The group all gather in the basement. Ánh and Diego are side by side, Alex is next to Rachel, and Emily and Abigail sit together. It’s late in the afternoon, Ánh shows them on the screens the plan to bring the children home.
“We have one plane that Abigail’s parents got us. It’s all taken care of. Maximum discretion from the crew. The children are from Eurasia, Africa, and South America. The first stop will be the countries in Eurasia, then they’ll head to Africa, South America and finally back here.” Ánh explains.
“When?” Rachel asks.
“Day after tomorrow.” Ánh refuses to look at Rachel.
“One of us has to accompany them.” Rachel says and looks at Alex.
“Me?” Alex laughs.
“Out of us, I’d say you are the best person for the job.”
“Why?”
“You can control someone if needed. In case things go wrong, you can teleport away.”
“I can’t teleport from South America to here, sis!” Alex elevates his voice.
“My power is more useful than Alex for this.” Diego gets up and looks at Rachel.
“I don’t think-” Rachel faces him.
“I’m going. Alex can stay.” Diego turns around and heads upstairs.
“Well… that’s settled!” Alex smiles.
“About Megan…” Ánh says and everyone looks at her. “There’s no update.”
“It’s been a week. About time we admit that Megan’s either dead or she was caught.” Alex says.
“Those aren’t the only options.” Rachel says while curling her fists.
“No? If she isn’t dead. If she wasn’t caught. Why isn’t she here?” Alex tries to meet Rachel’s eyes. “No one else wants to say it out loud. You don’t want to admit it, my dearest. The truth is… Megan’s gone. For good. Run the odds, Ánh!”
“I can’t run the odds, Alex, because Megan is a mathematical anomaly. The probability of a third power existing isn’t zero, because it’s always a possibility, but it was close to zero. She has three powers. The probability of her surviving the white field on the day of the massacre was close to zero. As it turns out, the light would never hurt her.”
“Yes, Ánh. Still, she isn’t here.”
“My point is… if someone defies odds, it’s Megan. She has faced death before and survived!”
“She’s not a cat, Ánh. She doesn’t have nine lives.” Rachel looks at them.
“Rachel-” Ánh faces her.
“If she’s alive, she’ll come back home. If she’s not… her death was not in vain.” Rachel’s heartbeat increases. Her rapid breathing goes unnoticed. “The children are safe.” She tries not to alter her tone. “Diego and Alex are here.” A high-pitched ringing goes through her ears. “And…” she opens and closes her fingers, “And… we know more about these people. We can fight them. End them.”
“Megan isn’t dead.” Ánh says.
“No. She’ll make it home.” Rachel smiles and goes upstairs.
You don’t believe that, sis. Alex teleports to Diego’s room.
***
“Dejame en paz por favor, Alex. I have things to do before I leave.” Diego is taking his clothes from the drawer and putting them in a bag.
"So many clothes for just a three-day trip. Maybe five-day trip.” Alex teleports next to the bag and counts the shirts.
“Better safe than worry.”
“Sorry, my brother. Sorry.”
“Yes. Better safe than sorry.” Diego smiles.
“Have you told her?” Alex asks.
Diego stops what he’s doing and looks at him, “what you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb, Diego. Not with me.”
“How many times… have I told you…” Diego goes nearer Alex and puts his index finger on Alex’s chest. “To stay away from my head?!” He shouts now.
“Hermano, I haven’t read your mind since that first day. I knew because I looked at you when you noticed the forum vanished. I knew when you saw that Megan wasn’t coming back. You waited for her to return.”
“She’s dead.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Poco importa. For years, she lied. For years I asked, and asked, and asked about that day. Qué dice ela? ‘Don’t remember.’”
“She probably didn’t. That day was too traumatic-”
“Traumatic? To her?” Diego laughs. “Imagine to us how it was.”
“I wasn’t trying to diminish your pain, Diego. Only to say that her memories of that time, of who ordered the hit, aren’t clear.”
