Happy Monday Everyone! Here`s part two to Vanessa`s story! This will definitely make no sense if you haven't read part one, so if you haven't, go read that first!
A sharp, loud laugh sounded from the living room drawing Vanessa`s attention from her reminiscing, signaling that it was probably the appropriate time to return to Caspian and Kendra. When Vanessa reentered the living room, Caspian appeared more at ease, as did Kendra who reclined on the couch.
"Have fun going through my things Vanessa?" Caspian asked lightly as Vanessa took a seat on the couch. Surprisingly, Caspian didn't appear to be too upset at the thought of Vanessa going through his things.
"How did you-"Caspian cut Vanessa off with a wave of his hand.
"I can spot a spy a mile away. You`d honestly be an idiot to not check."
Vanessa gave short nod, leaning closer to Caspian. "So, on to the reason we`re here. What information do you have?"
Caspian sighed, shifting on his feet and ambled into the kitchen. Vanessa nudged Kendra gently.
"Everything go okay?" Vanessa asked quietly.
"Yeah. I think we can trust him. He`s from an old preserve that officially fell a while ago and was left behind in the chaos." Kendra replied, equally as quiet.
"Okay. Well, just keep your guard up, okay? We don't want him to screw us over." Kendra nodded, returning her attention to Caspian who came back into the living room, holding a stack of papers, several folders and a pile of old looking books as well as an extra chair from the kitchen table. He plopped the pile onto the coffee table in front of them and placed the chair across from Vanessa and Kendra.
"About fifty years ago, a man named the Sphinx visited a preserve in Nigeria and two weeks later the caretakers were dead and the preserve fell," Caspian spoke dispassionately, though Vanessa could sense that this story hit a little too close to home. "The Knights of the Dawn cleaned up the area as best as they could and removed the most dangerous creatures. But most of the other creatures had made a home there, so the Knights set up a defensive spells around the perimeter of the old preserve and left the creatures to live peacefully," Caspian leaned forward and opened one of the folders, pointing at a picture of an gate and a large house. The picture featured a family, standing arm in arm with each other. "And it was my home up until the Sphinx came."
"What`s this?" Kendra asked, having picked up one of the books that Caspian had brought in. It was a small journal with frayed pages. Inside were several drawings and maps, along with compact, curling script filling the pages.
"It belonged to the Sphinx. He brought it with him to the preserve. I stole it from him before I fled the preserve. Are you both familiar with the Sphinx?"
Vanessa looked over at Kendra who looked mildly disturbed and nodded. "Yes."
"The Sphinx came to the preserve in response to a threat of demon activity. The caretakers were worried that demons were getting too close for comfort. So, they called up the Sphinx and he came and helped get the threat under control. And then after he left the demons attacked and killed the caretakers and anyone who dared oppose their rule." Caspian said bitterly.
"Set up a threat, then come to the rescue in order to build trust." Kendra murmured, staring at the photographs of the ruined preserve. Vanessa caught her eye and immediately knew what she was thinking.
Though Vanessa and Kendra`s relationship had improved dramatically since they had fought together at Zzyxx, they both avoided their past like the plague. It was painful and Vanessa felt that Kendra still harbored some resentment towards Vanessa`s betrayal. And truthfully, Vanessa couldn't blame Kendra at all. When the two had met, Kendra had been rebuffed by Coulter simply because she was a girl and had ended up assisting Vanessa instead. The two had become friends, and Vanessa couldn't keep herself from befriending the girl. She genuinely the kid. She was smart, kind and talented, even if she was a little overly cautious and even weak at times. But, in the end, it was Vanessa who had been wrong. She had underestimated the Sorenson siblings, and her capture was directly orchestrated by two teenagers, a feat, that in all her years she had never had anyone achieve.
"So you`re aware of the Sphinx`s methods?" Caspian asked watching Kendra and Vanessa closely.
"Yes." Kendra replied, not tearing her gaze from Vanessa`s. "He tried to destroy my home many times."
"I`m so sorry." Caspian`s voice was quiet and somber, his outward expression of carelessness and arrogance melting away.
