We were pulling into the Luna complex after Lizzy drove us right through from Las Vegas. I was positive I had been holding my breath the whole time, only exhaling when we were back home. Nothing was guaranteed safety, but home was about as close as I could get. Lizzy’s shoulders relaxed a little when we got through the security checkpoint, a long breath leaving her as well. I was glad she had relaxed some. The trip took a toll on her, and it showed in nearly every way possible. She was a trooper for not swapping out driving duties with me, even though that meant we were pulling in at three in the morning. She had to stop a few times, which prolonged the trip, though I completely understood and didn’t dare voice a complaint.
Before we left, we handed Francine off to the Luna agents who were tasked with interrogating her. We warned them about everything we could think of, especially the bit about being able to go inside any reflective, still surface she could touch. They looked a little uneasy before managing to assure us that everything would be fine. They told us that everything at the concert hall had been taken care of and that all of the belongings we left at the hotel would be returned to us as soon as possible. I had too much on my mind to spend much time worrying about getting a few articles of clothing back in my closet.
“First stop is Charlie’s,” Lizzy said, rubbing her eyes. “You need to get those fixed wounds up for real.”
“Can’t I just get gangrene and leave them be?” I shuddered, remembering how rough her healing was on me last time. “Aren’t there any other healers here?”
“No, there aren’t.” Lizzy continued moving the car down the road, careful to avoid any other vehicles parked on the street. “The ones we have left are needed in other areas. Compared to a lot of other places, we’ve been extremely safe, so we just have her in case we need a hand nearby. Looking at you, we need more than a hand. I could take you to a hospital instead, but if your Achilles is torn, it’s going to take a lot longer to heal up from surgery than if Charlie took care of you.”
“Fine,” I said, giving up, trying to pout like a sulking little kid.
When we pulled up in Charlie’s driveway, she was on her porch in a pink bathrobe. A mug of steaming coffee sat on a small table next to her chair. Dark circles were under her eyes and her hair was a mess, but she waved at us with more enthusiasm than I would have been able to muster for people ruining my sleep schedule. She’s sprung up, and by the time I opened the door, she was there to wrap me up in a gentle hug.
“I’m glad to see you’re doing well! You had me so worried after you had that hole put through your arm. I like your beard.” Under the dim car light, she looked at my other wounds that had been stitched up. “Okay, maybe you aren’t doing that well. Yeah, this justified the call so late. What the hell happened?”
“Lady could hide in reflective objects, I used my power to create armor, and it turns out she could hide inside that. I thought it was just glass, so I think I got lucky, all things considered.” I pointed behind me with my thumb. “Lizzy stitched me up.”
“Wow, have you done this before?” Charlie slipped some latex gloves on and carefully examined my left arm.
“Only practiced with a kit at home,” Lizzy said, taking the time to rest her forehead on the steering wheel.
“This is damn solid work, girl. I’m impressed. This is a long laceration. How’d you do applying anesthetic?” Charlie grimaced. “Patients who need stitches usually aren’t in the kind of calm mood to get a shot on top of everything else.”
“Oh, we didn’t have any,” I told her. “I nearly cried like a baby.”
“Wait, you did all of this without any anesthetic? To this many lacerations?” Charlie leaned her head around me to look at Lizzy.
I heard Lizzy shift behind me. “I wanted to close the wounds in case we couldn’t get back here and we got stuck in the middle of nowhere. I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be sorry, you made the best decision you thought you could. I’m just impressed you two were able to handle it.” She took a step back and took a deep breath, looking a little impressed at the tale. “Besides your arm, where else do you need to be healed?”
“Just under my left armpit, my right thigh, and the back of my right ankle.” To help her see everything better, I took my shirt off and pulled my shorts up. I lifted my leg as best I could so she could see my ankle.
“Oh man, that looks bad. How deep did she get you on that ankle?” Very carefully, she tried to examine each wound without touching any of them, making me feel a little like a lab rat.
“Deep enough that I can’t push off my foot when I try to walk.”
Charlie grimaced again. “All right, buddy, we’ll get you fixed up. Do you need me to get something for you to bite on again?”
“Nah, I think I know what to expect this time. I think I can tough it out.” I flexed my right arm. Lizzy groaned and Charlie rolled her eyes.
“Macho smartass. Keep that smile up and remember how brave you’re feeling right now. You might need it.” Taking another deep breath, she started the healing process.
