Parasite
The rocks came in showers. Everytime one thudded against the battered ground, they came faster and angrier. She could see the ships overhead, hear the whirring of engines and the whooshing of thrusters. She knew she had to leave, but she couldn’t. She saw her friends try to leave, but get caught in the crossfires. She ran as fast as she could to save them; there had to be a way. Her legs pounded against the rubble, every stride tormenting her tender muscles. Still, she kept on. She could feel the needles piercing her side, but she had to reach them, she was so close. “CHARLOTTE!”
Charlotte jolted upright from the springy bed in a cold sweat, her head still killing her. What was that? Who was that? It definitely wasn’t her. At least, it didn’t feel like her. Charlotte looked around the dark room. Finally, something familiar to her. Although the lights were off, Charlotte couldn’t help but smile at the royal blue walls. She remembers the day she painted them. She had just moved in and she was high off of her big signing with WWC, so she called up Reid and picked up some paint. They spent the day together, laughing and chucking paint at each other. She glanced at the corner, locating their handprints in white. She remembers yelling at Reid for ruining her walls, but she soon placed her handprint right next to his. She missed him. She missed him a lot.
Charlotte felt hot tears start to roll out of her eyes. She had to let it out. She hadn’t let anything out since it happened. Well except initially with Ronda and her job… But after that, Charlotte pushed everything to the back of her mind. She had to pay for his funeral because their dad sure as hell wasn’t. That’s how she ended up at the lab. Once the tears started flowing, it was apparent that they weren’t stopping. So, she sat there and let herself sob.
“Charlotte?” a confused voice piped up from beside the bed. Charlotte peeked over the side to see Becky sitting up, wrapped in a blanket with some outrageous bedhead. Becky’s faced softened when she saw Charlotte with tears racing down her cheeks. The Irish girl popped up from her spot on the floor and shrugged her blanket off almost instantaneously. Charlotte felt the bed shift as she felt strong arms envelop her pathetic and grief stricken body. And for the first time since Reid died, she let herself go. She allowed herself to be comforted. Charlotte cried into Becky’s embrace for what seemed like an eternity. Becky hadn’t asked any questions, she simply stroked Charlotte’s hair, reassuring her that she’d be okay with tiny whispers. Just like that, Charlotte was being held by Becky once again.
Charlotte felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time: Safe. She felt like it didn’t matter what the universe threw at her right now, it would just bounce right back off of her because she was safe in Becky’s arms. She trusted Becky’s arms.
I like her. So do you.
A voice within her head spoke. It wasn’t her. It sounded like maybe a distortion of her voice but nonetheless, not hers. Charlotte shook it off as her fatigue from the previous night. Charlotte, begrudgingly, pulled away from Becky’s warm embrace. She ignored her pounding head;she had some business to attend to. Becky looked at her with tender eyes, wiping away the remaining tears from Charlotte’s cheek.
“Bex, where’s Paige?”
“She’s safe. We put her in the guestroom with her girlfriend. She looks like she’ll be jus’ fine thanks to you.”
“Thanks to us.”
“Yeah...Us.” Charlotte saw Becky’s lips quirk up into her signature grin.
“Thanks for being my knight in shining armor last night after I ate shit.”
“Twas the least I could do after you went all Captain Marvel on that box thingie. Which, speakin’ of you gettin’ yer shit kicked in by air, we need to get you seen by a medical professional.” Charlotte panicked at the thought of being seen. Wouldn’t that compromise the rescue? McMahon Labs would simply find them and boy would they be in trouble. “Don’t worry, lass. Paige’s gal is a registered nurse. She wants to run a concussion test and then check for any abnormalities with ya’.” Charlotte let out a sigh of relief. They’d better get it over with now.
Strong individual. Very compatible to you. Compatible to me, even. Not like you though, Charlotte Flair. No, she is much like the other.
The voice began to take shape in Charlotte’s head. The voice was still distorted, but now it had a regal edge to it. Although it was disembodied, Charlotte felt inferior in its presence. Charlotte began to rise from the bed, feeling a wave of dizziness hit her. She lost her footing ever so slightly, but quickly regained her balance.
Yes, Flair. I think you and I will make an excellent team.
God, Charlotte must’ve been concussed to shit. She was hearing things, she was lightheaded, and on top of that she had this funny feeling in her chest. Becky helped Charlotte through the short walk down the hall into the bedroom. On the plain bed sat an inexplicably familiar raven haired girl. Paige looked like a million bucks compared to Charlotte. She was talking, and even joking around with the other girl in the room. The other girl was also quite familiar to Charlotte. Too familiar. The girl cuddled up with Paige on her guest bed was none other than Daria Berenato. Charlotte’s ex-girlfriend. Charlotte’s ex fiancé. The woman who left her right before Reid did. This was Paige’s girl?
