Chapter 7 - Imprisoned
Lexi woke up first. A muscular arm was wrapped around her middle, and her back was pressed up against a warm body. She carefully loosened the arm and turned on her other side to face him. The day was a bit of a blur to her, but now she knew this memory was real. Denzel had carried her up to her bed, and he had stayed.
His wavy hair was so long now that it halfway covered his eyes. Lexi smiled slightly and brushed it to the side. She loved his eyes. She wanted to be able to see them when they opened. He was breathing deeply, but quietly. He wasn't a snorer. Good to know. She must have still been half asleep, or she never would have found the courage to touch his lips, running over them gently with her fingertips. They were as soft as they had been in her dreams.
Denzel's eyes fluttered and opened. He blinked several times before focusing on her. "Hey," she said softly.
He smiled. "Hey."
"Hi," said another voice.
Denzel jumped, almost falling out of bed as he flipped to his other side. Bethany was perched on her own bed, watching them lazily. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said with a sarcastic drawl. "But just so you know, it's time for evening workgroup." She stood up and left the room, closing the door loudly behind her.
Denzel sat up and put his feet on the floor. Lexi immediately missed his warmth, pulling in her own arms to wrap around her body. He turned to the side and looked down at her with concern. "Are you ok, Lex? Were you down in the exam room all day?"
Lexi rubbed her eyes, trying to remember. "It's hard to tell, but I think so. Chuck got really excited when he had it at the lower frequencies, because that's where all the…feel-good ability came out," she said, still unsure what to call that thing she could do. "But when we got to the higher numbers, it turned to the bad kind."
"Waves," Denzel said.
"What?"
"They looked like radio waves or maybe light waves."
"Really?" Lexi furrowed her brow. "I couldn't see them."
Denzel nodded. "He did that procedure with me last week, and ever since then, I've been able to see things that I couldn't see before. The bad waves were sharp and dark red. When I got the frequency turned down, they changed to a nice light purple color. They were smooth and flowing, and they pushed away the bad feelings."
Lexi felt guilty, remembering how she'd been helpless to do anything to stop the destructive waves or help Chuck and Tseng, who had lain on the floor in agony for hours. That must have been how her mother had felt as she watched the flames creeping closer to her body, the unbearable heat scorching her skin and hair. Lexi shuddered violently.
Denzel put a hand on her arm. "Hey, are you ok?"
Lexi closed her eyes. "Yeah. Just thinking about how my mom must have felt…"
He stroked her hair softly. "It's not your fault, Lex. You know that, right?"
Lexi rolled over, facing the wall. "You should go to evening workgroup. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."
Denzel hesitated. "Lexi…I can stay. I mean, if you need to talk..."
She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. "I just want to be alone right now," she said, pulling her knees up.
"Lexi—"
"Please just go," she spoke over him. "Please, Denzel. Please."
He stood up slowly. "Ok. But I'm coming back after workgroup to check on you. Just try and get some rest."
Lexi didn't answer. She faced the wall with her eyes tightly shut. She waited until she heard the door softly closing before she let out the sob she'd been holding in.
Cloud sat in the garage at Seventh Heaven, working up the nerve to walk inside. It was evening, so the bar was busy and loud, and Tifa likely didn't know he was home yet. He had a few minutes to get ready. But a few minutes turned into 30, and then into an hour. After all this time, all his brooding, he would have thought that he could come up with something to say to her, but he still had no idea. He had no excuse for losing control. He didn't have a good answer for why he wouldn't step foot in Hubble House ever again. Finally, he forced himself to leave Fenrir behind and walk in through the kitchen door. He would just have to wing it like usual. For all his ability to strategize when it came to an impending attack or defense, he never could figure out how to talk to someone, especially when the conversation mattered as much as this.
Thankfully, the kitchen was empty. Cloud wondered if he could find some liquid courage back here before she confronted him, but he never got the chance. The swinging door from the bar opened and Tifa walked in, talking over her shoulder and laughing at something that someone in the bar had said. As soon as she turned to face the kitchen, the smile froze on her face.
She didn't say anything immediately. She set down her tray and the empty pitchers she had been carrying while he stood there, looking anywhere but her eyes. "Cloud? I thought…you'd call me back."
He shrugged, still not looking at her. "I thought we should talk in person." Honestly, it hadn't even occurred to him to return the phone call. She'd said to come home, so he came home.
Tifa didn't seem to know what to make of his appearance. Her eyes scanned his clothes, covered with a week's worth of grime and monster guts. She took in his haggard face, his red eyes, his obvious lack of hygiene. She bit her lip, looking pained. "Where…have you been?"
He studied the patterns on the floor. "Around."
"Around somewhere without a shower?" she asked gingerly.
"Yeah." He left it at that.
"Ok. Umm, why don't you go get some clean clothes and a shower? We can talk after that." She spoke so gently, like she was afraid he would crumble to ash if she shook him too hard. Did he really look that bad?
Cloud scratched his head, realizing for the first time that his hair was practically stiff. He grimaced. "Ok."
Tifa didn't move as he walked past her to the stairs. She was chewing on her bottom lip – something she always did when she was trying to decide whether or not to say something. She must have decided against it, because he proceeded up the stairs in silence. He stopped in the bedroom to grab some clean clothes and then went straight to the bathroom.
The spectacle in the mirror was appalling. He hadn't really seen a hint of his reflection for over a week, but now he could see why Tifa was tiptoeing around him. He really did look awful. He sighed and began unzipping his shirt, looking down at the raw skin revealed by the slow movement of the zipper.
The door opened behind him, and he yanked the zipper back up before turning around. "Tifa—"
She attempted to smile. "Are you shy all the sudden?" When he didn't answer, the pathetic excuse for a smile disappeared. "I was just going to tell you to lock the door. Alicia is here."
"Wait, what?"
"I'll explain when you get out." She looked down and pulled the door shut.
Cloud locked the door behind her. Why in the world would Alicia be here? Denzel wasn't even here anymore, and it was way past the time Tifa held classes.
It was nice to have an excuse to lock the door, anyway. He and Tifa were long past the point of bothering to knock when the other was in the bathroom, and he didn't want her walking in again. He didn't know how she would react if she saw what he'd done to himself, but it wouldn't be good. There were some things even Tifa didn't need to know.
Pushing away the guilt from that thought, Cloud turned on the shower and stripped quickly, trying not to gag at the foul smell. He would probably have to burn his clothes.
He got into the shower and faced into the spray, watching the rust colored water swirl down the drain. With a bar of soap, he began rubbing his skin down, intensifying the stinging of the cuts, reddening the tint of the water. He let his breath out between his teeth, feeling more alive with the pain. It was a long time before the water ran clear.
Cloud finally emerged from the bathroom looking more or less like himself, clean-shaven and clean-smelling, in a t-shirt and soft pajama pants.
Tifa was waiting for him in the bedroom. She sat on the bed with her legs crisscrossed in front of her, a book propped up in her lap, but she had been on the same page since she had opened it half an hour earlier. Yuffie had been put in charge of the bar for the rest of the night, because Tifa had been shaken to the core when she saw him in the kitchen. How could he have fallen so far in such a short time?
But when he cautiously opened the door, she was relieved to see that most of the horror of his appearance had been just surface grime. He had definitely lost weight and looked like he hadn't been sleeping well, but at least he wouldn't scare the kids if they saw him.
