Avacyn looked in the mirror. Her hair was short and a bit fluffy with some curl. Her hair was never meant to be this short, but she wanted to get rid of the red and pink ends. The snowy white locks now fell to her shoulders where it curled, leaving the rest to poof out. She hugged her mother, thanking her for cutting her hair and getting rid of reds and pinks. Nahiri hugged back and kissed Avacyn's forehead. Nahiri loved the sense of belonging she was feeling here, and loved being around her daughters. They had both grown up so beautifully, being both smart and talented.
Avacyn would be graduating high school next month, but was uncertain of what she wanted to do with her life. Thalia would be starting her junior year and was planning on getting her driver's license soon. Both were on their school's fencing team and managed A's and B's on their report cards. Thalia's best friend was a sweet redhead with long, coppery hair named Grete Marshall, whose older brother, Odric, was currently attending the local police academy. That knowledge did make Sorin and Nahiri a little nervous, naturally. Grete also wanted to be a cop. She and Thalia were in the latter's room, chatting while Avacyn got her hair cut.
"So, your mom just showed up out of nowhere and it's possible Mr. Markov isn't your real dad?" Grete asked, head tilted to the side.
"Of course he's my real dad; he raised me," Thalia answered, putting her laundry away. "There's just a chance he's not biologically my dad."
"That sucks," Grete pointed out. "Have you ever met the other man?" she then questioned, laying on her stomach and arms folded in front of her.
"Yes; but he's dead," Thalia answered. "So, I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway."
"And your mom?" Grete asked.
"It's…Strange, to be honest," Thalia answered. "One minute, she's not there. Now it's like she's always been here. Nothing feels truly different, and she's easier to talk to about…Girl stuff." She giggled. "I remember when Avacyn got her first period and went crying to Dad, who passed out. We had to actually look up what was wrong."
Grete laughed.
Sorin was downstairs, looking at a menu for pizza delivery when there was a knock on the front door. He answered to Jace, Chandra, and little Vesper.
"Hey, come on in," Sorin greeted, moving aside.
"Mind if we crash here a few days?" Jace asked. "Tezzeret just got out of prison and I don't want to be at home right now. Kallist will be coming shortly."
"Sure. We have a guest room you three can stay in and Kal can sleep on the couch like always," Sorin answered.
"Thanks; I'll take Vesper and set up the crib then," Jace reported. He took some things upstairs to set up the guest room for Vesper. Avacyn saw Vesper and squealed in delight.
"Hey there, Vespy," she greeted. Vesper tottered over to her and she picked him up. "Oh! You're so cute!" She tickled him, making the toddler giggle and laugh.
"Avy so pwetty!" Vesper laughed.
Avacyn smiled and hugged him. She thought Vesper was the cutest little boy ever.
Kallist soon arrived. "Okay, that fuckface is still not in the city yet," he reported.
"Good; if he comes here, I'll shoot him," Sorin promised. "Never thought I'd see that fucker again." He, Kallist, and Chandra sat on the sectional in the living room. "Of course, I never thought I'd see a lot of people again. And hopefully my grandfather will croak before he finds my family and me."
Emeria walked in, grumbling.
"Do you knock?" Sorin asked, reaching for a bottle of red wine.
"I have Ula breathing down my neck, even more so since one of the Senate's projects was financially cut," Emeria answered. "He wants to continue the project even though I think it's a complete and utter waste of time. So, he wants me to find money to continue it, or he'll expose all of us and the police will be on our doorsteps."
"So he wants us to get the money for a waste of time project?" Sorin asked.
"I thought he'd back off once you helped with the terrorist issue, but no!" Emeria answered. "We'll all be behind bars and the children will be placed in foster care if we don't do what he says."
"We can't just hit up a bank and Sultai's is closed for a while," Sorin muttered. "We have to hit up something else."
"How much does he want? It'll give us an idea of where to hit," Jace questioned, entering the room with Nahiri.
"At least two million," Emeria answered.
Jace sat down and opened his laptop. "Sultai's was the only store that come close to that amount," he muttered. "And stores are easy targets. I'm hesitant to hit a bank in the city, and Karlov Bank is simply out of the question."