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“No. I can’t sit here and wait for her to return or not. I lost contact with everyone. I have to find them in person.”
“Why?”
“Qué?”
“You have to find them. What for?”
“That’s my family, Alex! Qué sabes tu sobre familia?”
“Nothing, Diego. I know nothing about family. Nothing. My parents. Gone. Amy. Gone. Matthew and Amanda, despite all their flaws… Gone. I know nothing about family. Do you? What guarantees you that when you find your family that everything will be the same? You haven’t seen them for years.”
“I know them.”
“And what? You’ll form a militia? Face the government?”
“We want justice, Alex! We want the government to admit that they killed us. Not Megan. Not the Five!”
“No one will ever admit it! You have spent years chasing nothing!” Alex shouts, too.
“Shut up! I am looking for justice. I won’t stop until I have it.” Diego takes several steps back.
“My friend, I hope you find it, and when you don’t, I hope you can deal with it.”
“It's better to live with purpose like me, Alex, than empty like you.”
Alex teleports away.
***
Rachel’s heartbeat is still racing and her breathing hasn’t normalized when she enters the gym. She closes the door behind her. Sits on a mattress on the floor.
100, 99, 98, 97. She counts out loud while opening and closing the fingers on her hands.
After a few minutes, her heart beats normally again. She can breathe again. Rachel gets up and goes to the treadmill. The door opens behind her. She sees that it’s Abigail.
“I’d prefer to train alone today, Abigail. Please.”
“You keep doing this, Rachel. It’s hurtful, it’s unhelpful, it’s-”
“Doing what?” Rachel raises her voice without shouting.
“Dealing with everything on your own. Putting up a front and hiding your true emotions from us.”
“I think you should leave, Abigail.”
“People care about you. I care about you. Stop pushing people away.”
“I appreciate your concern. Your care. Please, leave.” Rachel opens the door with a light breeze and gently pushes Abigail out of the room with it. The door closes.
Rachel turns around and heads to the treadmill when the door opens again.
“I should’ve barred it with iron.” Rachel scoffs.
“What the actual hell?!” Abigail slams the door.
“What do you want?” Rachel turns to face her.
“For you to actually feel your feelings. Admit them. Admit that you are scared!”
“Don’t you dare analyze me! I don’t need your help!” Rachel shouts. “I’ve dealt with everything perfectly fine for years. You don’t know me.” She lowers her voice.
“Perfectly fine…” Abigail laughs. “Yes. What a nonsense! You shut down, you put everyone else above you. You keep pretending that everything is fine while having several panic attacks throughout your day!” Abigail tries not to shout.
“Deviants don’t have human diseases, Abigail!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! That’s a myth created so they can pretend that we are so different! You have panic attacks, Rachel. Those aren’t side effects from your abilities! The weight of unbearable responsibility rests on your shoulders for years. Years of pretending rather than dealing with anything! Pretending rather than admitting your shame, your guilt-”
“Abigail!” Rachel shouts. “I’ll say this only once. Stop.” Rachel’s tone is sharp and somber. “Do not cross that line.”
Abigail shakes her head, “when are you gonna admit that it’s hurtful being compared to your father?”
“Stop.”
“That you feel guilty that Amy Anderson died protecting you.”
“Don’t.” Rachel’s eyes fill with water.
“That you feel guilty that you killed your parents.”
Rachel forms two ice spikes in her hands. She looks at her hands and dissolves them. Tears fall.
“I couldn’t save him. Andrew. Matthew made me kill him. That’s where I got my fatal flaw. I can’t save anyone. Megan is dead.” Rachel falls to her knees. “I should’ve stayed. At least if I died, that would be it.”
Abigail slowly goes nearer, sits in front of Rachel, holding her.
“She’ll come home.” Abigail tells her.
***
Alex drove all the way to his and Amy’s house. What’s left of it. Everything around it changed. The bakery nearby had the best pound cake he ever tasted. He isn’t sure when it closed exactly. The taste is still present thanks to his ability. Otherwise, it would’ve been gone, too.
