"Don't thank me yet. Explain," James said as we looked each other in the eye through the rear-view mirror.
After inspecting Willow and briefly regathering my conviction in saving my brother, I began explaining my web of lies to him.
The one James would think through to discover the truth for himself. The truth that would free him from my father.
And I will let Willow watch the strings he will try to wade through. That way she'll realize that she's being strung along with him too and free herself, so she might save my brother too.
…Like Elise saved me.
"Let me start with saying that I've always intended to ask you two for help, but I can only now do so because I'm sure the enemy is not with us at the moment."
"…Because he was at your girlfriend's?" James carefully asked.
"That's part of it. He can teleport and turn invisible. You… you heard… he broke specifically William's right hand, the same as me. He was with us in that building the entire time."
I heard Willow gasp next to me. Ken was keeping silent and looking at the road from the passenger's seat. He just let me do my thing… even though he absolutely had no idea what I was going on about.
James was maintaining his calm. I was glad he was made to be so confident.
"What more?" James continued.
"Its form is that of a humanoid shadow. He has mass when invisible and occupies space. That's why I know he's not in the car right now, there's no room. Also… I think he might have some flame-related ability. When he becomes visible, he also stuns you with immense fear, immobilising you for a few seconds. I think he can move immediately while you are terror-struck, but he always waits too, maybe to enjoy the moment. …He has appeared four times to my knowledge. Twice in front of me. Once to blow up my house while I was there and the police were still investigating for evidence. And lastly… you've just heard…"
…My shoulder was touched. I looked into brown eyes.
"They'll be fine," Willow said without a doubt.
…Oh. I had stopped and was clenching my fist.
She's right. Elise is fine. They're still alive. Keep your focus here now.
I gave Willow a small defeated smile and continued speaking to them while looking at James.
"That shadow thing has been stalking me invisibly since the Whiteout. That's why it knew, for example, that I had gone to Philadelphia, and specifically that building. It's also acted on information it couldn't have known unless it had been stalking me on different occasions. Also… I've fought it twice. He's a master martial artist. I stood no chance."
"…What's his skill level?"
"Unbelievable... Better than father."
"Impossible. You're… you never have been that good at fighting.And you've just been lazing around for these past two years. You've lost all your muscles."
I stayed silent for a moment. Willow's eyes darted between us. Ken was stiff.
"…Hear me out first. The first time he appeared was just after the Whiteout, when I was with my mother. He was after her. I didn't know my power yet, so I attacked it with a knife. He deflected and disarmed me effortlessly. Struck me to the ground with a precision strike to my diaphragm. Secured me in full mount in a technically correct way, and then… stabbed me through my hand with the knife, nailing it to the floor…"
I paused for a moment. My brother didn't look convinced, of course. But it was in his head now.
"…Then he made me watch… choke my mother out. …It was a standing rear-naked choke, he was very controlled and careful. …He then laid mother on the ground and poured beer over her, then set her on fire with no additional tools. The shadow didn't enter the fire, but he disappeared simultaneously with the flames going out. My mother had disappeared in the flames. Nothing remained of her."
"Fuck," I heard Willow mutter.
James still looked unconvinced, and deflected.
"…You said your mother was kidnapped?"
Willow inhaled sharply. She immediately understood why James asked that.
"Yeah. I… it wouldn't make sense otherwise. He could have killed her immediately, but instead just knocked her out. The police also considered it a kidnapping after investigating, and have issued a MEPA. And why–"
"What's a MEPA?" Willow interrupted me suddenly.
"Missing and endangered person advisory. It's a way of notifying the whole country with the necessary details that my mother's missing and how to contact law enforcement with any information. It also helps law enforcement coordinate between different states."
Willow nodded in understanding. She was… well I had to keep talking regardless.
