Serpent | The Avengers [1]

Chapter 4

"Mr. and Mrs. Finley, I'm home!" I called, trudging inside. I didn't get a response, so I shrugged it off and hopped into the shower to wash off the dirt and sweat. After changing into my pajamas and half-drying my hair, I went looking. I found a note sitting on the dining table. Dear Ellie, mom has gone into labor and we're at the hospital with Mason. I've already called Ms. Ilma, and she has agreed to let you sleepover tonight. Please be good, we'll call as soon as we're home - Dad. The note read.

I went upstairs, threw some clothes and toiletries into a duffle bag, then walked down to Olive's house. I knocked on the door, to see Ms. Ilma. "Ellie, come in. Olive was just telling me about the soccer match," She said, stepping aside to let me in. "Thank you for this, Ms. Ilma," I said. "Oh, it's no problem," She said, and Olive ran up to me, tackling me into a hug.

"Olive, you saw me half an hour ago," I reminded them when they let go. "So? Go drop your stuff in my room. We're having mac-n-cheese," Olive said, and my face lit up. Ms. Ilma's mac-n-cheese was the best. I dropped my duffle on the bottom bunk and went back into the living room. I sat down and popped off my leg because it was starting to ache where it was attached.

I hopped back into the living room and sat at the dinner table. "Oh, can I look at it?" Olive asked, looking at my leg. They were obsessed with engineering and was excited at the prospect of being able to tinker with my leg. "Sure, just don't break it," I said, pushing it towards them. They picked it up and started flexing the parts that functioned as my knee.

"So, how's your mom?" Olive asked while they tinkered with my leg. "I don't know. They left before I got home," I shrugged. "Tell me how you lost your leg again," They begged, and I sighed. I had told them this story a thousand times, but they loved it every time. "As you know, I was at my dad's lab. One of his assistants ran up and told him that 372 had escaped. He told me to hide and shoved me towards a closet. I was standing in the closet when I felt a sharp pain in my ankle. I looked down, and a King Cobra had its fangs in my leg. I shook the snake off and killed it by stepping on its head. Somehow, a fire started and I passed out. I woke up in the hospital with one leg," I said, retelling the story.

Olive gasped at the right places, then pushed my leg towards me again. "Kids, dinner's ready!" Ms. Ilma called. I put my leg back on, and we wandered into the kitchen, where two bowls were sitting on the counter. We both grabbed one, then went and ate at the dinner table. After that, we moved the party to Olive's room.

Olive's cello was sat against the wall. "Hey, I've been working on a new piece. Wanna hear it?" They asked. "Sure!" I said, and they got set up. My bassoon was at home, and I paused them. "Wait, I'm gonna ask your mom if I can go grab my bassoon," I said, and they nodded.

 "Ms. Ilma, may I go get my bassoon?" I asked, and she nodded. "Be quick, though. The night is still young," She said. I ran home, grabbed my bassoon case, and ran back slower because the case was heavy. I set it up in Olive's room, sat next to her, listened to the deep, melodic notes echoed from Olive's cello. "Hey, you still have Jurassic Park, right?" I asked, and she pulled it out.

I pulled mine out, and we set them on the stand, playing until Ms. Ilma made us go to bed.