He closed the door softly behind him, making no move to approach the bed. Even cleaned up and looking like the Cloud she knew, she felt like she was watching a stranger. "Cloud," she said softly, patting the bed. "I'm not going to bite. Sit down."
He looked up with something unfamiliar shining in his eyes, but he approached the bed and sat down at the foot. "I shouldn't have come back," he said suddenly. "It feels wrong here."
Hurt tainted Tifa's expression. "You belong here. Why would it feel wrong?"
Cloud furrowed his brow. "I don't know, but it does. Maybe it's Alicia. I always get such a bad feeling around her…"
Tifa really wanted to keep this civil, but this wasn't setting the right tone for the conversation. "Cloud, the poor girl has been held hostage and abused! How can you even—"
"Wait, what?" The dullness clouding his eyes dissipated. "Tell me what happened," Cloud demanded, moving closer to her on the bed.
So Tifa told him the story – about Alicia being pulled from school, about the overheard conversation between the girl and her mother, and about the rescue and the things she suspected.
Cloud was up and pacing in agitation. "Damn it. Damn it! I knew there was something off about that guy. I should've looked deeper. I should have made her tell me. I should have—"
"You couldn't have known, Cloud," Tifa said soothingly. "It sounds like it was going on for a really long time and no one knew."
He grimaced and looked over at her. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
Tifa realized the moment the words left her mouth that it was the wrong thing to say. Was it ok for two young men to be stuck in a lab for years because no one dug deep enough? Because everyone accepted the easy explanation? "Maybe not," she quickly amended. "But she's out now."
Cloud sat back down on the bed and sighed, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. "Yeah, I guess so. She's staying here?"
"Until we figure out something else. She's…sleeping in Denzel's room."
Cloud looked up quickly, his eyes flickering like he wanted to say something, but he moved on. "How is she?"
Tifa looked down and fidgeted with the wolf ring on her finger. "She seemed ok last night, but…who knows. She was probably still reeling."
He nodded grimly. "And Ricky?" He said his name like he was a particularly disgusting insect.
When she looked up, it was with the hardened eyes of the fighter that hid underneath the domesticated mother figure. "I roughed him up a bit. Marlene left him with an anonymous gift of poison. But he's still home."
His expression darkened, but a soft knocking drew both of their gazes to the door. "Come in," Tifa said after a moment's hesitation.
The door creaked open, and the brown, sleep-blurred eyes of a 14-year-old peeked in hopefully. Seeing Cloud sitting at the foot of the bed, Marlene's face split into a smile and she flung open the door, running into the room and throwing herself at him. He flinched as she made contact, but covered it with a startled laugh. She was too big to be crawling on his lap anymore, but he didn't seem to mind. "I thought I heard your voice!" she said enthusiastically. "Now you guys can actually talk and—" The smile melted from her face as she appraised Cloud critically. "When did you get so skinny? Are you incapable of feeding yourself without Tifa there to cook for you?"
Cloud looked down, all traces of humor gone. "I guess so," he said softly.
Marlene stood up and put her hands on her hips, looking at them both sternly. In her flowery pink nightgown and half-childish body, it should have been comical, but they both wilted under her scolding. "See, Tifa? He needs you as much as you need him. Now you both need to just be honest and deal with whatever is bothering you. You're the most communication-impaired people I've ever met!"
Silence met her startling pronouncement. When he'd first met her as a little girl, Cloud had actually laughed at the big words she used. He'd assumed that she was regurgitating something she had heard the adults say without really knowing what they meant, but his opinion changed quickly. Even then, her perceptiveness was astounding, and they had all learned to take it seriously when little Marlene Wallace had something to say.
Cloud and Tifa glanced at each other uneasily. They knew she was right. They had still been avoiding the elephant in the room by talking about Alicia's issues instead. Marlene smiled sweetly, said, "G 'night!" and slipped back out of the room, blissfully unaware of the sudden tension in her wake.
They were both remembering why they were fighting in the first place. Cloud looked like he had sunk back into the depths of wherever he had been over the last week, and Tifa knew she was going to have to start. "Cloud, I—" He felt a million miles away. She sat up on her knees and crawled closer on the bed. "I'm sorry."
He looked up dully. "What?"
Tifa scooted even closer. "You were right. Those things you said in the garage…I put everything on you, and then blamed you when they didn't work out." She looked into his eyes, desperately searching for some kind of reaction – anger or forgiveness or distrust – anything would have been preferable to this blank distance. He didn't even seem to hear her.
She reached out to take his hand, determined. "We should be getting through this together, and I pushed you away." She had often lectured him about this very thing, but this time she had been the one putting walls between them. She looked up and met his eyes. "But that also means that you can't be running away, Cloud. I thought we were past that."
His brows furrowed and he gazed over at the doorway, deep in thought. She let him take his time, working through whatever brooding thoughts were running through his spiky head. Finally, his voice came out, barely more than a whisper. "Tifa…are you afraid of me?"
Tifa let out a breath and sat back on her heels. Now she understood what was troubling him: that moment in the garage where he'd looked like he wanted to hurt her. She hesitated. "Not right now, but…you were a little scary."
He stood and pulled his hand away, pushing it through his spikes. "I wasn't trying to run away from my problems. I was leaving because I didn't trust myself. I was afraid of…what I might do."
Tifa grabbed his wrist and turned him back to face her. "Hey. The fact that you left shows that you were still in control. Right? You banished all the bogeymen. There's no one else in there." She smiled tentatively. It was a bit of a joke between them, meant to make it easier to talk about something that still terrified them both.
Cloud lowered his lashes. There was something he still wasn't telling her. Aerith's words came back to her: 'He's more fragile than he looks.' Yes, he needed her. But he wasn't going to open up when she'd done nothing but push him away for weeks. Why should he?
She scooted a little farther down on the bed and patted the space in front of her. "Sit down." Hesitantly, he sat back down, and she turned his shoulders away so she was facing his back. She began gently kneading his shoulders. They were incredibly tense. He'd probably been sleeping on a hard wooden floor all week. She worked at the muscles with strong hands, and he twitched a bit with every sore spot she found. Leaning forward so her lips brushed against his ear, she whispered, "Relax."
He shivered, and she smiled. She knew how she affected him. Cloud began to relax, bit by bit, as she rubbed away the tension of the last week. Sometimes, when her words couldn't get through, her touch could. She needed him to let his guard down. She moved closer, pressing her lips against the back of his neck, spreading her fingers under the collar of his shirt. But as her finger traced across his collarbone, he jumped up, backing away again.
"What was that?" she asked, frowning. "It felt like a cut."
He put a hand over the place her finger had traced. "A—a capparwire got me."
Tifa smiled in disbelief. "Seriously? How did that happen?" He was far too fast and deadly for a simple capparwire to be able to hit him.
He shrugged, looking away. "I guess I lost my focus."
"Mm." Tifa put her hands behind her, scooting back on the bed. "Can you focus now?" she asked with a teasing smile.
Cloud swallowed and shook his head. "Not right now, Teef."
Her eyes flickered down and back up. "Really?" she asked with a tilt of her head.
He scowled. "Yes, really." He turned around and yanked open the door, leaving her sitting in her little nightie on the bed.