"…Next to my mother, there's also the question of why he kept me alive… Why he keeps tormenting me? It… it only makes sense if he has my mother somewhere, and that sadistic fuck is trying to break her spirit. …And his methods, it's almost ritualistic. He poured beer over her, blew up her house, the explosion originating from her room, and… the second time he attacked me, he overwhelmed my superspeed by teleporting. I was protecting Ken and Elise too, who he was attacking instead of me. He got me with two precision strikes to my leg in the same spot, breaking my shinbone. He disappeared after that…"
James was taking a glance at Ken, who had started shaking a bit since I got to this part of the story. But he quickly looked me in the eye again.
"You're leg's not broken."
"William has a healing power. If he does the treatment correctly, you get instantly healed. At least… that's how I deduced how it works. WWilliam is just a clinic doctor now, so he can't perform major operations like those in a hospital, but my shin was broken cleanly, so we estimated that a cast would suffice, which it did."
James's eyebrows went up.
"What?" I asked.
"Did he attack William because of that?"
"…Fuck! He's right handed! That… That might have–"
"Calm down. Perhaps the hospital has someone with healing powers too."
"I… yes. Father mentioned on the phone that he has somewhere with him that can heal me too. That sort of power might not be so rare. …Thanks."
"Sure, but continue."
"Yeah. So… during that second fight, he… my mother had a plant she was fond of. I'm staying with Elise and William at the moment. Right after she was kidnapped and I got out of police interrogation, before he blew up my house, I was allowed to take the things I needed from there. I took that plant with me too, mostly for my own consolation, and to take care of it in her stead until she returns. Anyway, during the fight, he broke that too. Don't ask me why…"
The car fell silent for a moment. Before I could talk more, I heard Willow again.
"Shit, maybe I should have abandoned you?"
My head snapped to her. She immediately stiffened and corrected herself.
"Sorry, I'm joking. It was a bad joke. …Ah, kut. Why did I… I'm so sorry…"
I exhaled in relief. God, she scared me for a moment. I thought she couldn't take it anymore.
"Don't worry. I'm sure Jack has a plan. He's not someone to recklessly put people in danger," James reassured her.
"I know. That's why I… Sorry Jack, it's…"
"You're scared and nervous. I get it."
"I… yeah…," she answered me meekly with a guilty look on her face.
"Well, it's good that you haven't gone back to your country yet. You could use some comedy lessons first."
"…*Pfft*. Well… if you can joke around like that, it seems I have nothing to worry about."
She had regained a grin on her face. I got serious again and continued talking while looking at James.
"I know it sounds overwhelming, but we're not without options. …Let me first tell you what I tried to do after everything happened. …The first thing was that the police got involved… shortly after it happened. Father used his connections because he wanted to bring my mother and me safely back to him soon after the Whiteout, but when the officers arrived at my house… it was already too late…"
I let the silence hang, feigned realizing something, then asked James.
"That reminds me. I called Jane too amid all the mess. She told me that Father had arranged something to get you back to him too?"
I saw his eyes sharpen at the unexpected question. He took a second before answering.
"He sent you, right?"
"No, it was before father asked me. I called Jane last night, after I saw the news about Philadelphia and couldn't get in contact with you."
"…Jane picked up and talked to you?"
"Yeah… she… didn't sound well. But that gripe comes later. Did you know about any arrangements?"
"…No. I know nothing."
"He didn't contact you to get out of there? Contact you at all?"
"He did, yesterday afternoon, asking Willow and me to come back to him. But I was already arranging the assembly, so he let me be."
His eyes had shifted to Willow's briefly during saying that. I looked at her. She gave me a nod. She had overheard that conversation. What James said was true.
"So you know nothing about him arranging something for you or Willow? Even behind your backs?" I continued asking him.
"No. And why are you asking this? What does this have to do with anything?"He asked, now with a small undertone of agitation toward me.
"…It's important. I'm trying to figure out when my father realized that the whole family's in danger."
"Wh-what!?"
James froze. Ah, crap.
"Eyes on the road!"
"Tch!"
James regained his focus and paid attention to driving again.
"Explain yourself," he demanded, boring his gaze into me again from the mirror.
