Chapter Text
I wish you’d check on me sometime
Will you make sure I’m still breathing?
Oh, this season
Might’ve got to me
But I’m fine
-Damage by Musithical
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Shelby Shubble was not someone who enjoyed confrontation. She’d rather make it by with their head down. Rather not go through another set of glasses in one month—the current number was three—and she’d rather not tolerate the bullies. It was better when Pearl was around, but Pearl had a life outside of babysitting Shelby. So, they just tried to stay out of trouble. Shubble-luck, trouble always found Shelby.
She hissed when Martyn shoved them into the lockers, “What did I do this time?” She asked desperately.
People laughed, it was commonplace. Laugh, point, stare, repeat. Such was Shelby’s life.
“Hey!” Snapped a feminine voice, “Leave her alone.” Isabella Drift—mostly called Drift—didn’t take shit from anyone. They didn’t know each other, hardly interacted aside from moments like these. But Shelby was enthralled. So much bravery and power in one person, it didn’t feel possible.
Martyn let Shelby down, as he always did. He didn’t do it because he hated Shelby, he did it because he enjoyed the attention it gave him. Shelby didn’t mind. It meant that other people didn’t have to tolerate the pushing or abuse. They would take the hits. The cracked lenses in her glasses. And the humiliation. They really were quite used to it at this point. So it was better this way. Especially when so many other people could face the ire. Some people didn’t have Shelby’s good situation. Aside from her… best put as shaky relationship with their mother, she had their dad, and Pearl. And Avery. Which was more than a lot of people got, and she was grateful, so they could handle it. Even if it meant another lecture from their mom about being more careful with her glasses.
Even still. Those lectures would mean Pearl sneaking out and bringing Shelby back a treat. Or their dad taking Shelby for a drive. It wasn’t bad. Shelby had it good.
“Shel!” Avery’s voice called down the hall. They were running—which normally never happened—and their shoes were untied. She knew what was going to happen before it did, rushing to catch Avery as they fell, Shelby smiled.
“Hey, Aves, what’s up?”
“Well,” Avery drew out the syllable, “Our science teacher is planning a trip to the Goldsmith science district!”
“I thought you hated the Goldsmiths?” Shelby questioned, walking over to where their two lockers sat.
“I hate Scott Goldsmith, the Goldsmith Corporations just happen to share his name. Which is why he’s such a prick. But still, do you realize what this means!”
“You get to see a bunch of fancy tech and I get out of science homework for a day?”
“Exactly!”
Shelby chuckled, grabbing their notebook, and pencil. The two walked to class. Avery Clark was Shelby’s only actual friend, and visa versa. Seeing as Avery also didn’t have many friends. They had someone back… A while ago, but something had happened, and Shelby didn’t pry. Avery was in the foster system, technically, but they were largely just in the home. Hence why Shelby still had a friend in them instead of an empty space if they got another foster family. That never happened, Avery wasn’t entirely bothered. Shelby was. It wasn’t fair, not when Shelby had so much, and Avery had nothing. So, they’d essentially become part of the Shubble family. They were there for dinner almost every night, Pearl defended them as much as she defended Shelby.
Regardless, Avery was far more excited about this field trip than Shelby. She didn’t have all that much interest in science. They liked things in the paranormal range, moth-man, Bigfoot, skin walkers. She just… Found it difficult to engage in anything else. It didn’t make as much sense to their head. It was boring. Shelby’s brain had a hard time with boring. That wasn’t to say that she couldn’t do it, nor did it mean that they failed at it. She got good grades, worked hard, and it paid off. But it was a lot more work for Shelby than it was for Avery.
As well as all her bruises from the constant bullying… Shelby just.. didn’t super see the point.
They entered the classroom, first hour, she had science first. Which was also just a cruel and unusual punishment. Chemistry on a Monday should be considered a federal crime! Alas, it was not. And Shelby tried to wrap their head around everything being blurted at them. Avery would probably be able to explain all of this, chemistry was their strongest class. After that was English, which was far more Shelby’s forte. Books made sense, they had contents, Shelby could analyze that content.
