Chapter 20
The Bradleys found a small study off the piano bar on the lower level of the All-Star residence. Summerset had pulled some strings with one of her remaining connections in the upper echelons of The Heralds organization to garner a small amount of time where the cameras would be disabled for her and her family to have their little parley. While it would surely have made for some “great TV,” the Bradley matriarch didn’t want more family drama exposed to the world. That was, in fact, the crux of what had brought her to the kickoff party in the first place. From the moment she had turned on the Top Seed stream to see her children participating in the most-watched Herald event in history, Laila Bradley had been fuming. How could they? After everything she had been through in the last three years, why would June and Jax expose themselves and their lives for the public and media to comment on even more?
Mr. Bradley opened with a classic. “So, do you two have anything to say for yourselves?” Some things are classics for a reason.
“Not really.” June stubbornly answered.
You could have cut the tension in the room with a knife. Laila and William had had over an hour on the drive from their home in Detroit to The Herald HQ in Eden to “discuss” strategy. They had decided that William would handle the brunt of the talking. Laila was just too angry about their kids’ betrayal. She and William had explicitly forbidden them from entering the competition.
“Not really?!” Summerset shot back at her daughter. “Not really?!” The gall! The disrespect! William reached over and held his wife’s hand. This soothed her enough to snap her out of the anger loop she seemed to be stuck in. Laila took a deep breath and started over. “Look. I am having a hard time understanding, after everything that has happened over the last few years, how and why you would want to give the Heralds more power over your lives. You have both seen how powerful their media arm is and how much they are able to twist and spin to make you look however they want to, for whatever suits their ends.”
“Mom,” Jax said calmly. “I've sacrificed so much for the family, from leaving college to distancing myself from my old friends. I’ve seen what The Heralds have done, and honestly, this seemed like the best way to combat exactly what you are concerned about. I feel like if we just show the world who we are, it will be harder to paint us as the selfish villains and traitors that they have been so successful at selling for so long. As for lying and betraying your wishes, I’m sorry.” He looked over at his sister. “We’re sorry. But we knew if we didn’t sneak out, we might not follow through with what we thought was the right thing to do. It was less about avoiding you and more about acting quickly before we changed our minds.” Jax held his head low with shame.
William went over and sat next to his son on the arm of a Chesterfield loveseat chair. He was calm and composed. “Thank you for explaining, Son. I think I understand why you two broke your word to us. But it still doesn’t excuse the way you went about it.”
“I know, Dad,” Jax knew his dad was right. He also knew that he needed to be the one to spearhead the reconciliation since his sister was far more volatile in these types of situations. It was unfortunate that June wasn't a telepath. Maybe she would have kept her mouth shut and followed his lead.
“This is bullshit!” she yelled just as things were calming down. “I hope you aren’t expecting an apology from me. Given the chance, I’d do it all again. If we hadn’t lied, you would have found a way to lock us up or put us to sleep or some other batshit way to keep us from competing. Your hatred of The Heralds would have stopped us from achieving everything we’ve prepared for our whole lives! Jax and I did what we needed to do, and we all know it. So what the fuck is this all about?!” June was becoming more and more stubbornly irate.
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“Watch your language, young lady.” Laila was pissed. “We are your parents. Show some goddamn respect.”
“Now who’s a hypocrite.” June returned the barb.
Jax and William gave each other a look that they had exchanged countless times over the years. The look that said, “Which one of us is going to stick our neck out to get chopped off this time?” But, William was the father. For an issue this deep-rooted, and with tempers flaring this high, it was his responsibility to rein everyone in. He hoped he had the tact to do so.
“Look, we get it,” he said. “Don’t we, sweetie.” William looked at his wife, imploring her to calm down and summon her compassionate, forgiving side. “I know it’s hard to believe, but we were young once. Shocking, I know. But we were. And, to be fair, this is probably exactly something that the woman I fell in love with back then would have done. The woman who ended up becoming the first black female member of both the Detroit and Michigan Heralds. Who joined up against all odds, enduring the hazing and the backlash, to prove everyone wrong. You knew that you had been given these wonderful gifts for a reason: to do good in the world, to help as many people as possible. And, as I recall, our parents weren’t exactly thrilled with that decision either.”
“Traitor.” Laila’s anger had subsided, and her tone was playful for the first time that night. “Look, I'm not exactly thrilled, but I get it. Unfortunately, you have tied our hands. As a state-level Herald of Michigan, I’m not able to offer any tangible help in the competition. You two are on your own from here on out. After tonight, we won’t even be able to meet without cameras following our every move. I’ve called in my only remaining favor to get in here tonight to see you two.”
“We get it, Mom, no worries.” Jax said.
“Yeah, we got this,” June was smiling again, too.
“So, Skyrocket and Borealis, huh? Neither of you wanted to go with Kid Summer or Winterset or something?” Mr. Bradley joked.
“Well, I did consider Bummerset, but I felt like it was a bit of a downer,” Jax responded straight-faced.
“More of a downer that ‘BORE-ealis?” his sister jabbed back.
“Like Skyrocket is so clever. You should have gone with Dumberset.” Jax barely got the barb out before his chuckling took over.
The whole room burst into laughter at the purposefully awful wordplay.
After saying their goodbyes and with the party having wound down, the twins made their way back to their own rooms in The Challenger Dorm, and Mr. and Mrs. Bradley settled down in the lavish study and poured themselves some stiff drinks.
“So,” William Bradley looked seriously at his wife. “I'm not sure those two know exactly the shitshow they have actually unleashed. I know you are out of contacts and favors, but maybe it's time I reach out to my old man.”
“Wow. Honey, that’s entirely up to you. I wouldn’t blame you if you never talked to that man again after what he tried to do to us when the twins were born. Do you think he’d even take your calls after all this time?”
William sipped his scotch pensively. “Who knows. But for those kids, it would be silly to let my pride get in the way of making sure they are safe, you know?”
Summerset leaned across the small side table that was holding their drinks and kissed her husband. Hearing those words spoken by the man who gave up everything for their family and for her career, Laila Bradley couldn’t have loved him more. And with that kiss, William had his answer. Tomorrow morning, he would call his father, a man that the twins didn’t even know existed, and ask him for the biggest favor he had ever asked from anyone. He picked up his scotch and finished the rest in one big gulp. There was nothing wrong with enjoying one last night before letting The Herald known as Soloman, back into their lives.