It was bad, though it wasn’t as bad as it was when she healed my burn and my collarbone. As Charlie did the healing, she commented about needing to remove the sutures after the healing was done. My thigh and torso cuts weren’t too bad, being small in comparison to the slash on my arm. The healing of my ankle ended up hurting the most like I’d expected. I could feel the damage to my Achilles being undone while it reattached beneath my skin.
Thankfully, she was done with all of them in maybe two minutes. She ran into her home, got a suture removal kit, and took care of those as quickly as she could. It took longer than the healing and was a little uncomfortable. Done and satisfied with her work, she wiped a layer of sweat off her brow and huffed. She checked everything over and didn’t go back for another round, so I took that as a sign I was as good as I was going to get.
“Man, the ways you manage to get hurt baffle me. I think the scarring for these injuries will be better than your burn.” She patted me on the shoulder and looked around me at Lizzy again. “Do you need any healing? I reckon I got a few more in me before I’m the one who needs to be fixed up.”
“Oh, no, I’m fine,” Lizzy said. “I got away with some small cuts and bruises. Unless you have some strong over-the-counter painkillers to help with those, I’ll heal up in a few days. The tough guy here got the worst of it.”
“A true gentleman.” She pulled out a small bottle from the pocket of her bathrobe. “Here, some painkillers to help while your body does the rest. Again, legally cannot give these to you, so please do not ask any questions or give anyone unnecessary details. Lizzy, I don’t have much weaker than this but stronger than what you can get at a drugstore.”
Lizzy waved her off. “I’ll be fine, thank you.”
“Mm, meds from your dirty pockets, my favorite.” She gently bonked me on the head with a closed fist. “Thanks, I appreciate it. You’re the best.”
“Don’t flatter me, just doing my job. Let me know if you need any more help or if you start bleeding uncontrollably.” With that cheerful bit, she closed the door and waved us goodbye.
Then it was just a couple of minutes until Lizzy had me at my place. I looked at the front door for a few seconds, preparing what I’d say when I walked inside. I couldn’t consider what happened a success, and anything good we did felt like it was outweighed by what happened to Julio. Sighing, I got out of the vehicle and went to close the door, but I stopped myself and looked back inside.
“Hey, do you want to stay over?” I asked. “I know you live alone and dealing with these sorts of things can be hard by yourself.”
Lizzy hesitated, looking like she wanted to take me up on the offer, but ended up shaking her head. “Thank you, but I think I just need to be alone for tonight. If you don’t mind, would tomorrow night work?”
“Our door is always open, bud.” I held a closed fist out so she could bump it with hers. “If you need anything, just let us know, okay? In fact, I’m going to take it as a personal insult if you aren’t crashing at our place tomorrow night, so your ass better be here.”
“Thank you.” She bit her bottom lip. I could tell she was trying not to cry. “It’s late, you should get in before everyone worries more. I’ll be fine tonight, pinky promise, so don’t you get all worked up and angry. I’ll text you when I wake up, okay?”
I was having trouble sending her off alone, but I had to believe that she knew what was best for her, at least for a night. With a wave, I shut the door and watched her drive away until I couldn’t see the car anymore. I felt terrible for her. It wasn’t like I’d never seen her upset or worried before. She cried beside my hospital bed when I first overtaxed my Anomaly and blacked out. After what happened in Vegas, it felt different, and I was angry I couldn’t dwell on it too much. I had people inside who were just as worried about me, so I turned my back to the street and went back home.
I opened the door slowly and quietly, not sure who would still be awake. I told Rebecca and Shelly that I’d be home soon, but that had been hours before we arrived, and they both knew how long of a drive it was. It was nearly twenty hours, and when you threw in the stops we had to make, it wasn’t like that gave a great window of time to plan for. If both had decided to go back to bed instead of waiting for me, I certainly wouldn’t blame them.
I was barely in the door before I nearly got tackled back on our walkway. Rebecca had me wrapped up in a tight hug, her head on my chest. I winced at how hard she was hugging me around the freshly healed wound under my armpit, not that anything in the world would have gotten me to tell her to let go. Instead, I kissed the top of her head and hugged her back.
“You’re up late,” I said stupidly. What could I say? I was great at addressing massive issues that had my loved ones worried about my well-being.
“Yeah, because someone called saying that he had got all cut up and sliced like an animal.” She pulled away and looked at the scar on my arm. “I bet you got that by being a dumb hero.”