Tifa let herself fall back on her elbows. What was that about? She didn't initiate very often, but when she did, he never turned her down. She rolled onto her side and pulled back the covers, trying not to feel too rejected. For the first time she could remember, her touch hadn't been any more effective than her words. How was she going to get through to him?
Hours later, when he finally came back in, she pretended to be asleep. She was lying on her side, facing away from him. He slid in next to her and pulled her close, sighing into her hair. He had always loved to spoon, and she felt better knowing that he wasn't too angry to cuddle. Still, he was acting so strange. He was still hiding something. That cut had felt deep. Why hadn't he bothered to heal it?
When his breathing became slow and deep, she loosened his death grip around her waist and turned over to face him. Carefully, she pulled back the collar of his shirt, looking for the cut. It was pretty dark in the room, but she should have been able to see something that big. She risked pulling it back just a little farther to let in more light, but there was nothing to see. The skin was unblemished. He must have gone to heal it. Feeling only slightly less troubled, she laid her head down on the pillow and watched him sleep.
Morning broke with a tentative, unspoken truce. They made breakfast together. They hadn't done that in a long time, but they weren't going to slip back into their same, comfortable roles as if the fight had never happened, as if he hadn't left them again.
"The girls will be up soon," Tifa said, flipping over the omelets in the pan. "Would you set the table, please?"
Even their casual conversation was stiffly polite. The kitchen was Tifa's domain. She gave the orders and they were done without question. 'Would you please' only highlighted the unnatural feel of their interaction. Cloud silently brought the plates, glasses, and silverware out to the table at the bar. By the time he returned, Tifa was shoveling the eggs onto a platter, and the sound of the girls' footfalls on the stairs heralded their arrival. Cloud opened the fridge to pull out assorted condiments and beverages as the girls made their appearance.
"Good morning girls," Tifa said cheerfully, handing a couple platters to Cloud. "Good timing. Breakfast is ready."
Alicia smiled shyly. She was dressed in casual-fitting jeans and a t-shirt, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. It was a nice look on her – simple and clean, with the effect of highlighting her natural beauty. She glanced over at Cloud, but he was staring at the floor. Tifa frowned. He could have acted a little welcoming to the poor girl. She had to be feeling awkward and imposing as it was. Tifa waited until the two girls had left the kitchen before turning to scold him.
The words died in her throat. The platters he had been just about to take out to the bar were still in his hands, and he was shaking so hard she was afraid he would drop their breakfast all over the kitchen floor. He managed to set them down without breaking them, but just barely. He gripped the edge of the counter without looking up at her. "I…have to go do something."
"Cloud?" He ignored her and walked out the back door. "Cloud." Tifa resisted the urge to scream. He was keeping secrets and leaving her to take care of everything, like usual. She gritted her teeth and plastered on a smile as she carried the food out to the table.
The three girls sat at the table, eating quietly. The other half of the table looked back at them sadly, set with three other place settings that wouldn't be used. "Is someone else coming to eat with us?" Alicia asked innocently.
Tifa carefully cut a section of her omelet with her fork, trying to steady her voice. "No, it's just the three of us."
"Why did Cloud put out six places?" Marlene asked baldly.
"I guess because it's been six of us at breakfast for so long," Tifa said softly, keeping her eyes on her food. Denzel and Lexi were obviously not coming for breakfast, and Jesse had stopped coming lately, too. "Is Jesse out of town?" she asked Marlene, trying to redirect to a more pleasant conversation.
"Um. No," Marlene said. Her brows furrowed. "He's been at school, but he's avoiding me again. I guess he couldn't stand being around me without Denzel for very long." She tried to hold it back, but the hurt and loneliness strained her voice.
Tifa set down her fork. "Oh, honey, I'm sure that's not it. I can tell Jesse likes you! He's probably just busy, or worried about school or something."
Marlene gave her a dark look. "I'm not six, Tifa. I know what it looks like when someone's avoiding me."
Tifa blinked rapidly, trying to think of something comforting to say, but it was long past the days when she could pacify the little girl with a kiss on an owie. She bit her lip and focused on her food again.
"I'll walk to school with you," Alicia offered, taking a stab at rescuing the meal.
Tifa almost hated herself for what she had to do when she saw the way Marlene's face lit up. "Alicia, I don't know if it's…safe for you to be out right now," she said hesitantly.
"Oh, Tifa, you know that guy is still puking up his guts trying to figure out why he's so sick," Marlene said, rolling her eyes with her usual teenage certainty.
"Please, Tifa?" Alicia asked, her voice so sweet and pleading that Tifa faltered.
"Honey, he might not be—"
"I'll be safe in school, won't I?" she asked earnestly.
"We just don't know," she said, shaking her head. "I need to talk to Cloud—"
"Where is Cloud, anyway?" Marlene demanded.
Tifa glanced back at the kitchen uneasily. "He had to go take care of something, but—"
"What if you give us a ride?" Marlene asked. "You can bring us to school and pick us up after. She'll be fine while she's in the school building, right?"
Two sets of big eyes pleaded with her. The girls could see she was wavering, and they amped up the puppy faces. Tifa finally sighed. "All right. But do not leave the building under any circumstances, got it? And Marlene, I want you to keep an eye on her whenever she's not in class, ok?" Both girls nodded eagerly.
The drive was uneventful and pleasant, and Tifa relaxed a little more once both girls disappeared into the school building. She turned back toward home, wondering what was going on with Cloud. There was so much on her shoulders; she really needed him to not flake out right now. It was almost funny that she'd wanted nothing to do with him while he was there, and now that she had accepted that she needed him, he left again.
Pulling into the lot at Seventh Heaven, she sighed and leaned her head against the back of the seat. She had no idea what to do about Alicia. Cloud would probably be perfectly happy to kill the guy and be done with it, but they didn't need to invite that kind of trouble. Reeve had warned him that he would have to follow the same laws as everyone else now that there was an official police force, and he would have to follow through with it if Cloud did something reckless like kill a person, no matter how inhuman said person may seem.
She pulled the keys out of the ignition and walked through the front door of the bar. It seemed emptier than usual. Lonely. Emptiness and loneliness only made her think, and she didn't want to figure things out by herself anymore. She wanted to talk them through with Cloud, and damn him for not understanding that she needed him.
Behind the counter of Seventh Heaven, she picked up the phone and called his cell. No answer, of course. She tapped her fingers impatiently as she waited for his voicemail to pick up. They were back to this game again. "Cloud, where are you? I thought you were fine and then you just take off like that and…" She sighed. "Please don't do this to me again. Call me."
Tifa slammed down the receiver. The shaking had scared her, but she was even angrier that he had just taken off again. He should have talked to her. He should have told her what was wrong with him. Gods, how many times did they have to go through this before it sunk in?
She had no desire to spend the day brooding, so she kept busy. She cleaned the entire bar from top to bottom, and when everything sparkled, she checked the time. Barely 2:00. She scowled and went into the kitchen. Her eyes landed on the oven. That should eat up a good chunk of time. She was elbow deep in burned-on grime when the phone rang. She peeled off her gloves and ran up front to answer.
"Tifa?"
It was Cloud. Cloud actually made a phone call. Amazing. Tifa scowled, trying not to let the anger bubble up again. "Yes?" she said coldly.
"Can you come out to Zack's cliff?" No preamble, no explanation, just short and to the point.
