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It all started with a death…
Or maybe it should be more specific: it started before a death, when Aimee wanted to take self-defense classes when some guy had stolen her duffle bag.
Aimee didn’t really have anything important in it, besides a field hockey uniform in it. She had to get a new one and she decided she needed self-defense classes because of that incident.
Or maybe…it started after the incident that had caused Elliot to drop theater and transfer over to Midtown. And because Elliot had transferred, Aimee had transferred to Midtown as well. It was more because Aimee wanted to make sure no girl would even try to harm her brother again. He was going to have that wound that would never heal, especially when no one, besides his family, would ever believe him.
Then of course, a few months later, Uncle Ben died, it sparked something in Aimee, or at least, something inside her shattered even more. They had lost their parents, and they had lost an uncle.
They grieved in different ways, May and Peter had been brought closer together, Elliot retreated into his room that he shared with Peter and once again, watched a bunch of Let’s Plays from his favorite YouTubers. Aimee, however, seemed to grow closer to her friend, Betty Brant, and Aimee had started staying out later and later, coming back with bruises and black-eyes.
“Someone is clearly assaulting her,” Peter said to Elliot and Ned.
“What do you suggest we do? Follow her?” Ned asked.
“What if she has an abusive boyfriend?” asked Elliot. He snuggled Reagan the corgi. Reagan was something that Aunt May agreed to get, especially after what Elliot had told her that he had been raped, and that took him two months to open up on.
“That’s not it,” said Peter. “She would’ve told us if she was dating someone.”
“We can ask Betty,” said Ned. “She’s bound to know something since they’re friends.”
“Yes, good idea, Ned,” Peter replied.
Elliot stayed silent, because that was the only thing he could do. Besides, he didn’t have anymore ideas or theories.
“Hey, Betty,” Peter called to the head-band wearing blonde girl, at school. Liz Toomes was standing with Betty.
Liz smiled at them, but looked at Elliot, “Hi, Elliot.”
“Hey, Liz,” Elliot said, forcing a smile.
“Bye, Betty,” Liz said to her friend. With a flirtatious tone, she said, “See you around, Elliot.”
“Yeah,” said Elliot, nodding at her.
Peter really didn’t look happy at that. Elliot knew that Peter had a crush on Liz and he knew it was crossing a line, but Peter knew that Elliot was aromantic-asexual, which meant that Peter knew Elliot didn’t even like Liz in any kind of romantic or sexual capacity. He liked Liz as a friend, but nothing more.
“Anyway, we’re here to talk about Aimee,” Elliot said to Betty.
Betty looked concerned, “Is she okay?”
“No, well, yeah, but no,” said Peter.
“Way to sound eloquent,” Elliot muttered.
Peter elbowed him, “Well, she keeps coming home looking like she’s getting beaten up.”
“She plays field hockey,” Betty said. “Remember that black-eye she had gotten by that one girl?”
“Yeah, I remember that, but we thought she might be dating someone,” Peter said.
“No,” said Betty. “I’m sure that as her brothers and friend, she would’ve told you.”
“Well, do you know what might be going on?” asked Elliot.
“No,” said Betty, “Sorry. She never told me.”
“Do you have any idea who’s beating her up?” asked Ned.
Betty shook her head again, “No, sorry guys, but I don’t know what’s going on.”
Elliot hated how calmly Betty was taking the whole ‘my-best-friend-is-getting-beaten-up’ situation.
In hindsight, that was clearly a clue.
When Elliot walked in his room, Peter and Ned had made a murder board. Elliot had a bowl of yogurt with him and Reagan at his heels.
“You made a murder board?” Elliot asked.
“It’s not a murder board. It’s an investigation board,” said Ned.
Peter looked at the bowl that Elliot was holding and took it from him. “Oh, thanks, dude.”
Elliot went to the door and took another bowl from a side table. He passed it to Ned, before getting another bowl. He knew that Peter was just ‘asserting his dominance as the older triplet’.