"Yes… damn this complicated mess. You noticed on the phone, right, that he wants everyone back to him. Me too, he wants me to abandon my mother."
James's eyes went wide. He fell silent.
"Why?" Willow asked me instead of him.
"…Probably a calculated risk. You heard on the phone that there are other people there, right? All bodyguards, Jane said too that he was having a lot of people over. He thinks we're safest with him. My mother be damned… and me too if I remain stubborn."
"That's not true," James said seriously.
I didn't answer him, but Willow, who was taking it all in with a defeated smile.
"Sadly, my mother and I are the black sheep of the family. Me, a bastard child, who chose to abandon the family and live permanently with my mother, who I was only allowed to occasionally visit if I had been a good boy and endured all the abuse he threw at me and her."
Her eyes went wide, overwhelmed by that revelation. And James's eyes went wide too, but his shone with the color of denial.
"Stop spewing those lies! He never laid a hand on your mother! And you… I know it was difficult, but he made you strong, competent! And because you didn't appreciate it, you ruined even their love for each other!"
"Wh… WHAT!? IS THAT WHAT THAT BASTARD TOLD YOU! IT WAS HIM THAT RUINED EVERYTHING! HAVE YOU ANY IDEA WHAT A WRECK HE LEFT MY MOTHER IN TWO YEARS AGO FOR ME EVEN DARING TO GO AGAINST HIM!"
"Yeah, sure! Keep telling yourself that!"
"DON'T BELIEVE ME! THEN LOOK BESIDE YOU!"
James' head snapped to the side, and all his anger froze immediately.
Because Ken was staring at him. Absolutely livid.
"What the fuck do you know, huh! How dare you! His mother was an absolute wreck! Jack had to take care of her every single day!"
"Wh… oh yeah! Easy for you to say, being his friend and all!"
"I was fucking there! I saw it all! And where were you!"
"Kgh!"
"Yeah, can't answer that, huh!"
James's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.
…I had to intervene, before my brother completely lost it.
"Ken, stop it. He… he couldn't have even if he wanted to. Father didn't allow it."
"But–"
"Thanks for getting angry with me. But… this isn't getting us nowhere. My brother and I can talk about our grievances later. My mother's still kidnapped and everyone in my family is still in danger. We must prioritize that now."
Ken looked me in the eye… and slowly calmed down before looking forward again.
I then looked James in the eye again. He still looked angry, but nevertheless, I spoke my heart out to him.
"I know we both have our differences about father, but let me say that I never once in my life have had any grievances towards you and Jane. My… my only regret with leaving that house is that I couldn't see you, Jane…, even your mother, again. I know it has been a few years… but I always wanted to rekindle the relationship between us siblings. Is… is that… something we can talk about later, when this is all over?"
We stared at each for a moment.
Then, he exhaled.
I saw my brother's eyes soften again.
Thank god, he still cared about me.
"Of course. I… apologize for getting angry. We can talk about it later, but you're right that we have something more important to discuss now."
I gave my brother a relieved smile and a nod. But before I continued with that, I looked into the brown eyes of the last person remaining. Willow had an expression like her whole previous worldview was shattered.
"Sorry, this must have come as quite a shock to you. Can we continue, or do you want to ask something first?"
"…I know things are complicated in your family, so I won't ask now. But…, it's just…, you're mother… two years… that's when she suddenly stopped acting."
"…You really are a fan."
"…I am. That wasn't a joke."
"Thanks. I'm sure she'll give you an autograph for helping me and her out."
"…"
She stayed silent. Wow, she really is a massive fangirl.
Well… who in the world wasn't a fan, might be a better question.
…Father.
No! Stay calm.
…I'm sure I can tell her.
"It's alcohol addiction. She's still not completely recovered, but she has made leaps and bounds. I expect she'll even take up acting again soon. So… let's get her back, okay?"
Willow looked me in the eyes. She was surprised… and also appreciative.