What am I doing with my life? He sees a young couple carrying their baby in the man’s arms. They enter the house next to his. Mr. and Mrs. Sanders used to live there. An elderly couple that only pretended not to recognize Amy. They gave Alex fresh lemonade during the hot days of summer while he skated outside alone.
When did they move out? Or die? Alex isn’t sure. He didn’t notice it. Now that he’s taking a proper look, everything is different. Ten years had gone by and the changes happened so gradually that went unnoticed.
There’s nothing more for me here. He holds his necklace tight, closes his eyes, and focuses on the many memories he has with Amy. The first time she dyed his hair. When she gave him the necklace. How she brought him books even without him asking for it.
To so many people, she was a monster. To him, she was his entire world. Interesting how the exact same person could contain such a contrast.
He closes his eyes again, this time to remember the conversation he had with Marianne Olsen.
“We have compelling things to discuss, Alexander Williams. Once I’m done talking, you’ll see that we have some aligned interests.” Marianne smiles.
“We have nothing in common, I can assure you such. Whatever this is, it's a waste of time.”
“Mmm, I’m not one to waste time, especially my own. You see, I see you, Alexander. I know you don’t care about this deviant rights gibberish. You are a survivor. Rachel Moore keeps you in check, probably. Otherwise, you would’ve found a way already to be rich and live the most comfortable life imaginable. I bet she doesn’t let you do half of what you want to.” Marianne’s eyes focus on his.
“Rachel is not my boss.”
“No, she isn’t, Alexander. But she probably is strong enough to keep you in check. One step out of the line and she’s there to make sure you stay put. I have the means, Alexander, to give you the life you want. Money, a new identity, a house on a beach in a place where the Five never existed.” She smiles again. “You never existed.”
“All this out of the kindness of your heart, I’m sure.” Alex scoffs.
"No, this is what I offer for my daughter. I want her back where she belongs. Here. I want it as painless for her as possible. I have the means to give you the life you want. You have the means to bring her to me.”
“You have me and Diego. I’m sure there’s already a plan to catch the others.”
“Yes, but I'm skeptical about its outcome. You’ll probably be free in a few more days. Have the patience to see it play out. You’ll go back to your life, the one that you despise, knowing that I offered you a way out.”
“You just want Megan, that’s it?”
“I just want Megan, yes. However, I don’t have the means to give you the life you want. The others have… and to convince them… I’ll need more than just her.”
“How much more? Can Diego stay out of it?”
“Yes, Diego and Ánh… I’m sure I can leave them out of the deal.” Marianne smiles.
Alex looks away.
“You tried to hide her, Alexander. We know Ánh is part of your group. That she faked her death.”
“Leave her out of this!”
“I can. Her. Diego. I need Megan and I need leverage. Rachel Moore.”
“Just Rachel and Megan?” Alex faces her.
“Yes. I’m staying at the Ortiz hotel in Rittenhouse Square under Katharine Kiesler. Come find me when you are ready to negotiate.” Marianne turns around and starts leaving. She stops. Turns around again. Faces him. “Your parents were right to make the deal, Alexander. You had lost the war. They wanted the best for you. It’s a shame that Matthew caught them before you could be free.” She pauses and smiles. “How different your life would’ve been if he hadn’t.”
It’s all gone. He could try to see if Marianne is interested still. No, she wouldn’t. Marianne Olsen cares only about her daughter. Megan is dead, probably. Maybe he could meet with Thomas Roberts, or Madeleine Clark. Maybe they’d be interested and give him a good deal. Or they’d kill me, I’d given them the two princesses. I’d hand them Rachel and Megan, and they’d kill me instead of paying me.
Marianne Olsen may be ruthless, he thought, but she’d keep her word, probably. I’ll find another solution. Eventually. Maybe now that Rachel is too preoccupied with Megan, I can make some good money and disappear.