Pathogen: Ch. 14

Marnie's hands were shaking as she smoothed them over her hair, checking for any frizzy fly-aways that had gotten loose. Instinctively, she cupped the large ballet bun on the back of her head, wincing a little at the bobbi pins jammed into her scalp. How did her mom do this every day? It was no wonder now why Lt. Nightingale didn't have a single wrinkle on her face. Marnie's hair was pulled so tight, she didn't think she'd ever be able to use her facial muscles again. She only touched the bun for a second before Bianca swatted her hand away lightly.

"No touchy," Bianca said sternly. "Just sit still, okay? I'm almost done."

Marnie bit back a groan as Bianca shoved one last pin into her head. "Fine... Ow... Why am I the one doing this again?!"

Bianca raised an eyebrow at Marnie, frowning at her sarcastically in the mirror. "Girl, are you serious?" she said. "Out of the two of us, which one do you think would blend in more on an army base?"

Marnie glanced from Bianca's reflection to her own and back a few times, focusing on the long, bright pink and blue box braids hanging over Bianca's shoulder. "Okay, you've got a point," she muttered. "Still, doesn't your mom have a wig you could borrow or something?"

With a quiet, heavy sigh through her nose, Bianca turned Marnie around on her wheeled vanity stool. "It's not just about my hair," she insisted. "The uniform fits you perfectly, like it was tailor made. I would look like a little girl playing dress up in her mama's clothes if I wore it."

Marnie plucked at the dress shirt and pencil skirt she had on. Bianca was right - again - but she still wasn't a hundred percent convinced. Marnie thought she hid her nerves well, but apparently not well enough to fool Bianca. A few seconds later, the shorter girl turned her to face the mirror again and wrapped her arms around Marnie's shoulders from behind.

"Look: the hair and clothes aren't what's important," Bianca said. "You grew up a military brat, Pistol: you know how these army types are supposed to act, because you've experienced it first hand all your life." Her brown eyes sparkled with mischief as her full lips stretched into a warm, genuine grin. "Besides, I've seen you strutting your stuff around at school with that total badass swagger of yours. You got this, girl... trust me."

Marnie flashed a small, appreciative smile at Bianca in the mirror. She'd never had the chance to make real friends before; an unfortunate side effect of being shipped around the country every time her mom got reassigned to a new base. Marnie had convinced herself that she didn't need friends until now, because honestly she didn't know what she was missing. In a way, Marnie was grateful Bianca's boyfriend had become a zombie... otherwise, they might never have become so close so quickly.

The moment was ruined by a sharp, sudden knock on Bianca's bedroom door, played to the rhythm of "Do You Wanna Build A Snowman?" from Frozen. A second later, it opened on its own and Julian leaned into the room. For a second, Marnie almost didn't recognize him with his hair combed back so neatly. What caught her off guard more was how well her mom's fatigue pants and standard-issue grey-green tee fit him.

"Yo, you guys ready yet?" he asked.

"Who raised you, a family of wild chimps?!" Bianca snapped, folding her arms across her chest as she turned to face him. "No, I take that back: chimpanzees would have better manners! What would you have done if we were still getting dressed in here?!"

Julian looked down at the floor, his ears glowing red. "I did knock first," he muttered. "Anyway, it's not like I haven't seen girls change before."

Bianca stood up a little straighter, her hands moving to her hips indignantly. "Oh, really? Why doesn't that surprise me a damn bit?"

Julian's eyes widened with shock suddenly, as if he just realized what he'd said. "That came out wrong!" he stammered. "I meant backstage, during shows and stuff! I'm not a perv or anything, jeez!" A distant, muffled crash made him glance over his shoulder, and when his eyes met Bianca's again his entire body was vibrating with anxiety. "Just... hurry up, okay?" he begged. "Trev's out of jerky, and he keeps asking for you."

Bianca's attitude did a full one-eighty within two seconds after hearing her boyfriend's name. She raced out of the room without saying another word, shoulder-checking Julian as she brushed past him. Julian's lips folded tight over his teeth at the impact, inhaling sharply as he rubbed his upper arm. Although he held his peace, Marnie heard him groan softly in his throat once Bianca was gone.