Then I saw the determination return in them.
"Thank you for telling me. And yes, we will get her back, so continue talking."
I gave a determined nod and reassuring smile as an answer, then shifted my gaze to James again before continuing.
"As I said…, I wanted to know what father knows, and I'm pretty sure now that he knows everything, especially since I have now also subtly spelled it out during the phone conversation. He's aware of the circumstances through his police connections, so he had already figured out he's being spied on too. That's why he probably let you be here and didn't push your return. The shadow guy is still playing with us, but if he figures out that we're onto him, he'll switch to killing us all. And with his power, no amount of bodyguards can stop him if he stuns everyone in terror, although father may have someone who could counteract that to protect himself and us over there, seeming why he's so confident …But as for taking the offensive, even father seems to not be able to do anything directly, so that might be why he's now counting on us as a backup plan. Does that make sense to you? Because if so, he might have arranged something for you in advance over in Philadelphia to be able to help me out. Is there anything at all that comes to mind, or anything you found suspicious that father could have arranged before that riot happened?"
"…You're making a lot of assumptions. And no, there's nothing suspicious."
"They're not assumptions, I have more evidence."
His eye shifted from the road to the mirror.
"But first… I wanted to ask, you're assembly, there was police present there. Who organized it?"
James sharpened his gaze again at me.
"…You think father did that."
"Do you?"
"I don't know."
"…I called you immediately after I saw the news about the police opening fire and the city turning into a riot. You couldn't pick up because I now know that the phones were jammed in the area around your building…"
I fell silent again and changed my reaction slowly as if in thought. James noticed, but kept a well-trained poker face, while studying me.
…I couldn't read what I wanted out of it, so Willow for sure couldn't either. This wasn't the moment to confront him then, so I asked something to dispel his suspicion again.
"Hey, to clarify, phones weren't the only things that were jammed, right? You didn't know about my mother, so was it the television too? More than that?"
James took a moment to think, but Willow answered before him.
"The television didn't work, neither did the radio. Nobody's phones were working either in regards to the internet or calling, but electricity did work, we could turn the lights on and the microwave worked…"
Wait, this might be a chance after all.
"So only communication technology didn't work?
"Yeah… yeah that makes sense."
"But it was back online once we got rid of those guys. And I tried calling James again before entering that building to try and coordinate, but it was just static…"
I feigned falling in thought again while keeping my fist ready to knock James out. Fill in the blanks Willow… please…
The gears in her head turned, and then she drew a conclusion.
"You think one of those had a power that didn't let us communicate?"
Damn it, wrong conclusion. But her thoughts were at least there, the realization could come later.
"Yeah I thought so too, but what I'm wondering about now is that if everything was jammed, how could the president know what's happening here and prepare to send troops?"
"Oh…, yeah you make a good point there…"
Willow immediately looked at James… instead of thinking on her own. Was… was she so dependent on him? That… that wasn't good.
James, of course, immediately took over for her to steer everything again and responded to me.
"You're overthinking again. Who knows how large the area of the jamming was, and some people surely were able to flee the city and inform everyone on what's happening, especially the airport."
A perfect logical lie, since it was true on how the president likely discovered this, let alone that the news had picked it up. So I backed down immediately to avoid digging myself deeper.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"...Jack, keep your focus on informing us. You keep getting distracted."
"...Sorry. I'm a bit tired, but you're right. …Anyway, um… right, I called father because I was worried about you. He didn't pick up either. I think he already knew then that he was being spied on too. Then I called Jane, who picked up despite being ordered like you to not be in contact with me, and she told me that her mother had told her that father had arranged something for you. …You see the connections too, right? He used Jane to communicate to me to circumvent the spying, and he used the police to try and get me back to him. And there were police present with you too.
"…You're still grasping at straws. Why does this matter anyway?"
"Because father contacted me only this afternoon to immediately go get you, despite apparently having arranged something previously. And sending me specifically, despite that shadow stalking me, I was wondering if that shadow also had something to do with your assembly ending that way."
