Someone knocking at the door was a rarity. While any child her age might come running to investigate, waiting for their parents to open it and reveal whoever had visited, Iris knew knocking at the door was not supposed to happen. Something was wrong.

Parcels and letters were left in the lobby’s postal boxes, never delivered directly to the flats. So when sounds came from the country cottage’s front door, it would make Iris’s skin crawl. She stopped the Pattern Reader sitting on the loungeroom table that had been left on since Elliot had gone to bed. He had retired to his room hours ago and Iris was hesitant on waking him, yet she decided to try.

But before she could, the door’s lock began to come undone, one slow click after another. Iris approached the barrier, a few days’ worth of training under her belt, significant enough to take on all manner of threats, or at least she hoped. The intruder, however, was too fast. The brass safety pins in the door handle click in place and the final barrier swung open. A blurry mass flew from the gap and in an instant, Iris was tackled to the floor.

She struggled under the mass that had pinned her to the ground, panic growing exponentially. Their grip was tight and had immediately immobilised both her arms, leaving Iris only her legs that had been pinned to the ground by the person’s body.

Then the intruder giggled.

Iris paused and stopped resisting. The stranger’s hair was orange, and her body was clad in a thick trench coat that had seen better days.

“Evalyn?”

Evalyn did not answer. Iris watched as the grown woman held onto Iris’s torso like it was happiness itself. Iris slid through her arms and sat up, freeing her own, but Evalyn’s grasp on her barely budged. Her body was heavy, and her skin was cold against Iris’s. She felt the woman slowly sink as her muscles began to lax. Iris desperately wanted to at least close the door, but Evalyn wouldn’t let her.

“The door…”

“Hm? Oh.”

A golden hand protruded from Evalyn’s boot and fished around in the air for the door. Finding the edges, it slammed it shut without much ceremony. The noise was the loudest Iris had heard in hours, and she was still conscious of Elliot sleeping next door. The man no longer scared her, but his sleeping habits did, along with his intense passion to protect them.

“Iris? Stop slamming doors I thought I told…since when we’re you back?”

“Come here.”

“You should’ve called me or-”

“Shut up come here.”

His eyes still bleary, Elliot stumbled towards the heap and found a spot, not so much sitting down as collapsing next to them.

“Welcome back,” he said gently as his hand caressed his wife’s head.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “….”

“Oh, no. You’re not sleeping on the floor again.”

After the sloppiest princess carry of their lives, Elliot watched as Evalyn sank into the mattress imprint she had moulded over the years. She looked truly at home as she drifted off to sleep. The look on her face after such weeks was always what reminded him of his purpose, why he kept on watching her back from the sky. No matter how long they had spent together, that feeling at the end of every week never got old.

“Was she good?” Evalyn asked.

“She ate well, slept on time, and didn’t bother Elvera too much unless they were playing board games.”

“Board games?”

“She gets competitive, it turns out.”

Evalyn chuckled under the weight of her own fatigue as she shuffled in her bed, struggling to take her trench coat off.

“Were you alright without me?” she asked.

“Just another week, was it not?”

“No, it wasn’t, not for me at least. Stuff like this only happens maybe once every six months,” she said as she finally shed her outer layer, tossing it onto the floor haphazardly. “Things couldn’t have been completely calm on your end.”

Elliot shuffled himself into a comfortable position before answering, pulling the covers up to his chin.

“We had one scramble order yesterday. That was it.”

“What was that about?”

“Officially it turned out to be nothing, but I doubt it. Well, whatever.”

Evalyn’s brow furrowed as she prodded him further.

“You can’t say whatever to something like that. Tell me more.”

“It was a cargo plane. The gargantuan ones that you see sometimes on your way to Aerilia. For whatever reason, it was taking a coastal route because of an influx of mail.”

“What’s so suspicious about that?”

“What’s so suspicious? I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense why planes would be needed on that route. I mean, even if there’s an influx, a plane can only take so much, especially when compared to a ship. There’s no need for a cargo plane unless the package is big enough to warrant it.”

“Like a H.O.A….”

“You think?!”