She rubbed her eyes wearily. "Why?"
"There's something I need to talk to you about."
"So come here and talk."
"No, Tifa. I can't. I just—please, just come to the cliff. It's important."
Tifa shifted her weight and crossed her arms stubbornly. "I have to go pick up the girls from school in a few minutes. I can't go out there right now."
He paused. "The girls? You sent Alicia to school? It's not safe—"
"You know what, Cloud?" she cut him off irritably, "You can have a say in it when you're here to make the decisions. You don't get to take off and then criticize my decisions later."
Cloud took a shaky breath. "Ok. I'll come back to the bar." He hung up without any further indication of ending the call. Tifa scoffed and hung up her end. That meant he was pissed. Well, bring it on. I'm pissed, too.
Tifa picked up her rubber gloves and went back to the oven, scraping at the walls with a vengeance. She still hadn't taken out all her anger by the time she heard the familiar engine in the lot. He didn't park in the garage, so apparently he wasn't planning on staying. Great. That didn't help her mood. She peeled off her gloves and tossed them violently into the sink.
By the time he walked inside, she was standing there, staring at the door with her arms crossed. He cringed like he'd just taken some really nasty medicine, but took a few steps closer. "Please, don't be mad. I can't—I can't be here with her. It's not because of her…flirting or whatever. There's something about her that…"
Tifa glanced back at the sound of the phone ringing behind the counter. She sighed impatiently and held up a finger to signal for him to wait, then reached over the bar to pick up the receiver.
"Seventh Heaven," she answered pleasantly, as if she weren't in the middle of an argument.
"Tifa, where are you?"
Cloud came a few steps closer, looking instantly alert. Of course he could hear the other end of the phone call.
"Oh, Alicia, I'm so sorry," Tifa said, looking at the clock. It was fifteen minutes past the time she was supposed to pick up the girls. She'd gotten so distracted dealing with Cloud that she'd completely lost track of time. "I'll be right there."
"Wait, just listen!" Alicia was crying. "He came here and he took Marlene!"
Tifa gripped the edge of the bar. "I'll be right there. Just stay somewhere safe, ok?"
Cloud was already running out the door, and he had Fenrir running by the time Tifa caught up, jumping on the seat behind him. She clung on tightly, prepared for his blatant disregard of the newly enforced speed limits.
They were at the school in minutes. Alicia was standing with a crowd of onlookers, both adults and kids from the school. She was clinging to a teacher, who was attempting to calm the distraught girl. Cloud skidded to a stop next to them. "Get off," he said.
Tifa stared at his profile, her mouth opening to argue.
"Tifa, get off. Stay with her," he ordered harshly. He was using that commanding tone that Tifa hadn't heard for so long, instantly cutting off her protest. He wouldn't even look at Alicia. "Which way did he go?" he asked the crowd in general. Several people pointed, and he pealed out the second Tifa's feet hit the ground.
Alicia pulled away from the teacher and ran to Tifa. "I'm so, so sorry," she sobbed, holding her hands in front of her like a prayer. "I didn't think he would take her! I thought he would only come after me!"
Tifa pulled her close. "It's not your fault, sweetie," she said. It was her own. She never should have let Alicia out of her sight before they got everything sorted out with Ricky.
"I tried to stop him," Alicia said, mascara-smeared eyes pleading with her to understand. "I did the palm-heel thing on his nose and got away, but then he grabbed her instead and she hit her head and I think she might be hurt and it's all my fault!" she babbled.
"It's alright," Tifa soothed, rubbing the teenager's back. "Cloud will get her back." Despite the way she felt about him at the moment, she had no doubt that he would save her. "Did anyone call the police?"
"Yeah," Alicia said shakily, sniffling. "They're not here yet."
Within another minute, several patrol cars showed up with brilliantly flashing lights. One officer got out and spoke to some of the witnesses, who pointed off in the direction Cloud had gone. Another officer approached Tifa and Alicia. "Are you Alicia Silvers?" He looked too young to be driving, much less part of the police force, but Tifa held her tongue while he handed the teenager a tissue. Alicia nodded and used the tissue to dab daintily at her face. "We're going to need you to come down to the station and tell us the whole story," he said. He looked at Tifa. "Are you her mother?"
Tifa hesitated. "Um, I'm her guardian," she said after a moment. They would find out the truth later, but Alicia needed someone to help her keep her head above water, and she would be damned if she would let that woman decide Alicia's best interests. She would probably want her daughter to lie to cover for the sleazeball.
"Ok, both of you come with me," he said as several of the patrol cars began moving in the direction Cloud and Ricky had gone.
Alicia gave Tifa a watery smile and held her hand tightly. Tifa gave her a reassuring squeeze, even as she gnawed on her lip. Please save her, Cloud…
Ricky's car was expensive and fast, but Cloud was faster. He caught up with the foreign car on the outskirts of the ruins. As tempting as it was to slice a sharp implement through those expensive tires, he was afraid to hurt Marlene. He pulled up to the side of the car, looking through the windows. She was lying in the back seat, not moving and definitely not wearing a seatbelt.
Cloud popped open the compartment for his swords and pulled out two, staring daggers at the driver. Ricky was glancing nervously between Cloud and the road in front of him, but his eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the massive blades. Ricky pushed even harder on the gas pedal. Cloud swore and cut off into the trees on the other side of the road. He was afraid the moron would crash and kill them both.
The car did slow down at bit once Cloud was out of sight, but he was still driving far too fast to be safe. As soon as a drainage ditch opened up between the trees and the road, Cloud swerved into it. He kept his head ducked low, moving slightly up the side of the ditch, just high enough for his sword to reach the car. With two quick swipes, he sliced through the connectors on both sides of the passenger door, wedging the tip of his sword into the front and pulling the side out far enough for the whipping wind to catch it.
He swerved to dodge the flying hunk of metal, then drove higher up the side of the ditch until he was level with the car. Ricky was staring at him in utter shock, not even bothering to look at the road anymore. Cloud braced his feet and dove for the car, flying smoothly through the passenger-side opening. Fenrir tipped on its side, flipping violently across the ditch and into the trees.
There wasn't much Cloud could do to avoid slamming into the driver, and the car was already beginning to skid to the side. Cloud grabbed the wheel and fought against the skid. He didn't have control of the pedals, and Ricky was utterly useless, but at least he took his hands off the wheel. He was too shocked to even fight Cloud.
The tires screeched against asphalt, leaving black streaks in its wake. The wheels on the far side of the vehicle left the pavement, tipping up in the air. Cloud cranked the wheel the other direction before it flipped, straightening the vehicle's trajectory. They plowed through a guard rail and veered off the road. Stalks of corn battered against the grill and random ears flew up to smack the windshield, but at least they were back on all four wheels.
Cloud raised one short blade up to Ricky's throat. "Stop the car. Slowly."
Ricky moved his eyes to look at him, afraid to move his head with the blade grazing the skin of his neck. "What are you gonna do? Kill me?" he asked with false bravado.
"Maybe," Cloud said. "Depends how much more you're gonna piss me off. Stop."
The hairy man swallowed and eased his foot off the gas. "Ok, I'm stopping. Just relax, Fluffy."
"Cloud," Cloud said coldly, tracing the blade against the tender skin. He knew exactly how much pressure would cut through skin, muscle, windpipe, spine. Finally, the whipping stalks of corn slowed down their noisy assault on the car, and then stopped.