“My Achilles got cut up and I got stabbed in my thigh.” I tried to brush it off, and for my trouble, Rebecca just glared at me with a puzzling mixture of anger, annoyance, and protectiveness. “I mean, uh, did you know that you’re the most beautiful and kind lady I’ve ever met? Oh, and that waking up next to you each day is like magic. There’s no one else I’d rather spend the rest of my life with, especially since you’re so kind, understanding, and forgiving.”
She chuckled and stepped back. When I was inside, she closed the door behind me before slipping her hand into mine. “I’m glad you’re okay. I missed you. I was worried about you after that call. Phones bring nothing but trouble and bad news. If they weren’t so convenient, I’d throw mine in the pool.”
“I missed you too.” Walking back into my own dark house, I felt another wave of relief. Home. Safety. Family. Every time I came back, it felt like it would be harder and harder for me to ever walk out the door again. If anyone asked me to go do something, I was going to tell them I was out of commission for a few decades.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Shelly sat on the couch in our living room. Seeing her again made me feel a mix of emotions. Happiness, sadness, guilt, and others I probably could name with enough time, some better rest, and a body that ached less. For years, she had been the only person to make me feel safe, comfortable, and loved. I was disgusted with myself for how I left things before going with Lizzy. What kind of guy didn’t apologize to a woman he wronged like I had?
“Shelly, about before, I’m sorry. About everything. I...” Trailing off, I felt myself getting emotional, exhaustion and pain trying to tell my brain to go to the bed that was just right up the stairs.
Without a word, she got up and embraced me, letting out a shaky breath after she finally got to hug me again after such a stressful event. “Shush, it’s okay. We can talk about it later. What matters right now is that you’re home safe and sound.” She punctuated her last sentence with a tight squeeze around my waist.
“I’m sorry that I couldn’t save Julio,” I whispered, dejected. I got to come back home to people who loved me and Julio’s family would have to handle the news of his passing.
“Sit down, let’s talk about that before we all head to bed.” Shelly went back to her position on the couch while Rebecca got us all some water. “There’s something I want you to know about that.”
I paused for a moment, uneasy by her tone. If there was something she wanted me to know about Julio’s betrayal, it couldn’t have been good. My tired, overclocked brain was inventing a billion different things that she could tell me. Julio was a mole for McLeod the whole time. McLeod knows exactly where we all live. Julio blabbed about the existence of the pjulsen. Julio ran a secret drug ring from his basement in his Luna home.
“I talked to Julio’s family about what happened,” Shelly said, pinching the bridge of her nose and rubbing her eyes. She took a quick sip of water and sighed. “They admitted to me that they essentially forced him to give you and Lizzy up to the Andersons when he told them about going with the two of you.”
“Really?” Despite how much that should have made me mad, I was too exhausted to muster up much anger. It also didn’t seem as immediately dangerous as any of the scenarios my brain had conjured up. With the kid having just passed away, I didn’t know what to do with my mess of feelings. “Why would they do that?”
“Same reasons he told you.” She put a hand on my shoulder. “They felt we can’t keep them safe and they were looking for a few thousand dollars to get out. We don’t stop people from leaving and we even try to help them where we can. We don’t want anyone to feel like they’re trapped here. It’s not our way or the highway. I think they wanted to try and get in bed with McLeod, but I won’t know for sure.”
“Well, do you think they’d tell you if you just asked? If they admitted to using him to get a few thousand dollars, I can’t see why this would be off limits.” Really, what could have been worse than admitting you were the ones who sent your son to Vegas to do something that got him killed? The list of things couldn’t have been a very long one.
“No, they won’t.” Shelly leaned back on the couch and looked toward our ceiling. “You’re probably not going to like hearing this, but I had their memories altered. They don’t even remember they had a child. They’ve been moved out and set up with what is essentially a new life for them.”
“You’re right, I didn’t like hearing that.” It was my turn to look up at the ceiling. “I know what they did was wrong and abhorrent, but what happens to them now? I mean, he was just a couple of years younger than I am. That’s a long stretch for someone’s memory to be altered.”
“I don’t know how it’ll affect them,” Shelly admitted. “I had a decision to make. He was a minor and he was killed doing something for Luna. Of course, we don’t want to lose anyone, but losing a child knowing he was sent into a dangerous situation could land us in extremely hot water if it got out. Believe me, I know it was not a morally upstanding decision. It’s not one I’m proud of making. One thing I do take pride in is trying to keep everyone here safe. It’s my responsibility, and no, I’m not opposed to stepping into some morally grey areas to make it happen. From what I could gather, they didn’t really have any other friends or family that knew about Julio, so we caught a break there.”
