Secret World

13

    "Echo?" Peter asked quietly as he wound me through the building.
     "His laces were tied." I muttered softly to myself.
    ""What?" Peter asked, slowly I turned my face to look at him. His eyes were focused on mine as my mind tried to wrap around what just happened.
     "Flash's laces, they were tied." I stated again, I watched as Peter's eyebrows knotted together with confusion.
     "Afraid I'm not understanding." Peter told me as people brushed past him.
     "Flash, the reason he tripped. It's cause his laces were tied in knot after knot." I exclaimed just before I was interrupted by someone yelling Peter's name. I turned just as Peter stopped and looked up at the ceiling.
     "Hey Ned." Peter called back as he turned around.
     "Hey, who's this?" Ned asked as he looked over at me.
     "Ned this Echo, she's new and I'm showing her around. Echo this is Ned, my best friend." Peter stated, Ned stuck his hand out toward me and all I did was just stare at it. "Uh, she doesn't like people touching her."
     "Oh, that's cool." Ned replied with a smile. "So, did you guys hear Flash face planted in history?"
     "We were there Ned." Peter told him looking over me with a small smile as the three of us started walking back down the hall.
     "So Echo, where are you from?" Ned asked as he looked around Peter.
     "Brooklyn." I replied quietly, feeling slightly odd about this whole thing. I get it, I was the one that dropped into Peter's life and of course he had friends but at the same time I just wanted to be alone. Peter was one thing, others were a different story.
    "That's cool." Ned nodded, we walked in awkward silence for a bit.
     "Peter where is the rest room?" I asked suddenly just needing a moment.
     "Uh, right over this way." Peter replied looking around and then he grabbed my hand.
'And I wanted you to be better.' It was the same voice I had heard as before. I stopped briefly and Peter stopped to look at me.
     "Echo?" Peter asked, concerned etched across his face. I shook my head, realizing Ned was still us.
      I smiled and started walking again. We got to doorway in the wall, I ducked in towards the giggles and voices of other teenage girls. They all stopped talking when I entered, taking a deep breath I walked into one of the stalls and closed the door. I sat down on the toilet and took a deep breath.
    Closing my eyes, taking a moment to steal my nerves. The voices drowned out as I ignored them, my mind trying to put together the shadow creatures, Flash's shoes. And then the thought of the last time I had been in a public restroom was when this all happened. Slowly I opened my eyes, the lights flickered over head, casting shadows on the walls. Chattering, voices whispering, not of the girls that been there when I entered, something different.
     I stood, slowly I reached out toward the lock on the door with trembling fingers and slid the lock open. The room was vacant, and two of the three overhead fluorescent lights were out, casting shadows all around me. I could see them in the mirrors, the constant moving, the scurrying. My heart raced inside my chest as I stared one staring back at me through the mirror had didn't hold my reflection. Bright eyes and sharply jagged irregular teeth set in a wispy ebony body. It's smile alarmed me but I couldn't seem to break away.
'Do we have your attention, Echo.' It's baritone voice boomed through my skull, causing me to jump in my skin. I wanted to run, to bolt, and keep going until my legs gave out. But I found myself locked into place just staring back it, I swallowed the lump that had formed in the back of my throat. I could feel the tears welling up behind my eyelids as it tilted its head.
     "No, this isn't happening, they don't talk." I whispered to myself, closing my eyes allowing the tear to slip down my cheek.
'I said, do we have your attention?" The voice repeated.
———-
    "So, she seems kinda cool, does she play rpg's?" Ned asked Peter as they both waited outside the restroom.
    "I.. I don't know." Peter replied as he leaned against the wall, four girls walked out looking at both Ned and Peter before continuing on.
    "So what's with the no touching thing? Is she like afraid of germs? Or?" Ned asked him.
     "It's just a personal thing." Peter replied, looking toward the restroom opening.
     "I just mean, you grabbed her hand when we headed over here, if she's new, like how long have you known her? Is it just after a certain time.." Peter slowly tuned Ned out as he watched the opening, the lights flickered. Peter stood straighter as he watched the lights dim out about before another light flickered. "Peter?"
     "Uh, yeah. Sorry, could you do me a favor Ned?" Peter asked, whipping his head back to his friend.
    "Sure."
    "Watch for anyone coming in here. I'm going to go check on Echo." Peter stated as he walked in rapidly, Ned opened his mouth to ask a question but it was too late.
———
'Echo, we want to talk to you.'
     "No, no, no." I cried shaking my head as slipped to my knees, closing my eyes tight to the image in front of me.
'The other one, it's coming.' A raspy voice spoke out.
'Saved by the ittsy bisty Spider. We'll talk later Echo.' The first voice spoke to me again.
     "Echo?" I heard Peter cry out as the rapidness of his foot steps approached. The lights all flashed on at the same time as I opened my eyes and he knelt next to me. "What happened?"
     "They.. they talked." I told him stuttering, tears still falling from my face as he wiped them from my cheek.
     "The shadows?" He asked, his eyes tracking across my face. All I could do was nod in response to his question. "Guessing they never did that?"
     "No." I replied, feeling a new batch of tears fall. "Peter, I need to get out of here."
     "Alright, hold on." He stood and walked over to the bathroom windows and pushed one open. He looked outside for a moment and then came back. "Stand up."
     I did as told and followed him to the window, looking out and down toward the ground. I had forgotten we were on the second story, and I looked back at him as he climbed on the window ledge and reached for me. I stared at him in disbelief before he pulled up his sleeve and I saw the devise strapped to wrist.
     "Never leave home without them." He shrugged, I climbed onto the window ledge with him. Peter held me close with one arm as he aim the other up toward the roof.
———-
    Ned waited outside the restroom awkwardly smiling at anyone that came near. Two girls approached and he stepped in the middle on the opening.
    "Sorry, bathrooms closed." He stated cheerfully, the girls ignored and walked past him. He listened closely and didn't hear anyone comment on a man in the woman's room.