"Put it in park," Cloud said softly.
"You—you can't kill me," Ricky said shakily.
Cloud applied a tiny bit of pressure, the blade sliding cleanly through the top layer of skin. Ricky yelped. "I don't think you have any idea how many people I've killed," Cloud said, chillingly calm. "Park."
Ricky was breathing shallowly, practically panting as he shifted the car into park. He turned his head very, very carefully to look at the man who had sliced open his car like it was a piece of fruit. Cloud held the blade steady with his right hand, and was reaching in the back seat with his left to check on Marlene. Her pulse was strong and steady. If not for the thin line of blood dripping from her forehead, she could have been sleeping.
Cloud relaxed slightly. "You're lucky," he said, moving the blade just enough to make Ricky tip his chin back farther.
"Yeah, lucky," Ricky muttered. "Now get that thing away from my neck before you slip, you psychopath!"
Cloud "slipped" a tiny bit more and Ricky sucked in a breath. "I never said I wasn't going to kill you." Cloud's voice was quiet and calm. He knew it would scare the man far more than a raised voice. It meant that he was completely in control of himself. He wouldn't be distracted or make foolish mistakes or suddenly realize he was doing something crazy.
"Look," Ricky said nervously, sweat dripping from his brow. "Just tell me what you want. I'm a very wealthy man. You're…you're a delivery boy, right?" Cloud raised an eyebrow, surprised that the man remembered him. He didn't seem to recognize him when he had visited on Tifa's behalf. "You could retire. You could take that hot bartender somewhere—" He sucked in another breath as Cloud cut through another thin layer of skin. Blood was pooling on the mass of hair pressing against the top of his shirt.
Ricky's eyes grew wider. "Alicia! You want Alicia." Cloud's eyes narrowed, but the stupid bear-man couldn't see the danger behind his dark goggles. "We can work something out. I'll share! She's really good at—Agh!" The stream of blood running down his neck widened.
Cloud grabbed the hair on top of the bear man's head and yanked it back. "You know, every time I think I might not have to kill you, you open your mouth."
A rancid odor filled the car. Cloud wrinkled his nose in disgust, looking down at the dark spot spreading on Ricky's pressed grey pants.
"Cloud?" Marlene said groggily from the back seat. She lifted her head and blinked, trying to focus on the men in the front seat.
Cloud let out his breath between his teeth. "I've got you, Mar. You're safe, but I need you to look away, ok?"
Marlene sat up, her eyes widening as she comprehended the situation. "Cloud, you can't! You'll get in trouble."
Cloud clenched his jaw. "Marlene, you don't understand what's happening," he said tightly. "You don't know what he did, or what he was planning to do to you. Just put your head down and close your eyes."
Marlene reached forward slowly to touch his face, pulling down his goggles, displaying brightly glowing mako eyes. She knew what it meant when they were lit up like that, and they stood out like beacons in the darkening car. He didn't take his gaze away from the man in the front seat, but they dimmed slightly at her touch.
"I do know, Cloud," she said in that quiet, matter-of-fact way she had. "I was there when Tifa found Alicia. And I know he's not worth killing." Cloud hesitated. He knew she was right, but he really wished she'd just stayed unconscious a few more minutes because it would have felt so good to put the bastard out of his misery.
Those few seconds of hesitation were enough. Footsteps crunched on the fallen corn stalks behind the car, and they were soon surrounded by a dozen loaded guns. Tiny red dots of light covered him, shining against blond spikes and covering his chest. He closed his eyes and sighed, but he didn't lower the blade or relax his grip on Ricky's hair.
A familiar voice came from outside the driver's side window. "Let him go, Cloud."
"Mason," Cloud greeted the former WRO soldier grimly. "I don't think I can."
Mason was pointing his gun at the two of them, clearly unnerved. "Come on, man," Mason said softly. "We'll take care of him."
"Drop it, now!" another officer said loudly behind Mason.
"Really?" Cloud said quietly, ignoring the loud-mouthed officer. "The same way you took care of him a week ago when I called you?"
Mason licked his lips nervously. "It'll be different this time. We didn't have any proof, and the girl wasn't saying much. This time a dozen people saw him kidnap a girl right in front of the school. Let us do our job," he said urgently. "You don't have to do everything by yourself anymore."
Tifa's words from the kitchen floated back to him again. 'You don't have to save everyone.'
"I'll give you to the count of three," the voice in the background yelled. The sound of several guns cocking cemented his threat.
"Cloud, please?" Marlene begged with tears in her voice. "I don't want to lose you again. We need you."
Damn. That girl knew all his weak spots. One by one, gloved fingers loosened on the hilt of the small blade. "Take care of Marlene," he said, meeting Mason's eyes. The officer nodded solemnly. Cloud pulled the sword away from the slimeball's neck and allowed Mason to take it gingerly from his hand. There was a sudden flurry of activity. Both men were pulled roughly from the front seat and pinned face down on the ground. Cloud didn't fight the men cuffing his hands behind his back. He turned his head to watch Mason opening the back door of Ricky's car and escorting Marlene out. Satisfied that she was in good hands, he let himself be jerked to his feet and guided into the back of the waiting patrol car.
Tifa stood behind the metal folding chair where Alicia sat, giving her statement to a soft-spoken young officer. He wore a cheap-looking name badge that said "Mickelson." She wanted to give this new police force a chance, because Gaia knew they needed one to maintain order in their growing city, but she hated feeling like she had so little control. Back when Cloud's crew had traveled across the planet, Shinra's corruption had spread so far and wide that it had just felt right for them to be enforcing their own justice. There were bad guys who needed to be stopped and good people who needed to be helped, and their little group had been judge, jury, and executioner of their crimes.
Of course, they had made a lot of mistakes along the way. They didn't know every side of the story, and sometimes things they did for the greater good ended up hurting innocent people. Tifa still suffered a lot of guilt over her role in the sector 7 plate collapse. She should have been glad to turn that responsibility over to others, but it was hard for her to trust the motivations of an entity that she couldn't control.
For now, all she could do was lend strength to her student with a hand on her shoulder, and glower over her head at the young officer if she didn't like the direction of his questions.
"We were supposed to be waiting inside the school for Tifa to come pick us up, but…" Alicia glanced up at Tifa guiltily. "Well, it was hard to see the cars with all the kids in front of the building, and I really didn't think Ricky would do anything in broad daylight with so many people around. Marlene wanted to stay inside, but I told her I was going out and it would be fine."
Alicia's face was starting to turn red again. "We didn't even see him coming. He grabbed me by the arm and started pulling me toward the car. Marlene saw and started screaming for help. Ricky…" Alicia paused to take a sip of water, then carefully set down the cup with a trembling hand. "Ricky smacked her really hard. She fell down and she wasn't moving." Her voice was thick with the tears that trailed down her face. "I hit him in the nose as hard as I could. He let go and put his hands over his face and I ran into the crowd of people. When I looked back, he'd picked up Marlene and was putting her in the car."
