Vengeance is sweet. Vengeance taken when the vengee isn’t sure who the venger is, is sweeter still. - Gary D. Schmidt (The Wednesday Wars)
* * * *
~Waters of Aurora; December 230~
Sera found herself dreaming again—a dream that she hadn’t had in a while.
“Sera, run!”
“…We’re getting out of here, I swear it. Once we do, let’s be friends out there as well. From one Gifted to another—”
“…They’re coming for us, aren’t they?”
“I can’t let you sacrifice your lives for me—”
“Can it. You’ve done so much for us. This is the least we could do—”
“—But whatever it is, it doesn’t matter anymore. Not any longer. One more battle. This will be the night that Blade fights our final battle. But you’ll always be my best friends—”
Sera jerked awake when she felt a touch on her shoulder. Acting on pure instinct ingrained within her for years; she reached up and grabbed the hand.
When she’d finally opened her eyes and blinked the sleep out of them, she saw a startled Kailey standing in front of her, half pulled over due to Sera having a firm grip on her wrist. Sera stared at Kailey for just a moment before she released her hold.
“…Sorry.”
Kailey winced, rubbing at her wrist. “Remind me not to wake you in the future,” she said weakly. “Anyway, Neil said that we’re getting close to Aurora and that I should wake you.”
“…Okay,” Sera murmured, sitting up on the sofa that she’d fallen asleep on. Kailey only gave Sera a look of concern before leaving; presumably going to find her twin brother who is currently steering the boathouse that they’re in. Sera pinched the bridge of her nose to ease her headache. “…Zest…” Sera murmured to herself.
* * * *
There was a slight drizzle even as Neil carefully steered the boathouse and pulled it in at the docks of Aurora, with Sera throwing a rope around the anchor point at the dock, securing it in place. Due to the rain and the time of the night, hardly anyone is around on the streets of Aurora—a fact that all three were thankful for.
Neil and Kailey watched even as they stood outside the modest blue and white boathouse, even as Sera turned off the lights within and locked it securely before joining them, already pulling up the hood of her jacket over her head—an action that both Kailey and Neil mimicked.
Kailey turned back to look at the boathouse gently bobbing about on the waves of the sea even as she followed Sera to wherever it was that she was taking them to.
She still can’t believe how much her life has changed in just a month.
Neil and Kailey were both very surprised when they first saw the boathouse that they’ll most likely be living in for the next couple of months or years even when Sera had taken them to the docks of Zephys.
For a moment, the twins have thought that it is stolen—though Sera is quick to put that thought out of their heads by stating that the members of Blade have helped to build it over the years. It is likely that at some point, the members of Blade have wanted to go on some sort of journey, and hence, had been building a boathouse for their journey—with it having more than enough room for at least ten people; complete with supplies and a solar panel on the roof that collects enough energy from the sun in the daytime to have ample electricity within.
“Sera, where are we going?” Neil asked quietly, falling in pace with Sera, with Kailey on Sera’s other side.
“We’re paying a visit to some people I know from my Blade days,” Sera said just as quietly. All three teens were careful to keep their voices low due to how easily voices carry in the night.
“Gifted?”
“No. They’re Normals.” Sera shook her head, using the term that most of the Gifted use to describe those without abilities. “But don’t worry; they’re not bad people. They helped me out during my Blade days. You can trust them.”
Neil and Kailey exchanged looks behind Sera. They’ve gotten a pretty good grasp on Sera’s personality over a month. She isn’t one of many words; and when she does open her mouth, she doesn’t mince her words. She’ll tell them the truth, whether they like it or not. And from what they know of Sera, she doesn’t trust easily either, something they found surprising due to how easily Sera lets them come with her.
Before meeting Sera, Neil and Kailey have been getting by the skin of their teeth by stealing food from shops; and if they could, doing odd jobs in exchange for some food or shelter. With the state that Eldario is in right now, it isn’t too uncommon to see many people living on the streets; with the vast majority that does that also being members of street gangs.
