Cinder's POV

"It's good to see you again," I said while hugging an old friend.

Brooke smiled and rested her chin on my shoulder. Her height made it easier to do that as I had to lean into the hug more. "It's good to see you too dear."

While we hugged, Lion and Jake greeted each other with a handshake and hug. When we both gave a good enough greeting, we switched so I could say hi to Jake again.

It's been a while since we last seen them. About 18 years to be more specific. Despite that fact however, both Brooke and Jake haven't changed one bit. Sure they've gotten older with more noticeable wrinkles, but their attitude and morals haven't been modified into something horrendous thankfully. They were still extremely nice while also being respectful to one another. They were just a cute older couple, and it made my heart swell knowing that someday Lion and I could be like them.

Brooke now had short gray hair that was held up in a nice tight bun with little to hanging out in front of her face. She's gotten heavier and wider, but I'm assuming that's because she went through menopause and she's now older. She's always been curvier and hefty than most, but she still looks healthy nonetheless. Though now that I look at Jake, or Storm, I noticed he's stupidly similar to his father when Gray was his age. For all I know, this could be Gray twenty years younger and I wouldn't have noticed anything wrong or unusual even if I took a second look. He lost the pepper color in his hair so now it was just the color of salt, a lot of extra weight went straight to his stomach, but even so he was still skinny for someone his age. And even though his real warrior name is Storm, I would still like to call him Jake considering I've just been used to calling him it when we were in Vegas.

I let go of Jake as the four of us gathered in a circle. "So what's happened since we last saw you two?" Jake joked.

I chuckled at his comment. "A lot of things."

"Do you have any children?" Brooke asked in what I could only describe as a grandmotherly voice.

"Yes," Lion answered before I could, "Two. Holly and Fern, who are both 16."

"Oh how lovely," Brooke cooed, "I hope to meet them very soon." She smiled widely and clasped her hands together. She stood on her toes while her husband smiled down at her. Her now gray hair swayed to the side as she tilted her head in an affectionate way.

"She's always loved kids," Jake told us, "But we unfortunately couldn't have any, so she considers herself the mother of all children per say."

"Grandmother now," Brooke corrected, "I'm in my sixties now, I'm old enough to be a grandparent. And so are you mister."

Brooke pointed at Jake, smirking while putting a hand on her hip. In his eyes, Jake seemed to have aged 30 years by her comment. He sighed and leaned forward, putting a hand on his forehead. "Goodness gracious, has it really been that long? Jesus Christ the years have gone by like that hasn't it?" He snapped his fingers, making me unintentionally jump from the sudden noise.

"Don't be so sad about it," I comforted him, "You still have plenty of life left in you. It isn't quite over just yet."

"She's right pumpkin," Brooke teased, "You're still going to be here for a while. Meaning, you still have to deal with me constantly." She snickered from her joke and leaned up against her husband.

Jake smiled down at her. "That wouldn't be too bad," he responded while resting his arm on her head, "I can deal with that outcome."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Don't pretend you're going along with this. You complain about my snoring constantly."

We laughed together and chatted for a little while until I saw a lot of people go to the lounge area. That's when I remembered what Leaf said a little while ago. She said we were going to review the plan for taking down Jacques. I must've completely forgotten because I got so caught up in meeting old friends that I dismissed the meeting from my mind. The four of us looked at each other and made our way to the lounge area.

"Did Xavier recognize you two when you've met him again?" I asked Brooke.

She nodded and gave a big smile. "He did, well, sort of. At first I could tell he remembered us, but he didn't remember from where. Because of that he actually went up to me and asked if I was one of the older women he slept with."

I gave a disgusted face while Brooke laughed. I couldn't even imagine what Jake felt in that moment. I was uncomfortable by that statement and I'm not even her husband. "Don't worry, don't worry, I explained to him who I actually was and he eventually remembered me enough to take back his statement. But it was hilarious and embarrassing in the moment still."

I nervously chuckled. "If you say so."

On our way to the lounge, I spotted a girl with black hair that was held up in a ponytail. She seemed to be walking with no one and had her arms crossed around her chest awkwardly. I left Brooke's side, calling to her that I'll be right back as I went up to my daughter. "Hey Holly," I nervously called while she turned her green gaze to face me, "I need to talk for you for a moment."