James froze. Willow gasped. Ken stayed stoic… hiding his discomfort to all the lies and twisting truths I was spewing out.
"How did the violence start? The news said the police started shooting on the students. You said it was because tensions had risen. You were there. What exactly happened? Who attacked first? Did you see the shadow appear there? Did you sense yourself being stunned by fear? Did–"
"Hey, stop with the rapid fire questions and let me answer. No, there was no shadow there. It started when some students disagreed with each other so much that it turned violent. The police intervened then, but the violence turned on them. So they started shooting. Then the violence escalated, leading to the riot."
"…Okay. Then why did those guys attack the building you lived in?"
"This again! I already told you that it was just a random attack!"
"…That's what you say. Or that the person who has a vendetta against the family had send them there after you."
"You're overthinking it. If that's the case, he could have just sent that shadow after me."
"…Maybe that sadistic fuck was there in person during your assembly, orchestrated things so the police that my father had there to keep you safe and bring you back to him were disposed off together with you. But since you got away, he sent those guys into the building once you got away to finish the job. Maybe back then he still thought that we hadn't realized we're being spied on, and wanted to keep his presence hidden."
"…That can't be it."
"Why are you so sure about that?"
"Why are you sure!"
"Well, I would have been sure if you hadn't killed everyone and left some for me to interrogate."
*Gasp!*
I turned my head toward Willow, who stared at me with visible shock.
Did she finally! No, stay calm. I had to stay focused to knock James out if needed.
"Is… is that why?"
"…Why what?"
"You… kept them alive?"
…Damn it. Even after I had literally spelled it out, she still trusted James too much. Even after all those hints of mine and his bumbling.
…Was she not actively thinking now? …Best to make her paranoid then.
"…Yes. Sorry for leading you around the nose, but we were being spied on. I left those guys upstairs alive to interrogate them, and those guys downstairs were just a coincidence. The plan was to shoot them down, and the elevator trap…, if I left everyone alive, he'd grow suspicious. But with the rocks to their head you can't immediately tell how lethal it is. And that gunshot to one guy's leg… I did need to make some noise so those guys downstairs would notice. Although… it's still true that I also didn't really want to kill any…one?"
…Huh?
Wh-what's with that look in her eyes? Why is she… intrigued?
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm just figuring out… so you did everything like that and asked all those questions to us… to see if that guy was involved in all that?"
"…Yes. I have to assume all possibilities and always assume I'm being spied on. So… father contacted me himself and sent me there specifically too, despite knowing I was being spied on, instead of secretly sending a servant. That also added to my suspicion."
"And… so… and you made me leave that clone behind–"
"Yes, in case that guy came back to clean up. But… well… I'm still suspicious of course about the whole circumstances, I have to be… But… if you think otherwise or if you can't manage that clone, don't worry about it."
"No, I can manage. But… wow, just… wow…"
…I didn't understand. Why did she suddenly have so much admiration for me?
"Are… aren't you scared or angry at me?"
…She blinked a few times. Confused.
"Why? I'm glad you're so competent."
She looked at James with a questioning look.
"Yeah, he had me fooled too. I hadn't realized he's gotten so good at acting. Well… he's been living with his mother now for a few years, after all. …Maybe that's why father…"
What… what's happening here? Why did James have some admiration in his voice?
Willow looked at Ken next, who was looked… vindicated?"
"Did you know too?"
"…That he's a manipulative bastard. Yes, I was surprised too."
Okay, I was completely lost.
"Hey, I don't understand what's happening here."
Willow looked at me again, with surprise in her eyes.
"What don't you understand?"
"Well… that I've been manipulating you all and that everyone seems fine with it?"
"…But you did it to save us and because you want to save your mother."
"Yes, but still…"
Willow couldn't understand what I was getting at, so she shot a questioning look at James again, who let out an audible sigh.
"That vegetarian is a goody-two-shoes."