Becky seemed to notice the tension, or perhaps she noticed the immediate scowl on, the normally soft, Charlotte’s face. She cleared her throat and began explaining the situation to Daria. Charlotte’s Daria. “Yeah, Sonya, you should of seen her! She was like a woman possessed or something. Whatever it was it was cool as shit.” Paige gushed on about “her hero” to her girlfriend.
“So how long have you been going by Sonya?” Charlotte was stoic. The way she always used to be. The way she was supposed to be. She didn’t want Daria or Sonya, whoever she was now, in her home. Charlotte could feel her blood boil as Daria looked at her with shame, guilt even. She should be guilty. She ruined Charlotte.
“Since I finished out medical school. I wanted a fresh start.” Sonya said curtly, checking Charlotte’s eyes for any sort of dilation. Fresh start? What was that supposed to mean.
“You always used to do this to yourself, Charlie. You never know when to quit. Are you nauseous?” Charlotte shook her head.
“Consistent or recurring dizziness?” Charlotte nodded this time.
“Light sensitivity?”
“Given that you just shined a light in my eyes and I didn’t howl in agony;no.”
“Do you remember the accident?”
“Vividly.”
“Okay...Did you lose consciousness at any point during the accident?”
“Kinda?”
“Yes or no, princess.”
“One, don’t call me that, and no, I guess not.”
“Did you see stars?”
“No.”
“Increased irritability?” Charlotte shook her head.
Sonya felt around Charlotte’s head, searching for any signs of a bump. Charlotte hated the fact that she missed the feeling of someone playing with her hair. Charlotte hated the fact that she still held onto Daria.
“Well, you don’t show any signs of a concussion and you don’t have a bump so, miraculously, it seems you got out Scott free.” Charlotte heard Becky release a sigh of relief. At least Becky was here. At least she wasn’t totally alone.
“Wonderful. I’ll be going back to my room now, enjoy yourselves.” Charlotte forced herself to give a smile and stormed off to her own room. She flicked the light switch on and plopped herself in bed. Charlotte felt around for her phone. 12:08pm. Bayley had texted her that she and Sasha wouldn’t make it to the house today and to “Feel swell soon x”. Charlotte groaned as she set the phone back on her nightstand.
“Hey.” Becky stood in the doorway with a worried glance.
“Yo.”
“Mind if I intrude?”
“Be my guest.” Charlotte stared up at the ceiling as she heard the door shut and the bed dip. Becky laid next to her,staring up at the wall with her.
“So, how d’ya know Paige’s gal?”
“Ex-girlfriend. Almost ex-wife.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah.”
“How’re ya feelin’, after last night?”
“Sore, but I’ll manage, thanks to you.”
“Aw, shucks Charlie, ya know ‘twas nothin’.”
“Sometimes nothing goes a long way.”
“You really are quite the charmer, Flair.”
“Why’d you stay with me last night?” Charlotte flipped over on her side to look Becky in the eyes. She had turned over too.
“Well, I could say I was tryin’ to keep watch or somethin’ to make me sound cooler, but truth be told, I was real worried about ya. You were bleedin’ a lot and you needed a lot of stitches and all that. And when I saw ya’ go down, when I saw the blood, I thought you were a goner. I thought I had lost you before I got to know ya.” Becky’s voice was soft and tender. It made Charlotte’s heart melt. They were so close, their faces were just inches apart.
“And that woulda been a real shame ‘cuz I am a motherfucking catch.” Charlotte couldn’t help but giggle at her.
“Thank you, as silly as it sounds, I’m glad you were here with me. I’m glad you picked me up and took me home. And I’m really really really glad you stayed.” Becky hummed in response. A comfortable silence fell upon the new friends. It made Charlotte feel safe and confident. Confident that she could ask Becky for the world and Becky would break her back to give it to her.
“Hey, Bex? You know what would make me feel better right now?”
“Hm?”
“Taking a nap with you.” Becky shook her head and chuckled.
“Whatever ya say, lass.” The two darted under the covers, Charlotte quickly curling into Becky like a tired house cat. She felt the strong arms around her again, along with the safety. Becky’s embrace washed away every negative feeling Charlotte had felt that day.
“Hey, Bex?”
“Huh?”
“Tell me about when you used to wrestle.”