"We could do it though," Nahiri pointed out.
"If we had a pair of eyes on the inside, I'd say let's do it," Jace responded. "Sadly, we do not. Not even Sorin could get in. For now, let's focus on something in one of the smaller towns…"
Teysa Karlov lived a life of luxury with the finest clothes. She had a lovely, oval-shaped faced frame by two strands of hair that she had not pulled back into the messy bun, looking at her reflection with sharp, piercing grey eyes. Her skin was smooth and fair and her lips had a peach tone to them. She wore a white dress that fell to mid-thigh; a pair of Victorian style boots with black feet, white legs running up to just above the knee, and gold buttons; white fingerless gloves, and several piercings: One in her lower lip, one at her left eyebrow, and three in each ear. Her school would call her a troubled youth, except she had the best grades at the private school she attended, and took all advanced classes to boot.
She wanted to be a lawyer like her late mother, who died a few years ago in a staged car accident. With Teysa in the car with her! They were trying to leave the family home, trying to start a new life. Maria Karlov, maiden name Markov, had pretty much been sold to the Karlov family in an arranged marriage. She found nothing but abuse. She knew her son, Teysa's brother/cousin (ew!) was unsalvageable. He was a little prick who felt entitled because of his wealth, and to his sister/cousin's body (QUADRUPLE EW!). So, Maria and Teysa packed lightly, got a car, and tried to get away. Instead, they crashed and Maria died. Teysa's leg and been crushed and now it could barely move. She lost so much that day: Freedom, her mom, her leg…
With a sigh, she grabbed that stupid leg brace that was a constant reminder that she was not a free, independent woman. She knew it was the men in her life who stole those valuable things from her. Her grandfather, father, uncle, and brother. They were corrupted, vile men. She wanted no part of them. She finished strapping on the brace and adjusting the joints to work with the heels and stood, grabbing her cane. It was black wood with a silver cap. It helped with her movement. She could walk without it, but usually it caused more discomfort than anything and she liked to keep it close anyway.
There was a knock on her door. "Enter," she commanded.
Her brother entered, raising a brow. "You're really going out in such a short dress?" he asked.
She glared. "It falls past the tips of my middle fingers; it's fine," she answered coldly. She had no love for the men in life. They were sickening, following grotesque rituals, incest, and believed in keeping the blood as pure as possible to appease some non-existent deity. She was an atheist after all. Why believe something she couldn't experience with any of her five senses? "And I don't recall asking you for your opinion on my attire. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to see a friend of mine…" She stepped around her brother, making sure to shoulder him rudely.
He grabbed her arm and jerked her back. "You're not going anywhere without apologizing."
"I see the little twat feels entitled as always," Teysa scoffed. "I owe you nothing. You're the rude one in this room." She smacked the back of his legs with her cane and continued on her way. High school was over for her after today, and she had no intentions of staying here. And she knew exactly where she was going. Over the last few months, she had taken what she deemed truly important to her to school and handed them off to someone she knew and trusted. He took everything to an apartment they were renting together. She grabbed her backpack and violin case for the last time she would leave this horrible place. Instead of text books, her backpack on books on law, her favorite trashy novels, her fancy writing supplies, and the rest of her undergarments. The violin case had money.
Starting next week, she'd be working at a coffee house while getting ready for college. The first year was paid for. Now Teysa had to be careful. She was dropped off at school as usual. Once the limo was gone, she went off campus and across the street where Tajic Boros was waiting. He pushed off his truck and grabbed the suitcase that was in back. He already had her violin at their apartment so she could keep practicing. They put her undergarments and books into the suitcase and he put it and the violin case in the backseat.
"Do they suspect anything?" he asked, voice deep.
"I don't think so," Teysa answered. "I'm 18 and am graduating high school. They can't really do anything now. Being here at school today is just a formality since it's a two-hour day where we say our goodbyes. But there's a few things in my locker that I need to get before we go. Can you wait a moment?"
Tajic nodded and kissed her softly with his rough, dry lips. Teysa kissed back. "Be careful," he told her.