Elliot noticed her lack of initiative, only her expression soured. She stuck her face deeper into the cushion, refusing to get out of bed even if the conversation sorely warranted an urgent phone call to Elvera.

“How could they sneak that off of the plane?”

“It’s in pieces probably. Offloaded onto different trucks stolen from Sidos for delivery to…somewhere in the city. They assemble it closer to the day and no one is none-the-wiser.”

“Well, we should probably tell someone.”

Evalyn sighed and groaned as she rolled over, begging the universe to let her have five minutes to herself. She paused.

“I interrogated someone yesterday.”

Elliot paused and started to get up, aroused by the uneasy inflexion in her voice. It was a familiar tone that he’d hear every once in a while, a tone that she would use when she was reminded just how human she was. When her infallible drive and will to do anything would catch up with her psyche.

“Interrogated? How interrogated?”

“How?”

“Yeah, like…you know…,” he said, trailing off as to not step on anything sensitive.

“No, I wouldn’t agree to torture in the first place. I just let her know how good the intelligence service here is at that sort of stuff, and she seemed pretty convinced.”

“Did you show her your scars?”

“Yeah, I did,” she said, chuckling softly to herself. “I didn’t get to the part where you came to save me.”

“It wasn’t just me, was it?”

He could hear Evalyn smile from the other side of the bed. It wasn’t uncommon for her to start such a conversation. Admitting an act that anywhere else would have people calling the police. Most often, Elliot would sit there and listen as she got it off her own chest. All he ever had to do was make her smile after the fact.

“Yeah, it wasn’t just you,” she whispered as she began to curl into herself. “I’m glad there are three people in one house again.”

“Three’s a pretty good number…What did you find out from whoever you were interrogating?”

“I found out that S.H.I.A.’s been taking on outside help. I don’t know if it’s another nation or whatever, but whoever they are, they have the ability to pull a lot of strings. The plane was probably their doing.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“The hostages?”

“An arms deal between S.H.I.A. and another freedom fighter group across the Chain Ridge. The military says it’s outside my hands now, but I guess I can’t say I’m surprised. There are plenty of people who want their hands on H.O.A. units.”

Elliot felt her return back into work mode as she slowly began to explain her situation to herself, reiterating what she already knew into redundancy. He put a hand on her shoulder and guided her to lie flat on the bed. She looked at him, a mix of relief and exhaustion mixing in her pupils, heavy bags under her eyes like anvils hanging off of her sanity, threatening to rip it out through her eye sockets. He put his hand on her head and caressed it back and forth for a few moments too long like he always did, and she smiled like she always did.

“You need to go to sleep.”

“Okay…I love you.”

“I trust you.”

Iris watched as Elliot rounded the corner and into the hallway, catching her snooping red-handed. He smiled, each joint moving as though they had a thousand years of rust between them “Go see to your mum, I’ve got a phone call.”

Iris nodded and walked forward, reaching the doorway, and finding Evalyn snug on her side of the bed. Evalyn smiled.

“Come closer Iris,” she said as if she was a bedridden mother, beckoning her daughter into her frail arms’ reach. Iris tip-toed closer to the side of the bed as Evalyn’s markings began to glow gently. Shapeless tendrils shifted vaguely towards her, their movements blurring the line between graceful and tired. They coiled around her arms and legs, gently lifting her onto the bed. Evalyn grabbed her small body and wrapped both arms around her, not caring for her position, much like a teddy bear. Iris was left to shuffle herself, and move into a more or less tolerable position.

Iris quickly accepted her fate and gave in to her. Once again, her caretaker had shown a such bizarre contrast in behaviour that Iris was finding it hard to categorise her. The arms that had protected her many times were arguably still doing so, just in a more direct, yet gentler way. That thought made her feel special. With the exception of Elliot, there were probably few people that received the same treatment, and that made her feel wanted.

The indistinguishable, blurry years spent living haphazardly on the streets had begun to put themselves into perspective. Iris knew what there was in the world now, or at least part of it. Shops were not just random monuments nor were people just beings who would transit from one place to another. She was not just something that consumed food and lived only to find it.

She could feel things so warm and experience things that she never knew existed. Thoughts passed through her head that she had no hope of answering. What have I been doing? What have I missed out on? Do I like this? Who am I?