It was fine, because Elliot purposely eats his toast this way, just to annoy Peter: eat around the side, fold, bite into all the corners, and nibble on the rest like he was a rabbit.
It was nothing on how Aimee pours the milk in the bowl first, before the cereal.
Sometimes Peter sat on either of them to show dominance, except he stopped doing that after he accidentally triggered a panic attack in Elliot by doing that.
“So, your murder board is supposed to help figure out what’s going on with Aimee?” Elliot said.
“It’s an investigation board,” Ned replied.
“All right,” said Elliot. “Your investigation board…how is that going to help us?”
“It’s not,” admitted Peter. “Ned just wanted to make an investigation board.”
“As one wants,” said Elliot.
“You wanted to know what it was like to get stabbed,” Peter pointed out.
“I’m morbidly curious,” replied Elliot.
Ned rolled his eyes, far used to the brothers’ eccentrics.
“Last night, the vigilante, who has taken to calling herself the Avenging Angel, has successfully stopped a kidnapping attempt,” Betty said on the Midtown News. She was smiling, but still being professional. There was shaking footage of the so-called angel fighting an older female.
They stood in the hallway, watching the TV.
“Their editing skills can do with a lot of work,” Aimee said to her brothers.
She was obviously trying to hide bruises with makeup. It was frustrating to see because they never kept anything from each other; it was like the triplet code.
Outright asking her was just out of the question, because she’ll deny it, unless she actually told the truth then that’ll be a miracle.
“So, when did she emerge anyway?” Elliot asked.
“I think it was around three weeks ago,” said Ned.
Three weeks ago…
Wasn’t that when Aimee started disappearing?
“Three weeks ago is when this vigilante sprung up,” said Ned. “Three weeks ago is when Aimee started sneaking out. How do you know that, anyway?”
“I just want to make sure that she’s fine,” said Peter. “I mean, I deal with Elliot having nightmares. Yes, Eli, I know it’s not your fault what happened to you, so don’t say anything.”
“What happened to you?” asked Ned looking at Elliot.
It took a lot to open up to Aunt May, then to his siblings. Ned was different, but being different and being trustful was another thing. It wasn’t to say that Ned wasn’t trustworthy, he was, and Elliot would have Ned’s back when it came down to it. Elliot just couldn’t find it in him to
Elliot shook his head, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Ned just shrugged, “Whenever you feel ready, I guess.”
“Thanks, Ned,” said Peter, grateful that he wasn’t pushing Elliot into talking.
Besides, the less people that knew, the better, because Elliot didn’t want Flash to know what happened, since he inevitably will find out. That was going to be hell.
“How much of a coincidence that Aimee is this vigilante?” asked Elliot.
“No, no, no,” replied Peter, shaking his head. “I don’t believe it.”
“Too much of a coincidence,” said Elliot. “This vigilante springs up when Aimee started sneaking out and getting beat up. How about how Betty isn’t really that concerned about it? Come on, man; get your head out of your ass.”
“But should we keep it a secret that we know her secret identity? Or do we confront her?” asked Ned.
“We should tell her we know,” said Peter. “It’ll be better in the long run.”
Coming home to her two brothers hanging out in her room was a surprise, but them looking grim was a bit of a surprise.
However, he wasn’t in the mood since she was sure that she had bruised ribs.
“Hand me those aspirin,” Aimee said. Elliot tossed her a bottle of aspirin and Peter went to get a water bottle for her.
“If anyone’s beating you up, you can tell us,” Elliot said, once Peter returned.
“Can we not do this right now?” Aimee asked as she took some aspirin.
“We never keep secrets from each other,” Peter said. “Eli keeping what happened to him doesn’t count as a secret. He told us…a week later.”
“So, it was a secret that he ended up telling us about after a week,” said Aimee.
“I’m still here,” Elliot said.