"Anyway, the Sphinx destroyed your preserve and you escaped with his journal?" Kendra sat up straighter, thankfully changing the subject.
Caspian recovered quickly, leaning back in his chair. "Yes, and I`ve spent all the time I could the past few years trying to figure out what really happened that day."
"Alright," Vanessa replied cautiously. "Not to be insensitive, but what exactly does this have to do with us? The Sphinx was brought down months ago."
"Well, remember how I mentioned the creatures who were left still live in the old preserve?"
"Yes?"
"Well," Caspian fumbled around eagerly for one of the papers, extracting it from the pile. "A few months ago, I went back there. And I found the old preserve. But… something was…different. The creatures kept talking about attacks from outside the perimeter."
"And you think the Sphinx has something to do with it?" Vanessa asked curiously.
"I think that there is a correlation between what the Sphinx did all those years ago and what is happening now." Caspian asserted carefully.
"So you want us to help save your preserve?" Kendra asked skeptically.
"I want the Knights to reconsider establishing the preserve. If they do it`ll protect those creatures from more attacks. For now, I just…" Caspian trailed off. "I need you two to deliver this information to the Knights. They`ll listen to some of their own."
Vanessa glanced at Kendra who smiled a little sadly and spoke to Caspian in the strange language that Vanessa did not understand. Caspian responded similarly, glancing at Vanessa. The two traded conversation for a bit, until Kendra stood and asked to use Caspian`s bathroom. He told her where it was and she left the room, leaving Vanessa and Caspian alone.
The two sat awkwardly for a moment before Caspian leaned forward, staring at her.
Getting increasingly uncomfortable, Vanessa snapped at him. "What?"
"You know the Sphinx pretty well don`t you?" Caspian asked, seeming to be interested.
"Why would you say that?"
Caspian leaned back thoughtfully. "When I mentioned the Sphinx, your face changed."
Vanessa blanched, did it? "I have experience with his methods."
Caspian smiled a little, "That`s not an answer."
"What did Kendra say to you?" Vanessa fired the question hoping to distract him.
"She said that she believed me and she understood what it was like be betrayed, and that she would do everything she could to help."
Vanessa sighed, leaning back against the couch. Of course Kendra would say that. It was just who she was. Even after Vanessa betrayed Kendra, gotten her brother eaten, Kendra still saved her life. It was just who Kendra was. And honestly, Vanessa coveted that ability at times, because despite how much Kendra had been hurt, she never lost her ability to see the good in people.
"So I assume that you, Kendra and the Sphinx have some unresolved history." Caspian prodded, obviously unwilling to let it go.
Vanessa shook her head but answered him anyway. "I once trusted the Sphinx and because of that, I was willing to look past his methods. I betrayed Kendra and then she saved my life. And then the Sphinx betrayed me and I lost everything and everyone."
"And now?"
Vanessa sent him a strange look. "Now what?"
"You said that you lost everything and everyone, but it looks to me like that's not really true anymore. So is it?"
Vanessa shrugged, not sure if she wanted to get into this with Caspian.
Caspian nodded, letting silence take over the room. In the dungeons of Fablehaven, when Mr. Lich mentioned punishment in the Quiet Box, it was like she could feel her heart shatter. But she had ignored her emotions and scrawled a message to Kendra, hoping that Kendra would have enough goodwill left to find the message and read it. When she had finished the note, she laid on the cot in the dungeon, awaiting her punishment. It had hurt to see Kendra and Seth there, watching her be put in the Quiet Box, but it had hurt even more to see the Sphinx, a man who she had trusted, and even loved doing this to her. And then, she stepped into the box and her entire world went dark.
"Ready to go Vanessa?" Kendra stepped back into the living room after a few moments.
"Yeah, yeah." Vanessa jumped up, as did Caspian, who collected the papers and folders on the table and handed them off to Kendra.
"Here, take these."
Kendra nodded, telling Caspian something in the strange language that the two had been conversing in. Caspian gave a quick smile and nodded.
"Thank you. Both of you." Vanessa nodded to Caspian and followed Kendra out of the apartment door.
"And Vanessa?" She turned back to Caspian who stood in the door of his apartment.
"You never answered my question."