A familiar wash of anxiety flowed into a chasm in her stomach as her eyes began to feel heavy. She breathed deeply, a desperate last-ditch effort at ridding herself of whatever she was feeling. Exhaling, she found the courage to enjoy the moment as it was, taking in every subtle scent, every small rustle, every point of contact. She relaxed her body and began to find herself drifting.

“Iris?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you. This might be the last time I get to relax until this blows over, so wait for me until then.”

“Wait for what?”

Evalyn giggled, squeezing tighter.

“For me to find my footing with this whole parenting thing.”

On Iris’s request, the two had skipped breakfast the next day in favour of a bout in the fields. Iris felt a strange enthusiasm once she had been given an achievable goal, one she felt she could work towards. And so, she had dragged both Evalyn and Elliot out of bed to fulfil her daily quota.

“Elliot told me about why you’ve started to become scared of your magic, is that true?” Evalyn asked. In response, she gave a meek nod. “It’s alright, I’m not mad at you. In fact, fearing something means you’re beginning to understand it. Do you trust yourself?”

“No….”

“What about me? Do you trust me?”

“…Yes.”

“Good! That’s good enough for now.”

Evalyn stepped further back until there were several metres of green grass between the two. On the final step, Evalyn raised her voice.

“Reach me! Use your magic to reach me! Preferably don't damage the house while you do it.”

Iris shook her head violently.

“Come on! Weak, strong I don’t care! Just trust me!”

Iris continued to refuse, yet Evalyn kept up the encouragement. No matter what Iris would try, nothing short of conceding and retreating to the house would stop Evalyn. Iris wanted to train, so then that was what she was receiving.

“Come on do it!” Elliot jeered. “You can’t overdo it! I could hit her over the head with that pan I wished for and she’d call it a massage!”

After a full minute of bargaining through shouting and gestures, Iris finally conceded to the two. She lifted an arm as if she was about to slap someone across the face as her hair glowed purple, disassembling into a long, thimble-like tendril. Shapeless, much like Evalyn’s all-purpose magical limbs.

Gathering what little self-confidence she held in her magic, she prepared for her strike. Firmly closing her eyes, she swung her arm in Evalyn’s general direction, watching Evalyn move to defend only moments before impact….

“You missed her,” Elliot said, a concerning amount of disappointment in his voice.

A small divot in the topsoil had indeed been etched next to where Evalyn stood as if she had attempted to sow the ground with a pencil.

“Would you like to try again?”

“….”

“I’m going to make you try again.”

Iris only continued to stay stubborn. Evalyn didn’t know of the hallway, the doors, but more importantly, the bloodstained version of her only Iris could see. She wasn’t willing to take the chance of bringing about that reality herself. Evalyn sighed and took back the steps she had taken before until she was face to face with Iris.

“I know you don’t want to hurt me, and I love that,” Evalyn said as she patted Iris’s head. “But the truth is if you let yourself be without ever finding out your limits and how to control them, you’re more of a danger to me or Elliot or anyone else you’ll ever meet. Okay?”

“…okay.”

Evalyn smiled at her before taking a couple of steps back, closer than she was before.

“So, I want you to trust me while you can’t trust yourself. Can you do that?” she said. “Even if you can't control it, you can hit me here, and I promise I won’t feel a thing. ‘Kay?”

“It’s physically impossible. Trust me we’ve tried.”

Ignoring Elliot, Iris gave in and prepared herself for another strike. She felt the magic tingle on the nape of her neck as she tried to calm her breathing, close her eyes, and picture the scene in front of her. Nothing less, and certainly nothing more. Controlling her perception through her mind’s eye, not letting any variable be corrupted by the hallway or the anxiety that it brought.

She lifted her hand, a meek but well-intentioned second take at her first step forward.

A low rumble disrupted her mental image and she quickly aborted, opening her eyes in panic. Evalyn’s attention was no longer on her and instead focused off into the distance. Iris followed her line of sight, it pointed directly at the city off in the distance.

“What was that?” Evalyn muttered. A single step turned into a stride, and soon she was sprinting back inside, making a beeline for the front door. Iris and Elliot followed as fast as she could manage, only to be greeted with the distant sound of sirens. Some sort of emergency had awoken the tranquil early morning.