“Sorry,” said Peter and Aimee to him.
“Come on, tell us,” said Elliot to Aimee.
“I can’t,” said Aimee.
“We just want to help you,” said Peter.
“I already dragged Betty in it, I don’t want anymore people I care about to get involved in it,” said Aimee.
“How is Betty helping you be a vigilante?” Elliot asked confused.
“Oh, she’s – I am not!” replied Aimee. She sighed knowing that she had been caught. “She hacks into cameras and tells me where to go and if someone needs help or something.”
“You’re going to get killed,” said Peter.
“I know that,” Aimee said.
“You’re our sister,” said Elliot.
“If you’re gone, what are we without you?” asked Peter.
“Twins instead of triplets?” replied Aimee.
Peter and Elliot weren’t amused.
“We’ll just be. P.E instead of P.E.A, that’s what,” replied Elliot.
“Or A.P instead of A.P.E,” replied Aimee.
“It’s just…why? I thought we were three peas in a pod,” said Peter. “And now suddenly you both are keeping secrets?”
“Excuse me for not barging in through that door announcing what had happened to me, like I just gotten milk or some shit,” said Elliot. “Next time I get raped, I’ll remember to walk in through that door announcing it.”
“That’s not what I meant!” Peter said.
The door to Aimee’s room opened and Aunt May poked her head in. “Sorry, but I hope everything is going okay. You guys are starting to get loud and Reagan is scratching at the door, whining.”
“Yeah, we’re fine, just having a discussion,” Peter said.
Aunt May looked troubled, “Okay, but can you keep your discussion quieter because I don’t think the neighbors would appreciate your loud… ‘discussions.’”
“Sorry, May,” Peter said. He was the only one that was comfortable with calling her May, while Elliot and Aimee felt comfortable calling her Aunt May.
“Yeah, sorry Aunt May,” Elliot said.
Aimee nodded and Aunt May left.
Reagan had came up to Elliot, and pawed at his leg, causing Elliot to bend down and pick him up. So, what are we going to do?”
“Help Aimee with her vigilantism?” asked Peter.
Aimee shook her head, before wincing. “No, no. I don’t want either of you to be involved in this. I don’t want you to get seriously hurt.”
“As opposed to you getting seriously hurt?” Peter asked.
“I can handle it,” said Aimee. “Besides, I don’t want you to be my ‘side-kicks’ that’s unequal. Besides, you both can’t fight and Betty is my woman in the chair. And I can’t have overprotective brothers flipping their shit if I get punched in the face or something.”
Elliot guessed that she had a point there. “And I can’t have you guys there getting punched in the face because then I’ll flip my shit.”
Elliot looked at Peter, who had a look on his face that said that he knew Aimee had a point there.
It didn’t get easier, knowing that Aimee was out there, risking her life, especially considering that she didn’t have any kind of super-human healing, and that one hard hit in the head could easily kill her. One stab can kill her.
It was like waiting for a sibling to come home from being sent out in the army, navy, or something equivalent to it.
Of course, after a field trip, Peter ended up sick, so Elliot ended up having to room with Aimee, which was a bit of pain, because she snored. On top of his sister doing vigilante work and Peter being seriously sick, Elliot thought the both of them were going to die.
“So, what kind of flowers do you want on your casket?” Elliot asked, after giving Peter some soup.
“Fuck off, Eli,” Peter said. “And pentas are cool.” He looked at Elliot. “They’re the star shaped flower.”
Elliot nodded, taking a note on that.
- Peter wanted pentas on his casket.
- Aimee wanted morning glories for her casket, and she punched him in the shoulder for him asking her that.
- And just because he had asked them what flowers they wanted, they asked him what he wanted. He wanted lilies, because they mean death and mourning. (Peter called him weird and creepy.)
In the end, at least Elliot didn’t have to put flowers on his siblings’ caskets, since they were still alive, but their story was far from over; it was only just the beginning.