Third period was where Avery split off to one of their separate science electives, and Shelby went to math. Math also sucked, why the hell were there so many random equations? Why did it matter what x was? She was so lost, and so confused, and Avery understood it, but struggled to explain it well.
The person she shared that class with though… Drift sat in the back. But Shelby was more focused on the person that Avery hated with such a strong loathing it made Shelby’s hatred of maths look small. Scott Goldsmith, with his bright blue hair, painted nails, and leather jackets, he was the definition of a teacher’s living nightmares. But Shelby could care less about all of that. There was something about him that had Shelby intrigued. So, while Avery was in a different class, Shelby tried to get close to, and understand, the person they hated most in the world.
“Shelby.” Scott nodded, that was one of the first times he’d ever said her name. Or acknowledged them, for that matter. Progress!
“Hiya!” Shelby greeted, taking her seat, “I heard there’s some sort of field trip to one of the Goldsmith companies?”
Scott scoffed, annoyed, and rolled his eyes, “I guess.”
Okay… That was a rough topic then, interesting. Shelby hummed, doodling in the corner of their notebook. The rest of that class ended up being a blur. More homework, more confusion, and an absolute headache.
“Hey.” Scott waved Shelby back over to where they’d been sitting before she stood up, “That field trip, you’re welcome to tag along with my group. I’ve been there a million times, I know a lot more than the tour guide will show you.”
Shelby grinned, “Thank you! I’d love to.” It was only when she’d walked away when they realized that she’d be abandoning Avery. But.. this was Shelby’s chance to crack the mystery that was Scott Goldsmith. Wasn’t that worth it. And Scott had invited her! Shelby! Someone who he’d never even acknowledged the existence of a week ago! More like a day ago, actually. But who knew when they’d get this opportunity again!?
She walked to lunch, sitting by Avery at their empty table, “Hey.”
“Hi.” Avery replied, chipper, scribbling notes into one of their many notebooks. Stuff Shelby didn’t recognize, but knew Avery knew well.
“So… About the field trip…” She trailed off.
“The Goldsmith one?” Someone who was notably not Avery spoke up. Drift sat across from Shelby, “What about it? Blah blah blah, science invocations, the Goldsmiths just steal credit. The people really doing the work, that’s what I want to know.”
Shelby blinked, “Oh, hi, Drift? What.. You don’t normally sit on the loser table.”
Drift shrugged, “I ran out of interesting books to read in the library, might as well sit somewhere that’s worth my time.”
Shelby and Avery shared a glance. Avery’s face split into a wide grin.
“I agree!” Avery cheered, “The Goldsmith’s are all show and no innovation! We may be able to actually see the people doing what they do!”
Drift nodded, taking a bite of her sandwich. Some sort of mystery meat that Shelby—or anyone else—would never know what was actually in it. Shelby poked at their chef’s salad, feeling gross. Avery was excited about this, Drift was acknowledging them. And knowing what she did about Scott, they were in better company at the table she’d always sat at. Especially with Drift as a new addition!
But they’d already agreed to go with Scott. It would be rude to bail last minute. And Avery had never actually asked them to go with them. But that was a shitty excuse, and everyone, and their mother, knew that.
It would be fine. Avery would get over it. Drift would still talk to them. Shelby was sure! This would be fine.
——————
The day of the field trip arrived faster than Shelby had anticipated. The bus getting loaded up with everyone filing into seats. Scott and his group took the back of the bus, no one dared challenge their claim on that. Especially with Scott being who he is. The other two he was with, Shelby was pretty sure their names were Owen and Pyro. Though, they really hadn’t interacted with them all that much.