Sera had however taught both Neil and Kailey what they needed to know to survive long on the streets. She’d taught them how to read tracks and even introduced them to a few underground contractors who could get them jobs to earn some money. She’d even expanded on their combat skills, telling them that there are always times when a Gifted can’t rely on their Gifts to fight; hence, they have to first learn how to fight like a Normal. Sera had even taught both Kailey and Neil how to steer the boathouse and do basic maintenance on it.
For a moment, Kailey wondered who had taught Sera all that she knew, or if she’d picked it up on the streets. Until her parents died defending her and her twin from hunters when they were about ten, they’d lived good lives. Hence why they have problems trying to survive on the streets. Sera however gives off a similar vibe as one of those who’d lived and grown up amongst the slums and streets—a battle-hardened veteran.
And considering she’s a Gifted, and most likely also the leader of the street gang Blade, she had to have gone through several hardships.
They soon ventured into what must be the commercial district of Aurora, as there were only a few shops with the lights still turned on.
Sera led the way to a shop that seemed to be a café of some sort—with a standing menu just standing beside the door. An ivory plate hung above the door, with the words ‘Cross Café’ written on it in cursive writing, with a picture of a pair of crossed knives carved into it.
As Sera pushed open the door, a bell tinkled somewhere in the shop, and all three entered the café, with droplets of rainwater dripping off the ends of their hair and coats. The café owner, along with the three occupants seated at the high counter, all turned around as one when the three teens entered, surprise written all over their faces.
Sera pulled down the hood around her head, nodding to the occupants. “…It’s been a while.”
“Sera!”
Neil and Kailey tensed when one of the women—a petite woman with short black hair and eyes slipped off her stool and approached Sera. “We heard about it from Alexis when he brought Zest to us,” she said, scanning her eyes over Sera. “We heard what happened to Blade.”
‘Zest?’ Kailey wondered. Who is that?
“Well… A lot has happened.”
“I’m sure.” The café owner commented—a young man probably in his mid to late twenties, with his dark brown hair tied back in a pineapple style. His eyes fell onto the two behind Sera and smiled, with it stretching the scar visible across his nose even further. “Why don’t you three take a seat? I’ll have some coffee for you in a minute. Helps to warm you up.”
True to his word, three cups of coffee were soon in front of the three teens.
“So who are they?” The woman from earlier enquired, gazing at Kailey and Neil with curiosity.
“Kailey and Neil O’Fearghail.” Sera introduced, taking a sip from her cup. “I ran into them nearly a month ago at Zephys.” She turned towards the twins. “I known these guys for a few years now. They’re Normals, like I said. But you can trust them.”
“Coming from you, Sera, that is a compliment.” The other woman commented with a grin. In contrast to the other woman, she has dark hair that looks almost purple held up by a headband; and her clothing is almost seductive—showing a lot of her cleavage. Neil is finding it difficult to keep his eyes on her face. And with the way the woman is grinning, she knows what she’s doing. “I’m Linda Henson. That is Suzy.” The woman from earlier nodded to them politely. “Her boyfriend, Cecil Howard.” The tall, well-dressed man waved to them on Suzy’s other side, his chocolate brown eyes kind and gentle—and the twins couldn’t help but take a liking to him. “And of course, Timo.” She gestured towards the café owner. “He owns and runs this café.”
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“Timo used to give us food whenever we were starving and couldn’t find any when we were younger,” Sera told Kailey and Neil. “He used to run a café like this in Zephys. He shut it down and moved out here a few years ago when the gang activity in Zephys started getting out of hand.”
The twins nodded dumbly, not knowing what to say to that.
“Karl has been searching for you, Sera,” Cecil said quietly, careful not to attract the twins’ attention who are currently engaging Timo in conversation. “He came by over a month ago, asking us if we’d seen you or any of your guys. Think he heard about the attack on Blade.”
“It’s all over the underground news,” Sera answered. “I’d be surprised if he hadn’t heard about it. For all that he’s crap at taking care of himself, the one thing that that pervert had going for him is his espionage and information gathering skills.”
Suzy and Linda exchanged looks, not knowing what to say. “Why didn’t you let Karl know that you’re alive?” Linda asked at last.