I got where she was coming from. I tried to put myself in the shoes of his family. If I told Megan to do something like that, and she got killed, would I even want to live with it? Having your son essentially removed from your mind, replaced with...I didn’t even know what. Family trips to amusement parks or dinner outings adjusted so it was just his parents? The whole thing seemed too complicated for me to properly figure out.
“But essentially erasing his existence entirely? What if this causes psychological damage to his parents if they get gaps in their memories they can’t explain? Or what if the memory alteration doesn’t hold forever and they remember ten years from now?”
“Then that’s something to be dealt with at that time. I do not have any sympathy for parents who willingly send their children out to do what they had Julio do. A dangerous situation I can be lenient with. Parents let their kids play sports where other kids charge at them at full speed to tackle them. Using your son as a way to sell out the people who care about him so you can get a few thousand dollars? Pardon my French, but fuck that. We didn’t change their personalities on a fundamental level either. They are still the same people who could come to make that choice, but they no longer have any memories of the child who was the victim of that choice. They get to live guilt-free of what happened, and we don’t have to deal with the legal ramifications of what happened.
“And we have a lot of issues that have been harder to sweep under the rug. Before McLeod, it wasn’t easy, though it was doable. Now we have to work overtime to keep things as clean as we can. There was no putting the toothpaste back in the tube with you being on TV and involved with the President. That just wasn’t happening, and that will have lasting effects on your life, Rebecca’s life, Megan’s life, and my life. Those are just things we will have to deal with going forward.”
I just stared at the ceiling, trying to find something interesting to stimulate my mind. I needed a little something to push reality away for just a few measly seconds. Sadly, without any psychedelic drugs or a whale of a concussion, the featureless, off-white texture wasn’t going to provide me with the escapism I was looking for. Why did everything feel like it had to be so tiring? I felt like I’d been dumped into a hospital’s emergency room and was told to perform life-saving surgery without any training or tools to get the job done.
“Just to make sure there isn’t anything hidden between us, I want you to know that this isn’t the first time that we’ve made decisions that wouldn’t be taken well. Remember, you three took Megan with you and brought Rebecca without asking her if that’s what she wanted. We were able to get Megan’s situation taken care of so we are her legal guardians, but not many people would understand why you took an orphaned girl from her home. Not many people would understand why you brought a lady from the Civil War era home while everyone else in that tomb died. But the way those things played out have been blessings for our family, and I don’t want to speak for everyone, I think those two like being here.”
“I do,” Rebecca confirmed. “I love both of you guys.”
“I love you too,” I said. I ran my hands through my hair and tried to process everything while my eyelids tried to drift shut.
“After the mess before you left, I didn’t want there to be anything hidden between us. I know what I did probably doesn’t make me a good person. What we have here is not easy to keep protected, so if I’m not sparkling and good to protect that, I can live with it.” Shelly stood up and stretched her back. “I do believe that we are the good guys here, but I won’t hesitate to play dirty if it keeps us safe.”
“I don’t blame you,” I finally said. “Thank you for being honest. Just don’t forget about being a good person and doing good when you can.”
“Of course, I’m always going to do my best to stay as good as I can.” Shelly hugged both of us, taking a few seconds to settle into each embrace, maybe a little afraid to let either of us go. “I love both of you more than you know. I don’t know if I say it enough, but you two and the little one just make my life so much better. You're both the sisters I always wanted.”
“Thanks,” I said, my warm smile turning to a frown nearly instantly. “Wait, back up a few steps, that wasn’t right.”
“I’ve heard through the grapevine that all your friends, mostly girls, consider you one of the girls. Only seems fitting.” Shelly rubbed the top of my head from the tips of her toes.
“He is kind of in touch with his feminine side,” Rebecca agreed. She got behind me and wrapped her arms around me, planting a kiss on my cheek. “But he’s still a true gentleman. I heard how much help you gave Lizzy when she needed it. I get to marry the ideal guy.”
“Is this a new thing? When did this happen?” I fake groaned, thrilled to feel safe in the arms of my love. “Do you want kids? If you want kids, I hope we have at least one son.”
“Oh boy, you two talking about kids is my cue to get to bed. Enjoy talking about having twenty children running around your house.” Shelly waved and hurried back to her room, leaving me and Rebecca in the silence of our living room.