Avery was practically vibrating with excitement, Drift was reading a novel Shelby hadn’t caught the name of. Speaking of the girl, she had somewhat inserted herself further into the duo. Not in any intrusive or unwanted way, it was just interesting. Why she’d spent so long watching from afar, helping Shelby when they were down, and defending Avery, all without a word. And now she was suddenly everywhere. Another mystery Shelby needed to solve. But that wasn’t today’s mystery. Today’s mystery, was that of Scott Goldsmith.
The second the bus stopped Avery was up and ready to go. Shelby shoved her hands into the pockets of their brown cardigan, biting their lip. They bolted off of the bus, Drift following suit. Shelby stepped off and waited. Waited by the door to the bus and tried to ignore Avery’s confused glances, or Drift’s inquisitive stares.
Scott waved her over and Shelby did so. Owen and Pyro stood on either side of Scott, Pyro much closer to him than Owen was. They made an internal note and tried for a smile.
“Everyone gather up, nobody split off, try not to set any fires.” The teacher sighed, “We’ve been granted a huge privilege in being allowed to be here today, so don’t make them—or me—regret bringing you here.”
Scott snorted, pushing his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. Shelby looked up at the tall building, all gray and gold. Ostentatious in that way that rich people were. She had to crane their neck just to get a decent, subpar, view of the whole tower. It was grand, they would admit that, and the gold accents worked rather well with the whole building. If the rich had one thing, they had style. And if someone couldn’t admit that… They hated the rich enough to just lie, Shelby guessed.
“Once we’re inside we can split off.” Scott nodded to the group of students, Drift was still watching them carefully.
“Is that a good idea?” Shelby questioned, “Won’t we get in trouble.”
Scott rolled his eyes, “My family owns the place, I’m not going to get in trouble for going about in a building I practically live in half the time.”
Shelby swallowed, glancing over at Pyro who was… Concerningly pale. Not in a.. well, Shelby supposed it was in a rather sickly way, but also in the way that the blood drained from someone’s face when they were terrified. What did Pyro have to be scared of? Were they in danger? Was there something wrong? Could Shelby help? Owen, on the other hand, looked bored already, and nothing had even occurred yet.
“A- alright.” She tried to sound chipper, it looked to convince them enough, for now.
The tour began, true to Scott’s initial word, they didn’t stay with the main group for all that long. Lanyards were handed out, rules were stated, and then Shelby was getting dragged away from the tour group. The building was just as grand on the inside as it was on the outside. Smooth black stone with gold slashes made up the walls. Glass doors and often long windows. Each view had another set of something that Shelby couldn’t fully understand.
Metal contraptions, science labs, and then…
“Why spiders?” Shelby asked, looking around the room, “There has to be something about that, right?”
“Some sort of project to enhance them.” Scott muttered, “Not really much of a point to that.”
“They don’t look like normal spiders.” Pyro noted, “Is that part of the enhancement?”
Scott scoffed, “How would I know?”
Owen had been silent throughout this entire time. Shelby wasn’t one to judge, nor did she think that Owen had to speak up. But it was something somewhat worth note. Because Shelby didn’t think they’d ever heard or seen Owen talk. There had to be something to that, right? Right? She’d been largely… somewhat… Okay, hardly right about Scott. But that didn’t mean that they weren’t right this time.
Shelby stepped a little bit closer to a particular spider tank. A small yellow, almost gold, spider sat there. Seemingly flickering in and out of view. Maybe it was a trick of the heat lamp above it, and its color, but one moment it was there, and the next it was gone. So interesting. What kind of mutations had they done to it? To leave it being the way it currently was? Shelby did not know, Avery would likely be able to puzzle it out. But Avery was with the tour group, and Shelby was here. Feeling like a really shitty friend.
Scott leaned over, studying the same spider Shelby had been watching. He hummed, “Weird little thing.” He grumbled.
Shelby shrugged, “I guess, most things are in here. But it’s kind of cool.”
Pyro nodded quietly, Owen was silent, he always was. Shelby’s heart rate quickened slightly. Why were they panicking? Everything was fine, there was nothing wrong. What did Pearl say? In and out, Shel, in and out.