Sera hesitated, glancing over at Kailey and Neil only to find that their attention was currently occupied by Timo who was demonstrating how to mix drinks. “I can’t,” she said at last, staring at her coffee, with her reflection within the cup staring back at her. “The attack on Blade—it was aimed at me specifically. I couldn’t have let anyone know that I’m still alive.”
“I’m sure that whatever few survivors of your old gang at least know that you’re still alive. As did Alexis.” Cecil pointed out.
“That’s different.”
“And those two?” As one, their heads swivelled towards the twins. “It’s a bit of a surprise to see you in the company of others. And Gifted furthermore.”
“Well… Things happened.” Sera admitted, picking up the spoon and stirring her coffee. “I couldn’t have left them alone.”
Suzy had a small smile on her face as she studied Sera. The girl had always been so standoffish and closed off to everyone that it was hard to get a grasp on her character. But she does care about her friends.
“You sure about them?” Linda enquired with concern. All the adults present in the café know that Sera isn’t ordinary, even when it comes to the Gifted. Unlike most in Eldario, none of the adults have detested and hated the Gifted.
Sera stopped stirring her coffee—with how much she had stirred, no one would be surprised to find that the coffee tasted too sweet. “…At least they don’t mind my existence,” Sera said at last, much to the anguish of the adults. “I’ll be laying low for a while. That night…” She trailed off slowly, “Leroy and Alisa are convinced that it’s the ESA that attacked us, considering what they’re wearing, but I don’t think so. I got a feeling that it’s more the hunters. And as long as my death or survival can’t be confirmed, I’ll likely still be on the hunters’ watchlist.”
The adults exchanged looks. That is another thing that they are concerned about.
The ESA—the Eldario Sovereign Agency, is officially the law enforcer of the nation.
But the truth is that their power is minimal at best, especially when one compares them with the hunters. Especially with the way the prejudice and hatred for the Gifted are getting worse during the last few decades, it is not a lie to say that the hunters have more power than any other organisation in Eldario to the point that there are even entire departments of the ESA that are loyal to them, despite the feelings or lack thereof that the current head of the ESA has towards them.
Not surprising, considering that the hunters are one of the ESA’s backers. With the amount of power and influence that the hunters have these days, the ESA is honestly nothing more than a puppet of the hunters—something that everyone in the underground scene knew.
The Gifted Enforcement Act that was passed several decades ago was a bill that was pushed through by the head of the hunters. After it was passed, the hunters and even the ESA kept watchlists on every single Gifted in the country. The more talented and stronger ones tend to be forcefully recruited into the ESA. The more powerful ones or those with Gifts that even the ESA wants amongst their ranks generally tend to find themselves on their watchlist as well without a doubt.
“Is that why you asked Alexis to bring Zest to Suzy and Reina?” Lina asked.
“He’s still healing, Sera.” Suzy interrupted, looking concerned. “Even I know that he’s also on the watchlist, for all that he isn’t a Gifted. But he’s too skilled and strong to slip under their radar. That boy’s a fighter—just like you and the rest of Blade. He’s going to be fine.”
“As long as I know he’s all right, it’s enough.”
Suzy furrowed her brows. “You sure you don’t want to let him know that you’re still alive?” she asked carefully. “During one of his lucid moments, he always asks for you. It might help in his recovery, Sera.” Suzy pointed out. As a doctor, she knows better than anyone else that sometimes, hope is the best medicine for a patient.
Sera shook her head. “Their target was me,” she said. “If he knows—”
“He’s part of Blade as well, Sera.” Cecil pointed it out logically. “He’s not going to be happy once he finds out. And he’d find you sooner or later. You know he will.”
Sera looked miserable. “I know.”
Realising that the café seemed rather quiet all of a sudden, Sera turned towards the twins who were seated on her other side only to find both Kailey and Neil staring at her with curiosity. “What are you talking about?” Kailey asked.
“Nothing that you should be concerned with,” Sera said immediately.
As one, the adults exchanged exasperated looks over her head. Someday, Sera is going to have to learn that she can’t do everything by herself.
Neil frowned and was about to say something when Timo shushed them, putting a hand up, a frown on his face, and with his head cocked to one side.