Then, I saw something click in Willow once she heard my brother say that. And she looked at me again, but seriously and with a devilish grin.
"Oh, now I see. That's why you stumble so much with your girlfriend."
Now I started to blink rapidly.
"Wh-what can you possibly know about that?"
"Well, isn't that… Okay listen. Does Elise know about what you really can do?"
"…Yes."
"When?"
"R-recently."
"And how did she react?"
"…She said she'll never be friends with me again if I keep lying to her."
"Oh… okay. I see why you love her, but when she discovered it, was that when she fell in love with you too?"
"…No. She was already in love with me before that…"
"But she loved you even more after that, right?"
"…Yes… somehow…"
"And she's the one that confessed shortly afterwards?"
"How? …Yes, she did. But–"
"So why does Elise love you?"
"…Because she thinks I'm a good person."
"And…"
"I… I don't…"
"Seriously?"
"What then!?"
"Because you're also so competent you make her heart race."
"…I don't believe that."
"What! I could literally hear her gushing about how amazing you are over the phone! If she thought you were a lily-livered doormat who couldn't even keep her safe, she'd never have given you the time of day."
"…You're joking, right?"
I looked around the car. James… Ken…
Everybody was serious.
Unbelievable. I didn't… Were they all stupid!?
"Look, you better talk to that girlfriend of yours about this. And absolutely don't hold back on account of us. You need to give everything you have to save your mother, okay? Promise me."
I looked Willow in the eye. She was dead serious too.
…I'm so done with this.
"Fine, fine okay. Not like I'm holding back with you lot."
"…Girlfriend too. Grow some balls around her."
"Fine! I'll talk to her about this too! Happy now!?"
"…You better. Poor Elise."
God my head hurts. They didn''t understand at all what I'm really like, what Elise is like.
…What I had done to her in the past.
I… it was just rumors. But because of me… she was almost… I never wanted…
I had managed to save her from my mistakes. I managed to get through to her about her body when she was at her most vulnerable. It all ended well.
But if I never noticed… if I failed… if those guys…
She might have killed herself.
How could I ever forgive myself?
…Why had she forgiven me?
I… I'd have to talk about it with her, at least. I… I guess I tried to ignore it… but I feel like I have to know now too, about what she really thinks of my… despicable qualities, and what I had done to her.
…Not now. I… we've been derailed again, and this time I didn't do it deliberately. We need to get back on topic again.
"Philadelphia and my… relationship aside, to get back on track, the shadow. Father and I can't communicate directly, but he has been using the police to find the culprit too, and… like me… I believe we both have the same lead."
"James instantly focused on me."
"What? You have a lead? Why didn't you start with that then? What about all the Philadelphia stuff you keep going on about?"
"Because it's only a lead. The most likely possibility. I can't close off any other options. And this lead… this person… it's serious."
"Well, who is it?"
"When I first moved here, my mother almost immediately gained a stalker."
James's eyebrows shot up. This was a revelation for him.
"Father never told you?"
"…No."
"And… also that he let me change my surname?"
"Wh-what!? You changed your surname!?"
With that look this was perhaps the most shocking thing that zealot James had heard from me today.
…I should probably stop grinning.
"I'm officially Jack Rowan now by the way. Nice to meet you."
"Wh-why!?"
"To protect my mother and father from scandals of course. If a Marwood or Sporo went to public school, people would take notice and maybe put two and two together."
"Why didn't you stay homeschooled then!? F-father allowed you..."
"Mother wasn't able to oversee my education. I thought it would be better to attend, and father agreed too when I insisted on it, with me also arguing the surname change. Also… I just wanted to."
"Why would he… I don't understand. What's there to possibly learn there? You… with what you already knew, with a bit more effort you could get a perfect score on the SAT if you wanted!"
"…You know, I had never interacted with someone my age before I went to school. I wanted to experience some normalcy, and my mother found it a good idea too. I'm glad I did, I met Elise and Ken there after all. …It was fun."