Teysa nodded and hurried to the school. She had one last thing to get and she was out of here. She was done being the "good" girl. She had to get her mother's locket from her locker. Teysa wasn't sure why she left it there. Maybe because she didn't want her family to find out she had it. It was supposed to have been "buried" with her mother. Buried…What a joke! Her mother's corpse was sealed in an airtight coffin in the family vault at Karlov Bank! Maria had wanted to be cremated. Once she grabbed her school supplies from her locker, she grabbed her secret treasure box and pulled out the gold locket with the Markov family crest, a red stone in the center. Once opened, Teysa saw her picture and the picture of her maternal uncle, the only ones who truly mattered to Maria.
I promise you, Mother, I will find a way to destroy the men who destroyed our lives, Teysa silently vowed. She put the locket on and grabbed her bag. She looked around.
A few students had bothered to show up. Mostly the freshmen who were still enamored by the fantasy of high school. The illusion would break sometime next year. That was how it worked. Freshman year: Oh my goodness! We're in high school! This is awesome! This will be the start of the first year of the best four years of our lives! Sophomore year: Oh my god, this is horrible! Junior year: Sweet 16 here I-. OH GOD NO! NOT THESE POINTLESS-ASS EXAMS! Senior year: Finally, Senior Year! All the best dances are here and now! But seriously, is high school over yet? PLEASE END!
Unless you were popular, high school sucked. Teysa didn't care about popularity. However, she was ambitious and had more important matters to attend to: Student council, orchestra, and debate team. She wanted so badly to be on the girl's tennis team, but thanks to her family, she would never play sports. At least she didn't have to waste time on PE. With a sigh, she departed the school and went to Tajic. After putting her backpack in the backseat, they got in and were off. She sighed, relaxing.
"Glad to finally be leaving?" Tajic asked.
"More than glad," Teysa answered. "Maybe someday, I'll find a way to expose my family for the crooks they are and leave them in ruin."
Tajic nodded.
Jace had wanted to avoid Silmont's Crossing. He wasn't ready to face his family. Would they accept him? Would they approve? Would he find nothing but disappointment? He knew that's not why they were in Silmont's Crossing, but with the size of the community, there was a chance for encountering them. Maybe he could warn them to leave town for a few weeks. He knew they had money and could go on vacation for a while. He fidgeted. He hated this. Chandra saw him fidgeting and grabbed a hand, and gave it a gentle, hopefully reassuring squeeze.
"Thanks," he muttered.
"What's bugging you?" she asked.
"My family is here," he answered. "What if they were expecting to see a beautiful young woman and are shocked and horrified to see a man instead? What if they hate me and are disappointed in me for my choices in life and the things I've done?"
"Then you don't need them," Kallist pointed out. "Move on with your life. If they can't love and accept you for you, then they don't deserve to be a part of your life." He was up front driving, his girlfriend Liliana in the passenger's seat, and the small family of three occupying the back seat. Little Vesper was napping in his car seat. In the car behind them was Sorin and his daughters. Nahiri brought up the rear on her motorcycle.
It was Nahiri who suggested they leave Ravnica for a few days, especially when Jace informed them that Edgar Markov had sent spies to Ravnica to look for them. The Markov spies and Tezzeret. All in the same town. It terrified them. So, it was time for a road trip. Nahiri had called ahead to have a few rooms set up at the local resort for her friends and her. She didn't want Sorin or the girls at her place. She didn't trust Akyli to behave. From the resort, they had access to the beach. Thalia and Avacyn got into bathing suits and went swimming in the lake. They took little Vesper along, keeping a sharp eye on him and making sure his floaties were secure. Avacyn did most of the babysitting. Liliana only joined them for sunbathing. Everyone else went to Nahiri's factory.
There, Jace saw his father working. Nahiri looked at Gav Beleren working hard, then to Jace. He wanted so badly to talk to his father, but those heart wrenching questions burned in his mind. Chandra slung an arm around him and asked, "You okay?"
"That's my dad," Jace answered softly, making Chandra turn her gaze. "I don't know what he'll think of me. What if he's ashamed of me?" He felt sick to his stomach and just wanted to move on. His father probably wanted a beautiful daughter with a beaming baby in her arms. Not…Whatever Jace was. A hot mess, he decided.
"Want me to try and smooth thing over?" Nahiri asked.
