Pandora's Box

Taken

Jemma is sitting in the lunch room, enjoying her lunch with the rest of her classmates. The lunch room is quite full but they are very much cordoned off. Each section of the lunch room has been painted a specific color and the students which are in the sections are wearing similar versions of the colors. Many of the students are looking very suspiciously at those who are not in their group or wearing their colors. There's only one section of the place which is the original color of the school, and Jemma is sitting in that one.

Pandora enters the cafeteria, immediately looking around for her newest friend and potential girlfriend. Eventually, she sees Jemma and makes a b-line for her.

"Please tell me you didn't take it." asks Pandora with a mixture of anger and sadness.

"Hey... what's going on?" wonders Jemma, trying to figure out the question as she looks up from her seat.

"I just... tell me you didn't take it." an emotional Pandora wants to know.

"Take what?" asks Jemma.

"You were asking questions about it, really interested. Please tell me you didn't go into my locker and take it." the uncertainty of how she feels right now clear in Pandora's voice.

"Are you talking about The Box?" Jemma asks, the tone of her voice becoming somewhat knowing, "Yeah, I wanted to take a look at it, so I grabbed it."

"Why would you do that? You know what it means to me." declares Pandora.

"I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. I mean, it's just a box. I know it's a family heirloom and all but I figured you wouldn't miss it if I gave it a once over." insists Jemma, not really seeing the big deal of the situation.

There's a bit of a silence from Pandora as several of the people in the cafeteria eye the two of them suspiciously before Pandora speaks, "Please tell me you didn't open it."

Jemma gives Pandora a weird look, "Not yet. I'm still trying to figure out what makes it glow like that."

"Don't. Please don't open it." Pandora begs, "Can you just... give it back to me?"

"Why? What's so important about it?" Jemma wonders out loud.

"Nothing, it's just... I... my family is really protective of it and they'd freak out if they found out someone took it. I'd... I'd really like it back if you don't mind." Pandora attempts to act calmly, although she doesn't do a very good job of it.

Jemma watches Pandora with a clearly suspicious look on her face.

"Please?" asks Pandora with a lot more desperation.

"What is it about this box thing? It can't just be that it's a family heirloom. You wouldn't care this much if that's all it was." insists Jemma.

"You're right... it's not just a family heirloom. There's a reason I'm protective of it, but... I'm not really allowed to say what it is." Pandora tries to explain as much as she can.

"Well that's pretty convenient. Kinda trying to get yourself off the hook eh?"

"What are you talking about?" responds Pandora.

"You're trying to have it both ways. Saying you'd like to tell me but your parents won't let you. So you get to act like you care but also get to keep your secrets." elaborates Jemma.

"Where is this coming from?" wonders Pandora, getting confused.

"I'm just kinda realizing that you know a lot more than you're saying. That you know why I got all weird and did all those things a few weeks back, but won't tell me." suggests Jemma.

Pandora looks around, aware of where they are and the people in the cafeteria, "Where is this coming from?"

This makes Jemma look somewhat vindicated, "Interesting that you didn't even bother to deny it. You know, don't you?"

There's a long silence from Pandora, clearly not sure how to respond. Jemma eventually turns back to her lunch, all but ignoring the one she's been speaking to.

"I'll tell you what, when you're ready to tell me what happened, I'm happy to give you back the family heirloom. Until then? I'm not sure we have much to talk about." Jemma says, clearly upset by the conversation.

"But... it's mine... and I need you to give it back." Pandora says, not sure how else to get what she wants.

This makes Jemma turn back to Pandora, if only briefly, "You know, I may not understand why it all happened to me, but if there's one thing that doing things I normally wouldn't taught me? It's that if you want something... you have to be willing to go after it."

She returns her focus to her lunch, "So this is me... going after it."

Pandora doesn't really have any kind of response to Jemma's words. After a few attempts at speaking up for herself and failing, walks away, heading out the way she came in. Jemma looks to Pandora as she's leaving, watching her go just as she does.