"…"
James fell silent. Ken let out a sigh as if to say, 'So it's really true, then.' And Willow… I felt her gaze bore into the side of my face. I didn't dare look. If she was grinning the way I expected, she'd probably tease me about having a fake name like hers.
Better continue quickly before she makes a comment.
"Anyway, my mother and I lived in a small old house. She didn't leave nor make contact with anyone. I did all the necessary outdoor activities like shopping and such. So… you see the problem. How could she have a stalker?"
"…Well?" James asked.
"It's someone important. Someone who could discover where she had moved. Someone who has leverage on father, and likely a… romantic vendetta against him."
"…You've got to be kidding me," James muttered.
Well, at least we now know why Jack thought you had a vindictive woman after you, James," Willow said with a chipper tone.
Oh god, she really was in a teasing mood again.
"Shut up, this is serious. You'd better have more than that," James said to defuse his girlfriend while his eyes penetrated mine again.
"Yeah, I first tried to get the police involved, but they wouldn't budge due to lack of evidence. So… then I got my father involved again, and the stalker got arrested, but let go again. I never saw him again, but there were permanent officers patrolling in my neighbourhood. We couldn't even get a restraining order against him. You see what I'm getting at, right?"
"…Father couldn't get him behind bars."
"Additionally, the police told me his name is Edward Sharp, but he's unfindable online. It's likely a fake name, so the police using a fake name for him and my father can't legally do anything against him, even needing officers to permanently keep an eye out. That stalker's no joke. Maybe he's even more important than father, and has the police more in his pocket than him. Notice that father sent a servant towards us, and not officers. …At that assembly, the officers didn't shoot at you, right?"
"…Huh? Why are–"
"Answer, I just thought of something."
"…No, they didn't."
"Willow said you were covered in blood."
"…People died around me. …It was a mess."
…His gaze deepened. Willow was looking sympathetic at him.
No suspicion.
Still not enough. I had to be more forceful then.
"…Okay, no I'm overthinking it. I'm sorry."
I waited a moment for James to regain his composure, and then he spoke again.
"That the guy was important, sure, but why do you think he's after father too, not only after your mother?"
He hadn't commented on me randomly bringing up Philadelphia again. He really wanted to avoid the topic.
"…If he's only after my mother, why be after me too, then? And father is protecting himself and obviously fears for us too, seeing as he wants us with him as soon as possible. There's also… he kidnapped her, maybe… he's using my mother as leverage, or to get dirt on father. And… he's tormenting me to get my mother to break…"
"Hey, don't think negative thoughts. Focus," James said sharply.
"Ye-yeah. …Also, him being important. He poured beer over her. He knew mother had become alcoholic, likely discovered it in the month before we moved to New Freedom. So…, he was close, and moved with us to that town where she would be more isolated. Meaning… he knew the family circumstances. He was influential enough to keep an eye out like that and just casually move too, and already influence police on arrival. He was waiting for an opportunity to strike and get at my father, is what I think. I discovered the stalking, so that was what saved her the first time, but he immediately went for her too after the Whiteout just happened. Immediately. The flash had just passed before my eyes when that shadow appeared in my living room."
"…Crap, That's…
"…And father…, the police got involved now too. And that Edward got interrogated again almost immediately, likely on father's orders, but was also immediately let go. …I said on the phone that he retaliated because father got the police involved. He blew up my house shortly after the interrogation, when I got back to it the second time for reasons. …He started the explosion from my mother's bedroom, likely with that flame-related ability, just to add the personal touch. The officers were still investigating inside, gathering evidence, although they had been through everything already and were nearly wrapping up. So I think it was also revenge against them for daring to arrest him. The officers… Luckily, I got them out. But anyway, when–"
"Wait, hang on, what was that?" Willow interrupted unexpectedly.
"…What?"
"You got them out?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Your house exploded, and you… what exactly happened?"