"You look nice," he said, his eyes roving over Marnie quickly from top to bottom. When he got to her feet, he did a quick double-take. "Wow: don't think I've ever seen you in heels before."

Marnie looked down automatically, then shrugged as she grabbed her necktie off the vanity. "Um... thanks, I guess," she murmured. "Bianca swiped them from her mom's closet. They pinch a little, but it's whatever."

"Yeah," Julian agreed, chuckling dryly. "Tell me about it. You might want to put a few band-aids on your ankles. It helps with preventing blisters." Marnie must have made a face, because Julian's caramel complexion suddenly flushed scarlet. "Don't look at me like that," he frowned. "I played Dr. Frankenfurter last summer at theater camp, okay?"

"Hey, I'm not judging," Marnie insisted. After draping the tie around her neck, she looked at both ends with a sigh. She definitely should've paid more attention when watching her mom get ready for work in the past. Thankfully, Julian came to her rescue a moment later, taking it from her hands with a small grin.

"Here, let me," he said. "It's not as hard as it looks. Just remember: the rabbit goes around the tree, then down the hole."

Marnie nodded her thanks, watching Julian's hands silently as he spoke. In no time at all, he slid the finished Windsor knot securely in place against her neck. When he was done, though, he didn't let go of it right away. Marnie looked away shyly, only just realizing how close he was standing to her. She could feel the heat from his hands on her face, and smell the soap still clinging to his skin from the shower he took earlier. It boggled her mind why he always wore so much Axe to school, when he already smelled so good naturally.

With a small jerk, Marnie shook the ridiculous thought out of her head and stepped back a little, pulling her tie from his grip gently. "Thanks," she mumbled. "You'd better finish getting ready, too. It'll be nightfall before we know it."

Julian clicked his socked heels together and gave a sharp salute. "Yes, sir!" he barked, adding a wink and a little half smile afterward. "How was that? I've been practicing. Do I make a believable soldier?"

Marnie rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help smiling a little. "Very convincing," she said. "...but I still think we should cut your hair, just to be on the safe side."

With a soft whimper, Julian's hands flew to his head, stroking his neatly styled, coal black tresses. "How dare you? I've been growing this out since Freshman year, and it's finally starting to look good!" After checking his 'do in the mirror, he squared his shoulders with a sigh. "I'll just tell everyone I'm a cadet, and that I haven't had the chance to visit the barber yet. They'll believe that... won't they?"

Marnie pursed her lips in thought. "Maybe. You're young enough to pass as one. It might be better to say you're with the JROTC instead, though; they tend to be a little more forgiving to them than regular cadets."

Julian exhaled deeply, nodding his relief. When he turned back to face Marnie, she was surprised to see that vulnerable look in his eyes again. Not as intense as it had been last night in the car, after his harrowing experience with Lt. Nightingale in the basement, but it was there. She could tell he was worried, and frankly he had every reason to be.

"Marnie," he asked quietly, "are we doing the right thing here?"

There was no easy answer to his question. Marnie knew, because she'd been asking herself the same thing from the moment they cooked up this crazy scheme. She moved over to the bed after a minute and perched on the footboard, deflating with a heavy sigh as she sat down.

"I don't think right and wrong matters all that much anymore," she said. "If we don't do this, we could be looking at the end of the world. A lot of innocent people will die unless we do something about it." She paused for just a moment, biting her lip and twirling the small curl by her ear in thought. "Maybe it is wrong," she conceded, "...but how wrong can something really be if you do it to help the people you care about?"

Julian was quiet for a minute, seemingly lost in thought. Eventually, he crossed the room and sat down beside her, taking her hand with a nervous grin. "Alright, then," he decided. "I think I can do the wrong thing for the right reason... as long as you're with me."

For just a second, Marnie felt her heart skip a beat. The way he was looking at her all of a sudden threw her totally off balance. His eyes held her so intensely, like staring into two deep pools of melted dark chocolate, sparkling with little golden flecks. "Had they always been like that?" she wondered, gripping his fingers a little more tightly.

Before she thought about it too much, she yanked her hand back quickly, frowning at Julian in annoyance. "You're so weird," she sighed.