Vanessa began to reply, but Caspian held up a hand.
"I don't need to hear the answer Vanessa, but maybe it`s something you should consider."
Vanessa nodded thoughtfully, "Goodbye Caspian."
"Vanessa?" The sound of Kendra`s voice made her look up from her phone, where she was writing a message to Stan about what they had found.
"Yeah Kendra?" Vanessa asked, turning to Kendra who hovered in the doorway of their joint hotel rooms.
"Why did you do it?" The question made Vanessa freeze and Kendra continued hurriedly. "I mean, well, I was thinking when we first met. How you… betrayed us. And I`ve always wondered why you did it."
Vanessa stared at Kendra for a moment, biting her lip and considering her response. There was, of course, the vague response that would answer Kendra`s question technically, but Vanessa had a feeling that Kendra wasn't really asking for a half-assed response, so she tried to be as honest as possible.
"I was in love with the Sphinx. And that blinded me to the ugly truth of what the Sphinx was willing to do to accomplish his mission," Vanessa smiled sadly as Kendra came over to sit next to Vanessa on the bed. "When I came to Fablehaven, I wasn't expecting it to be my last mission, or that the Sphinx would end up betraying me in the end."
"I understand that… but… I don't understand why you lied about being my friend, even when you knew that you were just going to betray me in the end." Kendra replied slowly, staring at her hands that were fisted in her lap.
"I never intended to be your friend, or get that close to you, but… I just, I don't know. I liked you and, I liked the rest of you all as well. I betrayed you all, but not at all because I hated any of you or resented you in anyway." Vanessa answered carefully.
Kendra nodded, choosing not to respond. So, Vanessa laid a hand in Kendra`s shoulder carefully.
"I can never truly say in words how sorry I am for what I did to you. It was wrong, and more than that, I hurt some of the only good people in my life. I don't know if I can ever really make up for what did, but I hope that my actions now will prove to you that I`m telling the truth."
Kendra gave a humorless laugh, "I resented you for such a long time," Vanessa half expected Kendra to stop speaking, but was surprised when Kendra continued. "Not because of what you did, but that I cared so much."
Vanessa squeezed Kendra`s shoulder. "I`m sorry Kendra and I will spend the rest of my life making up for what I did. I just hope that one day you can forgive me." Vanessa dropped her hand from Kendra's shoulder, watching her carefully.
Kendra took a deep breath, looking up at Vanessa, tears in her eyes. "I do forgive you Vanessa. And you have proved yourself."
"Really?"
Kendra grinned at Vanessa, "Well you did literally go to the end of the world to make up for it so…" Kendra joked, bumping Vanessa`s shoulder with her own.
Vanessa smiled, feeling her heart lift a little. "Thank you Kendra."
Kendra laughed a little, looking back down at her lap. "You know, when you betrayed me, and then the Sphinx and then Gavin, the worst part was how alone I felt. I didn't know who I could trust and I was so afraid that I would never be able to trust anyone ever again," Kendra glanced up, a small smile on her lips. "But I think I was wrong about that. I think I was wrong about you."
Vanessa returned the smile, "That means a lot, especially coming from you, considering what I did. And I hope that you`ll be able to trust me again."
"I do trust you." Kendra stood, heading over to the door.
Before she left, she glanced back at Vanessa carefully. "What did Caspian mean? About considering something?"
"Just… something… he asked me." Vanessa chose to keep her answer vague, mostly because she was unsure of the answer herself.
"Well, have you figured it out?" Kendra asked curiously.
Vanessa smiled a little. "I think so."
Kendra grinned back at her. "That`s good." She left the room, shutting the door behind her softly.
As Vanessa laid in bed that night, she thought about what Caspian had said to her, and he was right. She wasn't really alone at all, was she? She had the Sorenson family, Kendra and Seth, Warren, Tanu, Dale and all the rest, even after everything that she had done. And it was official, for the first time in a long time, Vanessa Santoro wasn't alone. She had a family, friends, and she was not alone.
Thank you guys so much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you to Jesus saved even me, Wolf Lover27, scientificallyprovennerd, roseannej, and FairyGirl22 for the support, it means to the world to me! Have a good week everyone!