The persistent ringing of the living room telephone finally reached their ears, and Evalyn moved to answer, leaving Iris only to listen to the fragmented conversation as Elliot ran back into his room.

“Yes, I’m back. No, we just heard sirens when we opened the…what the hell…yeah…yes alright I’ll be there soon.”

Elliot ran back into the lounge with the radio he regularly stole from the Steel Whale. Turning it on, he was immediately greeted with the sound of emergency alerts and frantic communications.

“That was Elvera. S.H.I.A.’s made their move,” Evalyn began, “trucks loaded with bombs are going off like fucking popcorn in both cities and there’s been confirmed sightings of the H.O.A. unit near Salan Court a few blocks from here.”

“I’ll hold the fort. If I’m needed, I’ll head for the Steel Whale.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“You’d better. I’m not sleeping until you’re home, I swear to god.”

Elliot jogged to the centre table in the lounge and moved it out of the way, lifting one side at a time until it was up against the wall. Finding the cracks between the floorboards with his fingernails, he dislodged it and threw it aside.

“I really hope the dust hasn’t gotten to these,” he mumbled as he pulled out several pieces of small arms. Two submachine guns and several magazines were what he ultimately chose.

“Do you need any?”

“No, I’ll bring what I always bring,” Evalyn said as she slung her bolt action across her shoulder.

In all of this, Iris stood silent. Motionless. It was as if her two guardians had turned into more literal meanings of the title. Both had lost all semblance of themselves in a matter of moments. They had entered a mindset unrecognisable to her and she hated it.

She saw Evalyn motion to leave and grabbed onto her sleeve as if it was instinct.

“Don’t.”

If she stayed, she wouldn’t die. If she stayed, they could keep on training, living as they did while the explosions were only a soft rumble from some far-off place. Iris could see the guns around her and could only expect more. She knew what guns did now. She couldn’t let Evalyn face that.

Iris held on as tight as she could, clutching Evalyn’s sleeve because Evalyn’s life depended on it.

“Iris. I’m sorry, but I have to go,” she said as she tried to wriggle her arm free from Iris, eventually having to pry off Iris’s fingers one-by-one.

“I’ll come back, I promise,” she reassured her as she left for the door. Iris ran after her, but in only a few moments she had already made it far down the apartment block’s hallway, only a few steps from the exit.

Iris didn’t know what Evalyn had meant when she ordered Iris to reach her. Seeing how Evalyn would use her powers, she had immediately assumed combat. Yet all the cryptic messages the adults had given her regarding Evalyn’s power, all pointed at one thing, and one thing in particular. Whatever it was she could wield, whatever it is that she could control or not control, if Iris’s powers were an extension of her body, they were an extension of her resolve, her wish.

All that Iris wanted to do at that very moment was protect her.

Her hair escaped her, dissipating without her willing it so, as easily as breathing. She had no picture of what she wanted to manifest, only the action she wanted to do. They formed hands, perfectly shaped manifestations of what Iris knew it meant to grab and hold onto something for dear life.

Before Evalyn even had the mental comprehension to fight back against it, she was already in the little girl’s arms. Iris squinted clinging onto her waistband showing no signs of letting even a breath of air get between them. She knew the movement had not been conscious, it was months, maybe years of training ahead of her abilities.

Iris could feel Evalyn’s wide eyes staring at her scalp, but she held steadfast.

“She isn’t going to die that easily. I’ve seen her go up against things like this for ten years and she’s always come back if only a little bruised and singed around the edges.”

Iris felt Elliot’s hand on her shoulder, but she shook her head daring to look up.

Evalyn smiled at her as if she couldn’t help but smile. She pushed Iris away as she knelt down, face level with hers.

“You don’t have to worry about me, okay? Once you learn how to control what you just did, then I’ll consider you as able to protect me. So I’ll be waiting.”

She turned to Elliot.

“Take care of her.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” he said, grinning.

“Take care of yourself,” she added, to which he only nodded. She hugged them both, her arms reaching as far as they could, as far as they had ever needed to in a long, long time.

“See you soon.”