Secret World

14

     "Thanks." I gave Peter a flat smile, still feeling shaken up as we sat at a nearby fast food place.
     "No problem, English is overrated anyway." He smiled pushing the chocolate shake toward me.
     "They've never talked before, it was weird cause it's like I could hear them but only in my head." I stated with a sigh. "I feel like I'm going crazy, cause nobody can see them and now I'm hearing things."
    "Except, the lights did go out in the bathroom, you didn't imagine that. And something tied Flash's shoes together." Peter reminded me as I took a drink. "You aren't crazy Echo."
    "At least on my world they didn't talk, as long as I stayed in the light I didn't have to worry about them. But this, this is different, they made the lights dim so that there were shadows. It's like they are stronger or something here." I bit my bottom lip staring at the table. "What the hell am I going to do now?"
     "Maybe Dr Stranger will know." Peter stated putting his hand on my forearm.
Cherry red suit of metal with gold accents flew through air, thrusters attached to the feet and hands propelling him forward.
     I shook my head dispelling the image.
     "He meant a lot to you." I smiled looking up at Peter. "I always see glimpses or hear snippets of him. Very rarely of anybody else."
     "Sorry." Peter chuckled.
     "Don't be, kinda wishing I got a chance to meet him." I smiled as I shrugged. "At least you had someone cool like him."
     "He was the coolest." Peter nodded as his cell phone rang. His slipped it out of his backpack, he looked at the screen and squint his eyes together before answering. "Hey."
     I watch as Peter bit his lips as a woman on the other line yelled. I couldn't understand her but I could tell from the look on his face that he was in trouble.
     "Yeah, I know." Peter said. "We're at the burger place a block from the school. See ya in a minute."
     He hung up and slid his phone back into the pocket and hung his head.
    "Guessing you're in trouble?"
"A bit, don't worry once I explain to her it will be okay." Peter stated, I took a deep breath and look down at the table. "Don't worry, Aunt May is really understanding."
"How are you going to explain this, Peter? A girl that can see things in the shadows and can hear them talking to her?" I responded looking at him, he reached over and grabbed my hand.
"Just trust me." Slowly the ferry split down the center, each side teetering away from each other slowly sliding into the ocean. Peter in his red and blue suit swing around attaching his webs to random parts of the ship as he went.
"You've given me no reason not to." I replied still feeling apprehensive. "How long till she gets here?"
   "Only a couple minutes, she's just down the street running some errands." Peter replied, giving me an encouraging smile.
    "Guessing I would end up meeting her at some point, but because you were skipping school was not what I was hoping." I chuckled lightly.
    "Yeah, Aunt May meets all my friends anyway and I'm sure she'll understand." He reiterated just as the chime above the diner door opened, I looked over and my breath caught in my chest, my heart skipped beat.
    Peter released my hand as he turned in his seat, he called over to her and gave her small wave as my heart started to race. I could feel my hands start to tremble, Peter's voice seemed to drown out as I looked up this woman who marched over to us. The same brunette hair, dark eyes, they way her lips set as she spoke to Peter. The voice was one I hadn't heard in so long I almost forgot what it sounded like, a million thoughts, feelings and memories flood me at once.
   My Aunt was my moms best friend, there was no blood relation to us, but she was my Aunt through and through. I guess when Peter said his Aunt's name was May I didn't put two and two together, after all this world was different then mine in so many ways. I just didn't think May Parker, was the same May Parker from my world. My Auntie, the woman who took me in when my mom couldn't deal with my gifts, the woman who gave me the nick name I had now. The woman who was murdered during a mugging leaving me with my uncle. Except in my world Peter didn't exist, I know because both May and Ben had been only children.
    Slowly I felt the tear slip down my cheek as she turned and looked at me. The softness in her eyes was the same I had seen for so many years, the look I had missed for so long. It felt like my heart was being ripped out again.
    "Echo?" Peter asked, breaking me from my spell, I blinked hard a couple of times and looked around the diner, reminding myself this wasn't her.
   "I.. I gotta go." I stuttered, sliding out of the booth and running out, not bothering to look back.
   I rushed out into the busy sidewalk, looking both ways before heading in the direction of the compound. Tears continue to fall as I walked quickly in that direction, it felt like I had been punched in my gut. I knew that this world was similar but completely different then my world, but what I hadn't been expecting was to see someone I knew, someone I cared about. The farther I got away from Peter and Auntie.. Aunt May, I began to calm back down, trying hard not to think about it.
    I waited at a corner, thinking about hailing a cab so I could get back to the compound, I had a bit of cash on me that Happy had given me, also Wanda had given me some as well. Someone bumped into me, the world went black, and then to a deep crimson. I blinked a couple of times as I saw a silver streak course through the sky, Wanda flying next to him. I saw Peter dress in his red and blue Spider suit flung across the street and into a nearby building, chunks of brick falling down on top of him. A silver flash of Bucky's arm as he sprinted toward a man dressed in all black.
    No sooner then the vision started it stopped, leaving me confused. I looked over my shoulder, a man dress in a black on black suit stood behind me, his sandy blond hair cropped close to his scalp. Hazel eyes sparkled as he smiled down at me.
    "Sorry Miss, I didn't mean to startle you." He told me, his English accent familiar to my ears. An icy shiver ran up my spine as I stepped away from him. A slow grin crossed his face as his eyes narrowed at me, I turned and bolted, something about that smile, I knew it, even if I didn't remember him.