She turned away from the officer, looking pleadingly up at her teacher. "I didn't know he would take her, Master Tifa! I never would have run away if I thought he…" she put her hand over her mouth, crying hard now. "It's all my fault! I should've just gone with him and she would still be…"
Tifa came around the side of the chair and squatted down next to Alicia, taking the girl's face in her hands, forcing her to look her in the eyes. "Listen to me, Alicia. It's not your fault that you can't predict what that creep will do. I don't even think he planned it. He just panicked when you got away and needed some leverage." Her voice lowered dangerously. "But he will be sorry he messed with my family."
Alicia was so startled that she stopped crying and stared at Tifa, wide-eyed. It wasn't like she'd never seen Tifa angry before. She had been scolded by the woman on more than one occasion. She'd watched Tifa efficiently beat the snot out of Ricky when he tried to stop them from leaving. But the look in her eyes now was almost feral. Alicia was suddenly very aware that, for all her preaching on not using violence for the wrong reasons, Master Tifa was quite capable of killing someone if she chose to. Alicia couldn't help wondering if she ever had.
At that moment, the door of the interview room flew open. A richly adorned woman pointed a finger at Tifa. "That's her!" she said dramatically. Tifa stood quickly, facing down Alicia Silvers' mother and a man in an expensive, three-piece suit.
"Officer, arrest this woman immediately," the man said in a pompous, nasally voice. "She kidnapped this girl from her own home yesterday, and now she's posing as her legal guardian to frame an innocent man!"
Officer Mickelson looked overwhelmed, glancing between the two women he'd been interviewing and the newcomers. Another officer with short black hair entered behind them, advancing menacingly on Tifa.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" Tifa said fiercely.
Alicia jumped up, noisily knocking her chair to the ground. "Tifa?" she said nervously, her eyes darting from person to person. Tifa stepped in front of her protectively.
Officer Mickelson, with previously unsuspected balls, whistled loudly, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Now everyone just settle down!" he said, pinning each person with a withering glare. His eyes finally came back to rest on Alicia. "Who exactly is your legal guardian?" he asked, his tone softening.
"M-my mother," she said, pointing at the bejeweled woman in the doorway. "But—"
The officer held up his hand, stopping her mid-sentence. "Do you want your mother present for this interview?"
Alicia's eyes were pained as she looked over at her mother. Finally, she said softly, "No." Her mother looked hurt, but resigned at the same time.
"Alright. Now, keeping in mind that you are not being charged with a crime of any kind," he said, glaring at the man in the suit, "do you want this…person to represent you as your lawyer?"
"No," Alicia said firmly, looking more sure of herself.
"Alright, good. Officer Jacobs, please take Mrs. Silvers and Miss Lockhart to separate interview rooms."
"But—" Tifa protested.
"You have some questions of your own to answer, Miss Lockhart. I would advise you not to press your luck any further," he said pointedly.
Tifa pressed her lips together, then turned to pull Alicia into a quick hug. "We'll get this sorted out and you can come back to Seventh Heaven, if that's what you want," she murmured softly. Alicia nodded, and Tifa squeezed her hands before finally allowing the other officer to escort her from the room.
Tifa's sneakers squeaked against the linoleum floor as she turned for the 336th time. Cloud had told her once that he used to find things to count when he was stuck on surveillance jobs. It helped pass the time and made sure he stayed awake and kept his focus on the things he was supposed to be watching. It was the first time Tifa had tried it, and she wasn't impressed. Time still dragged by, and now she was wearing a hole in her shoe.
Finally, the wooden door opened, and Officer Mickelson entered, along with an older woman who introduced herself as Officer Jennings. Her black hair, shot through with dignified silver, was piled in an elegant bun on top of her head. She was difficult to read, with very little to say and rather stiff body language, but Mickelson was obviously sympathetic toward her before they even started. At least he had heard Alicia's side of the story.
That repertoire probably contributed to her unfortunate honesty about the things she'd done to get Alicia out of her house. Nobody could deny that the teenager had been in a horrible situation, but Tifa's methods weren't exactly legal. At least she made an attempt to curb her disdain for the Edge police department's ability to handle the situation.
Officer Jennings listened to the entire interaction between Mickelson and Tifa before breaking her silence. "So, let me get this straight. You suspected something was going on with this girl, so instead of calling the police to handle it, you broke into the house, destroyed some of the property, and forcefully removed the girl from her home, assaulting the homeowner on the way out."
Tifa licked her lips nervously. She thought Cloud had called the police, but she wasn't certain. "Well…she came willingly, but…yes."
The wrinkles around the woman's mouth deepened. "I see. And then instead of reporting it or bringing the girl here to be protected, you brought her to your own residence and then sent her to school the next day as if nothing had happened."
"It wasn't exactly like—"
Officer Jennings held her hand up, abruptly cutting off Tifa's protest. "Miss Lockhart, I understand that you've gotten away with this…vigilante behavior in the past, but we are attempting to establish some order in this city. We can't have citizens running around, taking the law into their own hands. You understand that we can't just let this slide because you had good intentions."
She opened her mouth to protest, but just then an overweight man with a red, bulbous nose came noisily through the door. Tifa's eyes narrowed. "Detective Marks? What are you doing here?"
"Hello again, Ms. Lockhart." He tugged his pants up by his belt and smiled at her smugly, completely ignoring the two officers. "Alicia Silvers has asked for you to be her temporary guardian. Do you accept?"
"Yes, of course!" Tifa said in surprise. He slid a piece of paper across the table, which she skimmed over quickly. It seemed pretty basic, so she scribbled her signature at the bottom. Could it really be that easy?
"Good," he said, taking back the signed paper. "In that case, I'm here to inform you that she tested positive for the virus. She has been sent to Hubble House."
"What?" Tifa demanded, standing up quickly. "Alicia? No, she doesn't have any…abilities. Besides that, she didn't do anything wrong! What grounds do you have to send her there?"
The eerie smile stayed on the detective's face. "We don't need criminal charges to send kids to Hubble. It's a place to help them."
Tifa pushed herself away from the table, shoving hard enough to scatter the paperwork across the dingy floor. "Bullshit," she snapped. "I'm gonna find out what you guys are up to out there. If I find the tiniest thing out of place, I'll make sure it's shut down for good."
Detective Marks looked amused. "As you wish. In the meantime, you're being detained until we can decide if we're going to file charges. Not to worry though, you won't be alone. You'll be with your…umm…boyfriend, is he? He's being charged with attempted murder."
It was the first Tifa had heard about Cloud, and the worries she had pushed to the back of her mind to focus on helping Alicia immediately resurfaced. "He's here? What about Marlene?" she asked anxiously.
"Oh. Yes, she's fine," he said dismissively.
"I need to see her," Tifa demanded.
The detective raised an eyebrow. "You're not exactly in a position to be making demands, Miss Lockhart."
Tifa bit her tongue until she could formulate a reasonable response. When she spoke, she had regained her calm demeanor. "She's my daughter. I'm worried about her, and I need to arrange for someone to stay with her if you're going to hold both Cloud and me overnight," she said evenly.
Officer Jennings seemed to soften a bit around the edges, and Tifa wondered if she had children herself. Maybe even grandchildren. She put her hand on the arm of the big detective, shooting him a pointed look. Surprisingly, he backed off.
"I'll give her a few minutes with you before I take you to the holding cell. In the meantime, use your phone and make some arrangements."
Tifa nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Officer," she said sincerely. Officer Jennings gave one quick nod before exiting with the detective and the other officer. Tifa sighed and raised her phone, quickly dialing a number she now knew by heart.