"…It was about to cave in, but nobody was fleeing out. So I rushed in with my speed, and inside, everyone was stunned because an officer was pinned under a heavy bookcase. I lifted it with my power and everyone got out safely, and that officer is now recovering in a hospital…"
…Oh no, what was that look she was giving me now?
"Why did you rush into that burning building?"
"…I saw that I had time… and my body… moved on it's own…"
Willow blinked a few times.
"My god, you really are a hero. You told Elise about this?"
"She… she was there too."
"What! How did she react!"
"Sh-she asked the same thing as you, why I had rushed in."
"And when you explained it to her, she didn't immediately drop her pants!?"
"WH-WHAT!"
My expression broke. Willow started clutching her belly immediately when she saw.
"HAHAHA, oh god, you two really are fun, hahaha!"
She kept laughing… and laughing…
I looked at my brother for help. He just shook his head.
Ken was making himself as small as possible.
I looked back at Willow, she was still laughing.
…I felt a bit pissed off.
"Hey, that you think it's funny is fine, but Elise still has some issues about how she looks, so you better not go poking at old wounds."
Willow's laughter quickly quieted after she heard the edge in my voice, but she was still smirking. Instead of responding to me, she pivoted to Ken."
"Is that true?"
I saw him stiffen a bit and mentally prepare himself to respond.
"…Well, it's complicated. I'm sure you'll be surprised when you meet her."
"Oh, now I'm really intrigued. Must have been hard for you to watch them?"
"Yeah, although they're really made for each other. I ship them."
"Hahaha that's a good one! Now I really want to meet her!"
…I've had enough of this.
"If you've had your fun, can we get back on topic?"
Willow looked back at me, still amused.
"I'm sure Elise is not nearly as fragile as you think."
"…I'm serious."
"Alright, alright. I'll be careful and won't say anything she can't handle. …I promise."
She looked me straight in the eye. Well, she seemed to hold promises in high regard.
…I'm so tired. Just a bit more.
I looked at James again. With our eyes meeting, I continued.
"To go on from where I left off. Before he blew up my house, I named that stalker a suspect to the police. Only then did the police say he had an alibi. You know father and the police are not that stupid. That Edward has the police in his pocket in that town, more so than father."
James thought for a moment before responding.
"…Okay, but… why stalk her himself if he's so important? Why not just hire someone to kidnap her."
"You're right. That's where I think the romantic vendetta comes in. His behavior… he wants to do it himself. He keeps tormenting me, my father's child. He's playing with me, and probably also with father from what I understand from his behavior. Maybe he's trying to prove to my mother that he's superior to father. He wants my mother to choose him over father."
James fell silent. He was thinking it through, but obviously not convinced yet.
"And lastly, there's something that really convinced me that he's after the family. He's trying to frame father through the legal system. So another power play to make himself look superior in my mother's eyes, now through my father's field of expertise."
That grabbed James's attention again. He looked at me seriously as I grabbed the phone out of my pocket with my unbroken left hand. I searched online as I spoke.
"I know what the Edward guy looks like… I saw his appearance when he first started stalking. Middle-aged, caucasian, slim, average height, bald, brown beard, medium nose, smaller lips, brown goatee, broad chin, brown eyes… Identifying him myself won't be the issue. But… the shadow… I didn't realize it at first, when they had me draw the police sketch,only afterward did I realize it when it appeared in front of me again. So… Willow, take a look."
I handed her my phone. It was on a site where information about my mother's MEPA was found.
All the details the police knew were there. What happened during the kidnapping. The shadow's power, what the police knew about it.
And details about its appearance and physical characteristics, like estimated height, musculature and shoe size.
There was a picture there too. The police sketch that was drawn.
Willow saw it.
She immediately froze.
And then she didn't say that it looked like my father.
Appearance wise, the apple didn't fall far from the tree.
Her eyes shot towards James, also the spitting image of the sketch.
She gasped.
Her eyes shot with even more shock towards me.
Because I had already drawn my gun on James's head.
"STOP THE FUCKING CAR!"