"I dunno," Jace mumbled, looking down. His anxiety was building. "Let's just go plan the job to get the money Mr. Douchecanoe wants for his precious weapons." He finally walked past to Nahiri's office. Chandra looked between the office door and Gav. She'd talk to him on the way out, and then went to the office with the others.
Jace started setting up the bulletin board. "Silmont's Bank; small, local place."
"Local police force's piggy bank," Nahiri added. "So I would expect heavy opposition from the local authorities."
"An escape route would be ideal then," Sorin pointed out.
"Not too hard out here," Nahiri assured. "Lots of open land to the south and plenty of tunnels to lose the authorities in. To the north, we have the mountains and forests and the wildlife preserve. Gruul National Park."
"Sounds good," Jace responded. "Now we need to scout the bank properly."
"I'll take us there," Nahiri reported. They went back to the van.
Chandra sighed. On my way out next time, she decided, following. They drove to the front of the building and Nahiri went in, armed with Jace's special glasses. She chatted with a teller, making a withdrawal her personal account and making up an excuse for her glasses. Jace took pictures of everything that was deemed important. Nahiri soon rejoined them and handed the glasses back to Jace.
"What do you think?" she asked him.
"Well, the security system is a little old fashion, not something easily hacked," Jace answered, going through the photos on his laptop. He sighed. "I need to know the response time. We have to set off the alarm. There should be a box for that around back…"
Nahiri drove out around back, and there was the box.
"Sorin, do you have a silencer?" Jace asked.
"Always," Sorin replied. He looked to Jace. "Want me to shoot the box?" he asked.
"Please and thank you."
Sorin took out a silencer and attached it to his pistol. He aimed carefully, and fired. The bullet set off the alarm and Nahiri drove back around to see the local police coming in force. Immediate talk of road block check points went up and a chopper came in. Nahiri drove as calmly as possible to an off-road location avoid the authorities.
"Okay, that's a real load of shit," Kallist pointed out.
"Oh, ya think?" Chandra responded.
Jace groaned. "Then there's really only one way to do this," he grumbled. "With swat team gear and miniguns. I really want to avoid casualties, especially this close to my family."
"But it's the only way to make it out alive," Sorin growled.
"But can it be done?" Kallist asked. "That's the million dollar question, and a damn important one too, since we're not keeping the money. We need to come out of this alive and hopefully not in prison."
"If we plan it right, we can catch a train out of town," Nahiri answered. "The tracks run up through Gruul National Park; I have friend there that can help us."
"Then we'll need to talk to him," Jace pointed out. "Would he be willing to risk it though?" he asked, looking at her with a dead serious expression.
"Domri and his older brothers Ruric and Thar don't give a shit about the police, government, or anything like that," Nahiri answered. "We can trust them."
Jace nodded. "Okay then."
They sat in the car until after sunset before daring to go back to town. Things finally calmed down and they went straight to Nahiri's factory. Everyone had gone home for the night, making Chandra groan. She had really wanted to talk to Gav about Jace, who was now currently tacking up info to the board. He and Nahiri planned to head out and talk to the Rade brothers in the national park first thing in the morning. Sorin wanted to relax on the beach and Kallist wanted to spend time with his girlfriend. So, that left Chandra, basically alone. Thinking on it, she decided to go talk to the Beleren's, see where they stood.
She woke up at ten. Avacyn and Thalia had Vesper again. That would kind of make it easier. She got the Beleren's address from Jace's address book. She smiled. Jace loved being old fashioned sometimes. She grabbed a few others things she had brought from the house. A photo album of Jace, Kallist, her, and Vesper. With the info, she went Blue Ring Court.
The house was a lovely, light blue place with a white picket fence, almost similar to hers and Jace's. That was almost odd. It meant Jace bought the house out of instinct, but he had been four when he was stolen away, wrapped up in his favorite hoodie with the initials RR sewn into inside the bottom hem in white thread. Kallist was a year older. Neither remembered their childhood home before. There were white and blue flowers in beautiful planters, a swing hanging from a tree branch, and plenty of in season blueberry plants. Chandra went up to the front door and rang the doorbell. She waited. Maybe no one was home. Maybe-. The door opened.