"Tifa?!" The ninja answered with a screech. "Holy mother of Gaia, you're actually using your cell phone? The world must be ending for real this time."
"Yeah," Tifa said shortly. "And I don't have much time, ok? I need you to come stay at Seventh Heaven with Marlene for the night. Maybe longer."
Yuffie groaned dramatically. "You really know how to ruin a girl's weekend, don't you? What have you and Spiky gotten into this time?"
Tifa rolled her eyes. Yuffie was working at the bar over the weekend anyway, and it wasn't like she had anything else to do. "It's a long story, but I'm going to need you to come pick up Marlene at the police station."
"The whaaaa? No way! You guys actually got arrested? Those boys are barely out of their diapers and you managed to get caught by them?" Yuffie huffed loudly. "Amateurs."
Tifa pinched the bridge of her nose. Her nerves were already frayed, and Yuffie tested her patience on the best of days. "Just listen, ok? Marlene got snatched by this creep today, so she's probably a little freaked out. She might be hurt, too, so just try and keep things low-key tonight."
Yuffie was silent for a long moment. "Is this a request made from my boss, or from my friend?" she asked carefully.
Tifa's fist balled up at her side and she tried not to lose it. "I'm asking you as a decent human being, who does things to help other people without always looking for something in return!"
"Ok, ok! Sheesh! It was just a joke," Yuffie sulked. "Of course I'll come hang out with the little rugrat. We'll have tea parties and dress up dolls and stuff."
"She's 14, Yuffie," Tifa said wearily, sighing.
"I know that!" Yuffie said indignantly. "I just thought she might want to try some of the stuff I like!"
Tifa managed to crack a smile. "Whatever, Yuf." She glanced up as she heard voices approaching. "I've got to go. Get down to the station as fast as you can, ok?"
The door swung open just as she slid the phone into her pocket. A familiar brunette burst in and tackled Tifa with a hug. Tifa wrapped her up in her arms and inhaled the familiar scent of honeydew. "Oh honey, I'm so glad you're safe! That must have been so scary for you!"
"Oh, not really. I just started screaming when he grabbed Alicia and when I woke up, Cloud was there." Marlene made an attempt at nonchalance, but the pinched look of her face gave her away.
Tifa petted her hair soothingly, carefully avoiding the swelling lump on her forehead. "What happened with Cloud? They said he's being charged with attempted murder."
Marlene snorted and looked back at the guard standing in the doorway. "Attempted murder? Please. If Cloud wanted someone dead, he'd be dead."
Tifa silently agreed as she met eyes with the man she hadn't noticed come in with Marlene – it was Mason, from the WRO. She gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks for bringing her."
He nodded uncomfortably. "Someone is going to be here in a minute to bring you to the holding cell. What's going to happen with the girl?"
Tifa still had a protective hand on Marlene's shoulder. "Yuffie Kisaragi will be here to pick her up shortly."
The officer's face was suddenly pink. "Yuffie?"
Tifa smiled. She had forgotten about Yuffie's involvement with the WRO years ago. Word was that she was quite popular with the soldiers. She was cute, spunky, spontaneous, and deadly. What's not to like?
Officer Jennings came through the doorway while Mason tried to recover. Tifa scrutinized the older woman. She wasn't an ally, but she seemed to have a soft spot for kids. Mason, on the other hand…
"Officers? Can I talk to you both for a moment?" Tifa asked sweetly. Mason and Jennings stepped to the side of the room with Tifa, out of range of the teen's hearing. "Listen, I don't know how to say this, but Marlene is a little…uncomfortable around men after her experience, you know? Do you think Officer Jennings could stay with her instead?"
Officer Mason looked doubtful, but the policewoman smiled. "Of course. Mason, bring Miss Lockhart down to her holding cell, would you?"
"Uhm, sure," Mason said hesitantly, walking back to the table with Tifa. "I need you to turn over your phone and keys and anything else you're carrying." Tifa sighed and emptied her pockets, dropping her belongings into a bag held by the officer.
Before they left, Tifa turned around to give Marlene one last hug. "You'll be just fine with Yuffie, ok? We'll be back home before you know it."
Marlene's face didn't lose its worry lines. "What's going to happen to you and Cloud?"
Tifa smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about us, sweetheart. We've been in tougher spots than this." That was definitely true. She kissed Marlene's head and let Mason lead her out the door.
As soon as they were out of sight of the interview room, Tifa stopped him in the hallway. "Mason, wait. I need to ask you a favor." Mason looked uncomfortable, but Tifa plowed on. "I need you to call Reeve and tell him everything. Everything you know about our cases."
Mason hesitated. "Tifa, you know I can't really—"
"You owe that much to Cloud, Mason." He squirmed under her gaze, but she held it steady, pinning him to the wall with her eyes. She hated to use it against him, but he had been held as a prisoner of war until Cloud had rescued him. He owed his life and his sanity to Cloud, and Mason wouldn't soon forget it.
"O-okay. I'll try. But I don't know if I'll be able to reach him. We're not exactly on a first name basis, you know."
Tifa smiled. Reeve could be intimidating, but he was actually a good guy once you got to know him. "Just tell him you have a message from Cloud. They'll put you through." She would have liked to have talked him herself, but she couldn't exactly call in a favor from the head of the WRO with every word being monitored and possibly recorded in that room.
She followed him down the hallway, back to the three tiny cells. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Cloud sitting on the stone bench, his head leaned back against the cold wall behind him. His eyes were focused on a spot on the wall above the door. He looked dejected, not even stirring when the door opened noisily on its track.
She walked across the cell until she stood in front of him. He still hadn't moved. "Cloud?" she said softly.
He lifted his head and met her eyes, then stood slowly. "Marlene is safe," he said, lifting his hand. She tensed, thinking he was going to reach for her, but he pushed it through his hair instead. "How's Alicia?"
"She's…safe, too," Tifa said, unwilling to add to his burden when he looked so defeated. They still had a lot to talk about, but it wasn't the time, and all she wanted was to hold him and take away that look on his face.
She reached out hesitantly, not sure if he was ready to forgive her, or even if she was ready to forgive him, but as soon as her hand touched his waist, he pulled her into his arms. She closed her eyes and turned her face into the rough fabric of his shirt. Cloud let out a shuddering breath into her hair. "I'm sorry, Teef. I'm so sorry. I don't ever want to hurt you. I couldn't…I'd never forgive myself. I had to leave. Please understand. Please say you understand."
Tifa lifted her head. "But I don't understand, Cloud. I don't understand what's happening. I just need you to talk to me. I'm sure we can work through it together." She bit her lip, looking down, then forced herself to look up into shining blue eyes. He wasn't the only one who'd caused the problem. "I'm ready to listen now."
Lexi stared at the ceiling, her sobs quieted, but silent tears rolled down the sides of her face. She felt like an empty shell. There was nothing left for her. Her entire family was dead, and she might has well have killed them herself. Even her father's death was probably her fault, somehow. She had been too young to understand, but her mother had accused her of driving him off to sea in the first place.
She didn't even move when the door opened softly. Bethany came in, but she didn't acknowledge Lexi or her dead-eyed stare at the ceiling. She just went to her bed and laid down, then rolled to face the wall. That was just fine with Lexi.