“Bet you could hold it.” Scott nodded toward the spider.
“Oh… I wouldn’t do that. What if it hurts the spider?”
“It won’t.” Pyro seemed certain, “Goldsmith companies wouldn’t make something so flimsy.”
Owen remained silent, a sentinel. It was beginning to become unnerving. Why was everything closing in? Why was she panicking? They weren’t panicking, not like the kind she’d done a thousand times before. But it really felt like there was something wrong. And that was scary. And she didn’t have a full understanding as to why. Still, Shelby had no reason to distrust these people. Why should they be scared. But also… Why would she want to hold this spider? Aside from a closer look… and it was interesting…
Shelby’s hand entered the terrarium, the spider within crawled up near immediately. It was flickering in and out of Shelby’s vision. Small red legs, golden body, flickering in and out. There were numbers on it’s body, 0013. Number thirteen. Out of what felt like thousands of spiders in here. They lifted her hand higher out of the terrarium.
1
2
3
That’s how long Shelby made it before the spider in their hand bit down on the flesh of Shelby’s hand. They gasped, burning feeling immediate, the spider didn’t let go. Scott smacked it away. Her hand shook, a light tremble persisting after the bite. What was that? Were they going to die? Had it been venomous? What was happening? The burning faded, slowly, then immediately. And she felt fine.
“Should we be worried about that?” Asked Pyro, grabbing Shelby’s hand to inspect the bite.
“Do you feel like it was poisonous?” Scott deadpanned,
“Venomous, not poisonous.” Shelby corrected, “Poisonous would be if I ate the spider. And… I don’t know, initially it felt like venom, but I feel fine.”
The spider was dead on the floor. Red legs curled into its torso. No longer flickering. Dead. Shelby had gotten it killed. That felt bad. It had been a living creature, after all.
“She’s probably fine.” Scott muttered, “Let’s just get back to the group before someone finds us here.”
“I thought you said it was fine.” Shelby pointed out.
“I said that before an experiment died.”
She nodded, not arguing further. Because Scott was right, and if they got caught here… Shelby really didn’t want to imagine that conversation. Didn’t want to think about if that had been illegal or not. Didn’t want to worry about what could happen to her friends, to their family. Pearl would be fine, snappy, she was already studying to become an officer. Their parents though… Her dad, the one who actually understood them, and despite her and her mom’s differences… Shelby still cared about her. In some messed up way built on guilt.
The group hadn’t appeared to notice that the four of them had left. Drift snapped at Martyn again, Cleo seemed bored, Avery was captivated by whatever they were looking at, their teacher—Doctor Legundo—looked tired. It had been a normal field trip for everyone else.
Shelby felt fine, physically. But they were tired. Really tired, and she really couldn’t place why. Probably mentally taxing with her mind running a thousand miles per hour with the bite. But the bite itself was fine, the mark was disappearing already. Shelby’s vision blurred a bit.
But they made it through the rest of the field trip. Avery rambled Shelby’s ear off about all of the things they’d seen. Drift was quiet, not silent like Owen, she seemed far happier to be there, after all. But she didn’t talk much. That was consistent in Shelby’s interactions with her.
“It was cool, sad you missed it.” Drift noted, adjusting her oval-shaped classes.
“Sorry about that, by the way.” Shelby rubbed the back of their head. Why was she so tired? They’d felt fine after the bite.
Avery rubbed their arm, “It- it’s fine.”
“It’s really not.” Drift interrupted, “Shelby, you left Avery. I really don’t care about whatever it is that they were excited about, but still. I don’t know them as well as you do, I know that, but they were upset.”
“I know.” She whispered, rubbing the spot where the spider had bitten, “I won’t do it again, I promise.”
Avery smiled, linking their pinkies together. Drift watched with a light smile. Shelby drew in a shuddering breath. The bus left the companies. The drive flew by in a blur of movement. Seats were taken as they had been, it was as if today had never occurred.
Shelby rubbed the place where the bite sat.