For six months now, Marianne would leave for university whenever she had to, and spend the rest of the day with Megan in the house. Teaching the girl to read, meditate, and exploring, whenever Megan felt comfortable, her ability.

“Impressive how much more controlled she is now, Marianne. You were right from the start,” Edward told her.

At university, Marianne keeps developing her investigation on autoimmune disorders, trying to understand how she can cure her daughter or at least reverse the state that she’s in.

That work brought together Marianne and Edward Hall. She mostly kept to herself in the labs at the university, but Edward Hall began noticing her, and he is the sort of privileged boy that doesn’t take no for an answer.

Out of nowhere, he began always being there whenever she was, and she’d politely ignore him. He would pour his heart out for her and tell her all about the job he has on the side, how studying deviants is much more fascinating that anything that Marianne is doing there, how it’s much more demanding intellectually.

That’s when Marianne started listening to what he had to say. Edward’s position had nothing to do with intellect but his family’s ties to the government. But she started entertaining him and realizing what is it exactly he did there, how much access he has to deviants.

Marianne’s desperation for a cure led her to his bed, which led her to have a place in the organization. Too low of a place at first. She had no access to deviants, let alone could ask for one to see her daughter. But it was a matter of perseverance, and she had it.

Her eyes glowed on the day she saw Megan destroying the soldier’s arm. The government was desperate for the war to end. Desperate for a weapon that matched the power of the Five. Whoever controlled that weapon could ask for anything.

Smi mens jernet er varmt. Strike whilst the iron is hot. That poor child is desperate for affection. She’ll trust anyone who hands it to her. And so she did.

***

Edward’s smoking a cigar in bed, an expensive gift that he explained in detail to Marianne and she nodded, pretending to listen to.

“The president gave it to me when I told him about the specimen. He’s extremely excited. So are the generals,” he smiles, “ten months and the difference is night and day. Imagine the possibilities, Marianne.”

“Endless,” she starts to get dressed.

“If you hadn’t stepped in, one week max and the general would’ve put a bullet on it,” he laughs and takes another puff of the cigar, filling the room with the smoke.

Or she would’ve killed you all. Marianne finishes getting dress.

“You are going already?” he takes a sip from the cup of whisky on the nightstand.

“Yes, the specimen asks me to comb her hair every night and to watch her fall asleep.” Marianne rolls her eyes and laughs.

Edward’s laughs echo through the room, “that thing actually,” he takes another sip and shakes his head, “actually thinks you’re its mother.”

She laughs again and puts on her boots, “not yet, but soon it will,” she takes a second, puts on her wristwatch and looks at him, “Edward.”

“Yes?”

“The healer…”

“Oh yes, Marianne, I know, I know…” he sighs, “the generals said it was okay, just borrowing the healer during the next Christmas ceasefire… but…” he clicks his tongue, “how should I put it?”

The seconds it takes for Edward to continue to feel like years to her.

“James Williams and Amy Anderson-”

Marianne doesn’t need Edward to finish that sentence. She knows exactly what it means.

“When?” She clears her throat.

“On yesterday’s attack. The generals are furious. Healers are rare. But, I promise you,” he smiles and raises the glass, “as soon as we find a new one, I’ll ask again.”

She forces a smile and leaves.

***

December 2006

Megan and Erik have just finished another chess game, one they did every day ever since Megan moved in.

“Very well played, Megan! In no time you’ll beat me… but I guess today you didn’t.” Erik pats her on the head and smiles.

“Why can’t ya let me win?” she puts the pieces back in the board and gets up.

“Because if I let you win, then it has no value!” He asks her to shake his hand, “Chess is more than just winning or losing.”

“Please, it’s just a game!” she scoffs.

“No, daughter, it’s about seeing the bigger picture. Seeing how it will all play out before it does.”

“Nonsense,” she rolls her eyes, “which song are you choosing?”

“Today we’ll dance to… ABBA!” He searches on the computer Dancing Queen and raises the volume on the speakers.

As soon as it starts playing, he starts waving around his arms, moving his legs, all off-beat. Megan rolls her eyes and sits on the couch, watching.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Come on! A bet is a bet!” He jumps in her direction and extends his hand.

“You got to choose the song!” She shouts.

“The bet was ‘whoever wins chooses the song to dance’. A deal is a deal!”

She sighs loudly and grabs his hand. They dance around the room. Erik moves Megan’s arms around and she smiles. When the song ends, he turns the volume down, letting the rest of the songs softly play in the background while they sit on the floor.

“I can't do this with Marianne around. She hates ABBA.” He laughs, “did you like it?”

“It’s… fun!”

He shouts and raises his arms in the air and she sighs again.

“Oh, Marianne will just hate that you liked it.”

“I just said it was fun!”

“Fun’s enough for me. You can’t be Swedish and not like ABBA, Megan, that,” he laughs loudly, “is enough to have your nationality taken from you.”

“I’m Scottish!”

“No, daughter, you are part of this family.” He takes off his glasses, cleans the drips of sweat from his forehead, stares deeply into her eyes before putting them back again, “you can be Scottish all you want, but you are also Swedish because of me, Norwegian because of Marianne and, it breaks my heart to admit it, but American too because of Sofie. You are all that. Our identity is shaped by those we choose to be part of us.”

Megan looks away and takes a deep breath, trying not to cry. Her father puts his arm around her and kisses her head. She clears her throat and faces him.

“How did ya two meet?”

“I went to Oslo when I was 18. One year later I saw her and fell in love. She wanted nothing to do with me,” he smiles.