The random dots on the ceiling blurred with her tears. They seemed to dance and form pictures, shifting and sliding into place until it looked like her little brother's face. "Oh, Jojo," she whispered. "I miss you so much." Although she had gotten much worse after Joey's death, the signs of their mother's illness had been there for a long time. Lexi and her brother used to make forts out of blankets and clothespins, pretending they were in a world of their own, far away from the frightening ramblings of their mother. She never seemed to take notice of the blanket forts, so they became a safe haven for the kids. Lexi came up with a new, exciting place every time, and described it in vivid detail to her little brother, until they were both safely ensconced in their fantasy world.
She had been taking care of Joey for as long as she could remember, sheltering him from their mother's madness when it flared. On her better days, Lexi's mother doted on the little boy and Lexi tried to stay out of sight as much as possible. There was always some tension between her and her mother, sometimes better suppressed than others. The worst was always after her father came home from a trip, loaded with presents. He always saved one, more special than the rest, to give to Lexi later in her room. Then she heard the fighting behind closed doors, and before long, he was gone again, and Lexi was the target of everything that went wrong in the household.
But her favorite memories were still of those fantasy worlds she explored with her little brother in their little shelter of blankets, and Lexi missed his sunny smile more than anything. With the warmth of the memory, her tears dried up, but the blurred image only became clearer. It was her little brother's face on the ceiling, and his body too. He was translucent, floating down like a feather until he reached the ground, and his little sneakers solidified.
Lexi sat up, her eyes wide. She was elated to see his face in living color, but she hadn't forgotten. She knew he was dead. "Jojo?" She reached out her hand to touch his arm. She half-expected it to go through, but it stopped on something solid. Solid, and slimy. She pulled her arm back, staring at the black ichor on her fingers. It wasn't right! He was supposed to be happy and healthy now. But not only had the disease followed him into the lifestream, it had spread. It covered almost every inch of skin, and he dripped with black.
"Lexi?" His little voice sounded scared and alone, the way he had when he came to her at night with his tattered blanket and his wide eyes. She would move over and hand him the moogle doll, and shelter him in her arms until the shaking stopped.
"J—Joey? What are you doing here?" She heard a sound from across the room, and she looked over to see her roommate snuggling deeper under her covers. She must have been sleeping, for which Lexi was grateful.
"Why didn't you pour the water on me, Lexi?" Her eyes snapped back to the pitiful form of the little boy.
"You…you were dead, Joey. The water wouldn't have saved you."
"But it would have stopped the ick from following me. It hurts so much! Why, Lexi? Why didn't you help me?"
"I—I didn't know, Jojo. I'm so sorry! Maybe I still can. Maybe, when I get out of here…" The little boy shook his head and ran out the door. Lexi got up to chase after him, but her exit was blocked by a badly burned woman in a sagging bikini top and pants too tight to zip.
Lexi stumbled backwards, her hand flying to her mouth. "Mom…?"
Her mother began coughing, showering the ground with bits of ash. When the coughing fit finally stopped, she glared up at her daughter. "You were always a terrible sister, Alexis. But he's with me, now. I caught him with the net when he came for his toys, and he's finally happy."
"Lexi!" A terrified scream came from down the hall. Lexi pushed the burned woman out of the way, cringing as she felt flesh crumbling beneath her hands, following the sound of his voice. "Help me, Lexi, Mommy's hurting me! Why aren't you here to help me?"
"Jojo! Where are you? I'll protect you, I promise!" She was running down the hall, looking frantically in every direction for the little boy. "Jojo, say something! Just—" Lexi's scream was cut off when she ran face-first into something solid and unyielding. Someone. She looked up, trembling. It was a whole family reunion.
"Daddy?"
Denzel caught Lexi by her arms before she could fall back. Her pupils were dilated, looking right through him. He ducked his head down to meet her gaze. "Daddy?" he said in confusion. "No, it's me. It's Denzel."
She blinked and seemed to focus. "Denzel? Let me go. I have to get to Jojo! He needs me!"
Denzel's brows scrunched together in concern. "Your brother? Lexi, Joey is gone. He's not here."
Lexi struggled against his hands and he released her, afraid of hurting her if he held any tighter. She pushed past him and he spun around to watch her continue her frantic search of the hallway. He scowled and turned back in the direction of her room, zoning in on the brown squiggles floating in the air, following Lexi's every move. They were like Lexi's waves, but different, and he was willing to bet that whatever was messing with her head was at the other end of the squiggles. He followed it like a trail of bread crumbs, all the way back to Lexi's dorm room. The door was open and the squiggles led right back to Bethany, who was sitting on her bed with a look of concentration on her face.
"Hey!" Denzel snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Bethany, whatever you're doing, stop it!" She smiled up at him, the squiggles getting fainter but not disappearing.
"She shouldn't have been doing that to you, Denzel. She can't get in the way of fate."
"What? Fate? Bethany, what are you talking about?" Denzel sputtered.
"She was trying to come between you and Alicia, but I'm not going to let that happen. You two are fated to be together."
"F—what? Bethany, you're talking crazy. Alicia and I aren't even together anymore!"
The brown squiggles intensified and Lexi's shrill scream cut through the air. "She's already interfered."
"Bethany, stop!" Denzel grabbed her shoulders and shook her, trying to somehow break the stream, but it didn't seem to be affected at all. "We broke up before I even came here. It had nothing to do with Lexi!"
The squiggles faded again as Bethany finally looked at him. "But, fate—"
"No! There's no fate. There's no such thing. We're just too different from each other. You can ask Alicia yourself if you don't believe me. Now stop hurting Lexi!" he snarled.
The squiggles disappeared completely. Bethany looked confused. "But—"
Denzel gave her a stern look and shook his head once before heading back out the door. He ran down the hall, scanning in every direction for Lexi, calling her name. He finally found her at the end of a hallway of empty classrooms. She was sitting on her knees with her legs splayed out to either side, leaning forward on her hands.
"Lexi!" He approached her cautiously and walked around her, crouching on the floor in front of her. "Lexi?"
Lexi's eyes were red from crying. Half of the hair had escaped from her pigtails, splaying wildly around her head. She looked drained. She was always such a strong person, but now she looked vulnerable and tragically beautiful. Slowly, he reached forward to touch her face. He wiped the tears with his thumb and she leaned into his hand.
"Denzel, she was hurting him. She's hurting Joey in the lifestream and I can't find him." She sounded weak and helpless, and so un-Lexi.
"It's not true. Bethany was just using your fears against you. Your brother is whole and happy in the lifestream."
Lexi blinked up at him, disbelieving. "Bethany?"
"Yeah. She was using her ability to play on your fears and make you see things."
"You—didn't see my brother? Or my mom?"
Denzel shook his head slowly. "There's no one here, Lex. Just us."
"Just us," she echoed, finally meeting his eyes.
An emphatically cleared throat behind her disagreed. Denzel looked over Lexi's head to see Ms. J. with her arms over her chest. "Denzel, what are you doing in the girls' wing? It's nearly lights out!"
Denzel stood up quickly, pulling Lexi up with him. "I was just worried about Lexi. She was…upset," he said, glancing over at her.
"I see," Ms. J. said grimly. "Well, maybe she will be cheered up when she meets her new roommate." A girl stepped out from behind the matronly woman. "Alicia Silvers."