The woman who answered was almost as willowy as Nissa, though shorter. Of course, Nissa wasn't that tall herself. The woman's hair was a light, almost silvery blond, pinned up in a messy bun and she had kind, loving eyes a few shades lighter than Jace's. They were closer to Kallist's eyes. She had lines around her eyes and a few above her silvery brows. They were lines of worry and stress, and she had allowed things to progress naturally rather than try to slow the inevitable. And yet, she seemed far too young to be so close to grey and with so many lines. She dress in a loose, white tank top with a long, blue, knitted duster; a pair of black pants (trousers, but softer), and a pair of black flats.
"Yes? Can I help you?" she asked.
"Are you Ranna Beleren?" Chandra responded.
"Yes; and you are?"
"I'm Chandra Nalaar, and I have to talk to you about…Well. It's really complicated and hard to talk about," Chandra pointed out. "But I have legit information on your…Daughter, and your nephew."
Ranna's eyes widened. "I-. Are you serious?" she asked.
"I can show you, but some of it will be pretty unbelievable," Chandra answered, "and I was there for some of it."
"Well, come in! Please!" Ranna exclaimed.
They went inside to the living room. There were lots of pictures of the family around, including two people similar in appearance to Jace and Kallist. One was definitely and older young man and the other was a very masculine young woman. Chandra picked up a picture of the obvious siblings. "Who are these two?" she asked.
"Jek and Lavinia Rhoka; they're Kallist's older brother and younger sister," Ranna answered. Chandra put the picture back and sat beside her on the sofa. She pulled out the photo album she brought.
"This one will have the most answers," Chandra pointed out. "It's going to tell you the most about the four of us."
"Four?" Ranna asked.
"Yeah; it'll be complicated," Chandra answered. She opened to a photo of Jace and Kallist at 16 and 17, wearing wintry clothes. Jace was a beautiful young woman in the photo with a long, loose braid over her shoulder and Kallist was making a stupid face. "That was the day they put their kidnapper in jail," Chandra explained. She wanted to play it by ear, see if Ranna knew about Tezzeret.
"Why weren't they brought home?" Ranna asked.
"They were pretty freaked out and Kallist was a month from 18; there was a lot of uncertainties," Chandra answered. She moved to the next page. Jace had cut off her braid and donated it to charity. His first step to becoming what he wanted. Her hair was now boyish.
"Oh, she cut her hair," Ranna sighed.
"And donated it to charity," Chandra pointed out, and flipped the page again. "After that, Jace and Kallist moved to Ravnica. Kallist continued with an excitable life while Jace bought a house with the money made from being forced into criminal activity. Jace is an amazing hacker." Chandra was trying to avoid gender pronouns.
"Jace is a hacker?" Ranna asked, shocked.
"Not by choice, but yeah," Chandra answered. "This next part is going to be shocking, and I'm not sure how you'll handle it." She turned the page. "Jace is transgendered."
"That, I didn't see coming," Ranna muttered.
"Well, it's been over twenty years…" Chandra sighed, "…and I'm transgendered." She turned the page to her and Jace's first date. "He was always flat-chested, so, that made things easier for him at the start. We met at therapy, I thought he was cute, I flirted, he told me he was born a woman, I replied that I was born a man, we chatted, our therapist said we were a cute couple, we exchanged numbers, and then exchanged stories over a dinner date." She took a deep breath. "Of course, neither of us have had the…Big works done despite me being trans longer."
Ranna raised a brow at her.
"Bad boob job freaked me out," Chandra answered. "But in the end, we were both glad it work out that way. Because one broken condom and nine months later…" She turned the page to Vesper, and Ranna made a sound of: "OH MY GOD SO CUTE!" She had tears in her eyes.
"Who is he?" Ranna cried.
"Vesper Beleren," Chandra replied. "Our beautiful little baby."
"Oh, he's so beautiful," Ranna sobbed, wiping away tears.
They continued through the album, and Ranna really wanted to meet her son and grandson. "Jace won't be back in town until late," Chandra pointed out. "But Vesper is at the beach with two young ladies that Jace used to babysit."
"I have to meet him," Ranna sighed.
"I'll take you there."