“What?” Cecil questioned with a raised brow, looking from Timo to the door.
Sera’s eyes were trained on the door of the café as well, a frown on her face, her head cocked to one side like she could hear something that none of them could. “Someone’s coming,” she murmured. “I hear footsteps. More than one person?”
Linda’s eyes widened, exchanging quick, panicked looks with her friends. “Hide!” she hissed, immediately grabbing Sera’s shoulder and hauling her off her stool.
“What?” Kailey was very bewildered even as Cecil picked her up easily and forced her over the counter over to Timo’s side. Both Sera and Neil received the same treatment.
“Quiet. Don’t make a sound!” Timo hissed, pushing them under his side of the counter next to stockpiles of coffee powder.
“What’s going on?” Neil mouthed to Sera from his position only to be shushed by her, his mouth covered by her hand. Kailey received the same treatment.
“Stay quiet.” Sera mouthed back, eyes moving from Neil to Kailey and Timo above them. “I’ll explain later.”
There was some clattering of cups and plates above their heads as the other occupants of the café pretended to busy themselves with their drinks. The tension in the café is discernible, however.
And then, all three hiding teens heard the unmistakable tinkle of the café bell, along with that of the door opening. The three teens stared at the reflective glass of the cabinets on Timo’s side of the counter that allowed them to see the people that have just entered.
The black coats they have on are unmistakable, including the symbol of a sword and shield visible on the red armbands they have on.
‘ESA agents.’ Neil summarised, immediately understanding why they were forced under the counter and told to be quiet. ‘That symbol… They’re part of the Gifted Task Force.’
Every Gifted in Eldario knew about the Gifted Task Force. Heck, everyone in Eldario knows about that department—the single most famous department in the ESA. While they are a department within the ESA, they answer to the hunters instead of to the head of the ESA. The ones that were wholly responsible for keeping track and watch on the Gifted, and recruiting the more powerful ones, or even the ones that showed some promise.
Even before their parents passed away, both Neil and Kailey had heard rumours of how the ESA had ‘recruited’ the Gifted in their service. Not all the Gifted serve them willingly. Some were forced, blackmailed, and even coerced.
If only for the reason that the vast majority of the Gifted in Eldario hate the hunters and even the ESA.
Thanks to the power that the hunters have over the ESA, these days, none of the Gifted trust their country’s law enforcement any longer. Especially those that hail from the Gifted Task Force (GTF) which is essentially a whole law by themselves. There were even rumours that the GTF had a bad habit of killing a Gifted if they just happened to catch an agent’s eye when they were in a bad mood.
“…Welcome,” Timo grunted, though, with his tone of voice, the meaning was anything but.
“Is that how you treat your customers?” One of the ESA agents questioned.
“Paying customers, yes,” Timo emphasised on that bit. “Not those that came by just to waste my time.”
Kailey and Neil were mildly surprised by the venom in Timo’s tone of voice. He must have some history with the ESA, or maybe even with these agents in particular.
“Bad mood today, Berger?” The other ESA agent sneered.
Bang!
Kailey gave a start, and her yelp was thankfully muffled by Sera covering her mouth. Mismatched eyes glared at her—the silent message clear.
“What do you want?” Timo growled dangerously, gripping the glass that he was currently holding onto so tightly that his fingernails turned white. It looks as if Timo is half a second away from hurling the glass that he is holding at the heads of the ESA agents.
“We heard that there are some Gifted in this town.” The first ESA agent spoke. The three teens under the counter glared at the reflection of the agent they could see. “We were sent to recruit them.”
“You mean coerce.” Linda sneered at the ESA agents. “We’re quite well aware of your department’s reputation.”
“So do you know where they are?” The ESA agent ignored Linda, turning his attention back towards Timo. “There’s three of them, we heard. Quite strong Gifts, as well. We feel they’re a good fit for our organisation.”
Despite being unable to see Timo’s face, all three teens could tell that he was furious. “Even if I do know who those Gifted are, what makes you think I’ll tell you?” Timo asked in a low and furious voice. Both Kailey and Neil exchanged nervous looks over Sera’s head. He’s quite different now from the friendly café owner who had shown them how he made the coffee that he serves. “No Gifted has been by to visit my café recently. Please leave.”
