'm so bored