“So, you convinced her otherwise?”

“No, Megan,” he laughs, “I told her farewell and went on to live my life. A few years later, we reconnected when we were both coming here for grad school. Our feelings and objectives were aligned.”

“You said goodbye and just gave up?”

“You can’t force someone to love ya, Megan,” Erik speaks in a fake Scottish accent, “and when they tell ya they don’t feel the same for ya, ya should believe ‘em, ya kno’? Because they either tellin’ the truth, “he made the thickest u sound Megan has ever heard, “or are incapable of bein’ honest with ‘emselves,” he drops the accent, “not sure which one is worse. Also, you can’t lose yourself in the process of trying to convince someone to love you by changing yourself completely. They won’t fall for you, just your version of what you think they want. How lonely that is.”

“Such a poet,” Megan smirks, and they both laugh.

Erik has to get back to work and Megan runs upstairs to Sofie’s room. She opens a book and reads it out loud next to her.

Their Christmas is filled with great food and beautiful presents that they shared with one another, but the sadness of Sofie’s condition lingers in. They all sense it, even if Erik makes the effort to crack a joke and Marianne disguises her sadness with the widest of smiles.

Erik gets up and puts his favorite ABBA record on. Marianne rolls her eyes, and he begs Megan to join him, singing. They both dance it off and sing. Marianne eventually gives in and even sings some of it.

Marianne puts Megan to bed and goes back downstairs. Erik is cleaning up the table and she notices his eyes are watery.

“It’s time, Marianne,” he says in Norwegian.

“Not this again.” Marianne grabs the dishes and heads to the kitchen. He follows her.

“You can’t keep avoiding this conversation,” he takes the dishes out of her hand and puts his hands on her shoulder, forcing her to look at him.

“I’m not killing my daughter, Erik,” she takes his hands off her shoulders and turns around.

“She’s dead already!” His voice has never been louder.

“Keep your goddamn voice down,” Marianne whispers.

“Megan doesn’t understand Norwegian,” he says in a normal tone.

“She understands shouting, I’m sure.”

“Sofie’s my child too, Marianne. And you refuse to accept that she’s no longer alive. We know the odds. You are a person of science. We’re both rational beings. Why won’t you just accept that if tomorrow Sofie woke up, she would be brain dead?!” He shouts again and hits the table, “Sweden and Norway will accept her. It will be painless. We just have to go there, please,” he lowers his voice and faces her with tears running down his face.

“As soon as they have another healer, I’ll fix Sofie.”

“A healer won’t fix her, Marianne, it will just postpone the inevitable!”

“I’m not killing my daughter. I wouldn’t survive it.” Marianne finally breaks in tears and he holds her.

“I’m sorry,” they both cry in each other’s arms.

Marianne cleans her tears and leaves. When she reaches upstairs she notices that Sofie’s door is open and Megan is there next to her with a backpack.

“Going somewhere?”

Megan refuses to face Marianne and focuses on Sofie instead.

“I can drive you. Just tell me where.” Marianne comes closer.

“I can’t stay here.” Megan’s voice breaks.

Marianne comes closer and wipes the tears off her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I heard ya fighting,” tears keep falling.

“I’m sorry, Megan. Sometimes we argue but we made it right and I’m sorry you heard it. Everything is okay, I promise you,” she hugs her tight.

“It’s because of Sof, isn’t it? Why am I death? Why was I born with death and not life? Why can’t I save her?” tears keep rolling down and she begins to babble.

“You are not death. Your ability is disintegration, Megan. That’s not death. How you use it is what matters. It doesn’t have to bring anyone pain. You can take an obstacle off a road, for example,” Marianne looks her in the eyes.

I am death. They thought so. It doesn’t matter if you don’t. Megan looks away.

“If I do the fatal flaw, I can save her.”

“You turning into a healer won’t save her, Megan…”

“Not healing. Life. I can save her if I choose life.”

“Megan, do you know the consequences of the fatal flaw?” Marianne forces her to look at her. “It changes how your brain works. I’ve seen it several times. And I know you, you couldn’t do it. You wouldn’t hurt anyone. Saving Sofie is my job, Megan, not yours. Yours is impressing the generals and ending the war, so the world will be a better place for Sofie when she gets better.” Marianne wipes once more her tears.

“How will ya save her?”

“Because I have an ability too.” Marianne smiles.

“You’re a deviant?!” Megan’s eyes widen.

“No,” she laughs, “I’m only human. But I have an ability.”

Megan’s eyebrows raise and she focuses on the glow in Marianne’s eyes.

“Perseverance,” Marianne smiles and looks at Sofie, “I won’t give up until both my daughters are alive, safe, and happy,” she looks back at Megan, “I love you. This is your home. Please stay.”

Megan clears her throat and goes back to her room. Marianne follows her there.

“Sleep tight.” Marianne kisses her forehead and turns around.

“Good night, mum.”

Marianne smiles and turns off the light.

One week later is Sofie’s birthday. Erik is downstairs working on his office. Marianne is at the university. Megan is playing in her sister’s room when the machines begin making noises. Sofie’s saturation is dropping, and she’s losing oxygen.

“Dad!” Megan shouts, but he has his headphones on.

No, no. “Dad!” she keeps shouting. What should I do? Her breathing grows faster.

The line flattens and Megan runs to hold Sofie’s hand. As soon as she touches her, the line begins going back to normal and the noises stop. The saturation and oxygen levels are higher than before.

Megan runs downstairs and grabs Erik. They run back upstairs and to their surprise, Sofie’s eyes are wide open for the first time in over three years.