“Really?” The other ESA agent sneered, looking towards the seats that Sera, Kailey and Neil had been occupying earlier. Kailey then realised that their cups were still on the counter. “You had someone else in here apart from them?” He gestured towards Cecil, Linda and Suzy.
“I had some customers earlier that left before you came.” Timo lied with a straight face. “I just hadn’t cleared their cups, that’s all.”
“At this time of night?”
“Why not? You’re here, aren’t you?”
The first ESA agent—the calmer of the two sighed, gripping his partner’s shoulder. “I can see when we’re not welcome, so we’ll take our leave,” he said. “But Berger, you should know that the Gifted won’t survive long on the streets by themselves, especially if they’re children.”
“And whose fault is that?” Linda snarled.
“If you truly care about those Gifted—those kids at all, you’ll let us know where they are.” The ESA agent continued like he hadn’t heard Linda at all, “We’ll just be going.”
The bell tinkled again as the two ESA agents left. For several moments, there was nothing but silence before Timo sighed. He looked down below the counter where the three teens were hiding. “They’re gone,” he said.
Sera, Kailey and Neil crawled out from under the counter, returning to their original seats. “Are those ESA agents? And that symbol… They’re from the Gifted Task Force, aren’t they?” Kailey enquired, looking at the door of the café warily before turning her attention back to the adults. “What are they here for?”
“They came around here every once in a while.” Suzy sighed, lifting her coffee cup to her lips. “As recruiters, I’m guessing.”
“Us?” Neil guessed, but was surprised when Timo shook his head.
“No. Not the three of you,” he said. “There’s three other Gifted in Aurora—about your ages, I think. It’s not something that’s widely known, however. Those of us who are aware of who they are have always kept it quiet because of the ESA and the hunters.” Timo exchanged looks with Cecil. “They tend to come by here every few days for some food. And now that you’ve mentioned it…” He furrowed his brows. “I hadn’t seen them for some time now.”
“How strong are their Gifts?” Sera enquired curiously. “Must be something if a department loyal to the hunters came snooping around.”
“They’re Class 2 Gifted.” Suzy was the one to answer; referring to the ranking system that ranks the abilities of the Gifted. Class 3 Gifted were more common; whereas there weren’t many Class 2 Gifted. Class 1 Gifted however is a rare anomaly—the most powerful of the Gifted. It is even rumoured that one could tell a Class 1 Gifted apart from the others due to their unusual features. “A trio of siblings. The youngest of the three, Tatius, has complete control over earth and sand. He’s able to create and control it as he wishes. The eldest—his older sister, Claudia, could control the wind.”
“The battle element.” Neil mused.
“The middle brother, Ness, could animate non-living things.” Timo took over from Suzy. “He can make dolls come to life.” He looked at Sera. “I met them not long after I opened my café in this town. There’s something about them that reminds me of you. It’s probably why I tried to help them and look out for them, and even told them to come here for food if they have to.” Timo looked guilt-ridden. “I can’t help you and your friends, Sera. But at that time, I thought that I could at least help them.”
Kailey and Neil looked curiously at Sera with those words, wondering what Timo meant.
Sera said nothing before she slipped off her stool, placing a few notes in front of her. “Thanks for the drinks,” she said. “Come on, you two.”
The adults in the café watched even as the three teens walked towards the door and left the café, with the bell tinkling somewhere as they did so.
“Think Sera’s going to try to find those three?” Cecil asked at last.
“Most probably.” Timo sighed. “Sera would never admit to it, but she won’t be able to ignore a fellow Gifted that is in trouble. She knows better than anyone else just how cruel the hunters could be.” His friends exchanged looks between themselves. “It’s probably why she took Kailey and Neil with her. And even Aurora isn’t a safe place for the Gifted. If Claudia and her brothers could find a safe haven with Sera, it would be for the best. And with Blade’s destruction two months ago, the hunters are on the move once more. Eldario is a cruel world for the Gifted.” Timo murmured a short prayer under his breath. “The Lady above. Watch over them.”