With just the two of us there, I felt...I wasn’t sure what I felt. It almost felt like I was on the verge of an emotional breakdown, yet I didn’t feel overly emotional. I didn’t feel like breaking down and crying. I didn’t feel like I had when I killed Eric where I wanted to completely shut down for a while. It was almost this empty, hollow feeling that blocked out feelings my brain knew I should be processing. I added that to the long list of things I was blaming on pure exhaustion and my injuries.
Rebecca seemed to notice something was off about my shift in mood. “What’s wrong? Was it because we said you’re one of the girls? We didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
I laughed a little and shook my head. “I’m just so tired. Tired of seeing people die. Tired of having to hurt people. Tired of my friends having to hurt or kill people. Tired of being burned, cut up, and having my bones broken. A kid died out there and only a few people are really going to know why. Only a handful of people are even going to remember the guy. Lizzy and I had a heart-to-heart conversation because she wanted someone to know her story in case she doesn’t make it through this. It feels like it’s so much and I feel so helpless. Lizzy asked me to come with her because she thought I could help. I nearly got myself killed. She killed Robert and Francine killed Julio. I come home to love and hugs, which I appreciate, but I feel so pathetic.”
Rebecca knelt in front of me and angled my head down so I was looking right into her green eyes. “Look at me and listen to me. You are a good person and a good man. You do everything you can to help people and don’t ask for anything in return. You can be so selfless it has me worried because you get hurt helping everyone else out at the drop of a hat. You have been through more in a year than most people have in their entire lives.”
“People like Alex don’t get this way when things go south. I hate feeling so weak.”
“You don’t have to be like Alex.” She gently pulled my head forward so our foreheads were touching. “You are a human being. Feeling off and terrible after going through all the traumatic events you have aren’t things to be ashamed of. This isn’t a book or one of those movies where the hero has to be emotionally disconnected all the time. I think it’s normal for you to feel this way.”
“And it doesn’t bother you?”
Rebecca smiled and shut her eyes, slowly shaking her head with our foreheads still touching. “The first man I thought I loved was cold. I think Alex has his moments, but I could never have a romantic relationship with him because of his attitude. Good Lord, could you imagine? Lori must have the patience of a saint when it comes to him.”
That did get a small chuckle out of me. She had been drooling over that guy since the moment she brought me to Luna. The person you loved truly did get the benefit of the doubt when it came to their less desirable qualities.
“My father was a man who had a very strict view of what masculinity was and how that meant he should treat the women in his life. You are kind, you are warm, you are loving, and you are strong. I wouldn’t be with you if I thought that having human responses to horrible tragedies was wrong. If I didn’t want that, I’d probably be with someone who treats me like garbage. Trust me, you do not treat me like garbage. You make me very happy.”
“Thanks. I just need this McLeod stuff to be over so I can focus on something else.” I shut my eyes and tried to imagine a future without so much struggling. Rebecca sat down on the couch and put my head on her lap, forcing me to lie on my side.
“We’ll get through it,” she said, gently running her hands through my hair. “But just so you know, I’d rather have you need to put your head in my lap a thousand times over you closing yourself off just one time. If you need to stop and let it all out, I’m always here for you.”
I didn’t know what I did to deserve someone who made me feel so safe and loved. Rebecca had said all those nice things about me. Surely it couldn’t have just been that? I felt like I would do what most normal people would have. I thought people were generally kind and wanted to help when they could. The only difference was that I had superpowers that made helping people a little different than donations or spending an afternoon at the homeless shelter to lend a hand.
“I can’t wait to marry you,” I mumbled, feeling my eyes start to shut after giving up the battle against tiredness. As much as I wanted to stay in that moment forever, I knew we both wanted to sleep in our own bed. Plus, I needed a shower big time. “Let me take a quick shower and I’ll head to bed, okay?”
It wasn’t my longest or best shower, barely doing enough to make me feel a little cleaner. I was stumbling around in my bathroom, totally naked, so I didn’t need to enhance the slipping risk by taking a longer shower. Aside from any injury, I’d be mortified if someone found me with my ass out, head cracked against unforgiving porcelain, so I made sure to get dressed and dried off as soon as possible.
Rebecca was waiting up for me in our bed, smiling when she saw me. She put her arm around me when I got under the sheet, eyes beginning to shut the moment my body made contact with the soft surface. I barely remember kissing her goodnight, because I was out like a light when my head hit the pillow.