Holly nodded, unsure where I was going with this. She knew me well enough to know I wouldn't do this sort of thing. Usually I would tell her anything in front of people, even when it embarrassed her. So she had the right to be confused by my actions. She followed me into an empty hallway while everyone else went the opposite way as us. Once we were completely alone, I saw Holly get suspicious. Her feet were tapping on the ground in a specific order while she mouthed the numbers to herself. Her fingers crossed each other every so taps and her whole body occasionally twitched whenever the set was done. "Mom, what's going on?" she asked, "Did something happen?"

I gulped, nervously glancing to the side. I felt guilt sweep over my senses as I thought about what I was going to tell her. "Sweetheart, I need to tell you something," I told her, "It's about your brother."

I saw Holly raise one of her eyebrows. "What about him?"

My mouth opened, but no verbal response came out. I quickly relived the memory of Jay telling Lion and I the devastating news. When those words escaped his mouth, I felt my entire heart and soul shatter into an infinite number of pieces. The light in my eyes faded and were instead replaced by soppy and thick tears that fell from my face like the Niagara Falls. I remember putting my hands over my mouth and nose while silently praying to some sort of deity that all of this was not true. That my son was going to live a happy, voluptuous, and long life. But I knew Jay's information wasn't at fault because it never has been before. So why would he be wrong now?

"Holly," I started, already feeling myself get choked up, "Your father and I wanted to tell you this earlier, but we never got the chance because you've always seemed so busy." I took a long sigh, preparing for the worst to come. "Earlier this week, your father and I found out Fern's amputee has a huge impact on the rest of his life. Meaning he will most likely suffer an early death."

Holly's shoulders shrank and her mouth parted ever so slightly. "How early?" she asked.

"Uncle Jay has estimated he will most likely not make it to 30."

A tense silence filled the entire hallway as my daughter looked at me, completely heartbroken. Her large eyes became impossibly larger and her posture stiffened to that of a board. I looked at her with my eyebrows upturned for so long I felt them start to hurt.

"No," Holly finally said, "You're lying, it's not true. It can't be."

"It is sweetie," I replied in a saddened tone, "It's all true. I'm sorry but it is."

I could see my daughter start to fidget even more as the patterns she traced with her fingers and feet became more and more frantic. Her teeth chattered together even though we weren't in a cold place. I placed my hands on their opposite forearms, feeling a bit nervous and self conscious.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Holly practically yelled at me, "He's my brother and best friend, I deserved to know about his condition. I was at the school trying to find where he was so I can return him to the bunker safely. I was there when the group and I found him in the bathroom with only one leg attached to him. Don't I deserve to know his medical state as much as you and Dad do?"

"Hunny-"

"Don't 'hunny' me Mom," Holly lashed out, "I don't have the time or patience to deal with that and neither do you. All I want to know is why you kept it a secret from your own daughter when she had just as much of a right to know as you."

I stood silent for a little bit, hoping to have her calm down so that I could tell her. But the more I waited, the more agitated and impatient Holly got. She crossed her arms over her chest and stomped her foot loudly. When I stayed quiet for a bit to long, her eyebrows narrows as she leaned more towards me. "Well?!" she asked, "Are you going to answer or not?"

I gulped, seeing no other way around this. "It's just that you've been hanging out with all those other kids, like that new Skyclan boy and his friends as well as yours. We never got the chance to tell you because you've been hanging out with them so frequently your father and I never saw an opportunity to get you alone and tell you this private information. You always seemed to be busy, and I think Fern has noticed that as well because he also never got the chance to tell you his condition."

It was Holly's time to remain silent now. Her eyebrows relaxed and her arms loosened so now they were down at her sides. She looked down at our feet as her twitching rhythm came to an end. I didn't say anything, for fear I might make her more upset, so I stood there awkwardly just watching her. After what seemed like forever, my daughter finally turned around and ran away, covering her eyes with her forearm.

I held out my hand and tried to call out to her, but no words came out. When I realized I couldn't stop her from running away, I put my hand down and dazed out in the direction Holly disappeared in. I took a deep breath in and leaned back against the nearby wall, tilting my head back so I was now looking up at the ceiling. Inside my chest, I felt my lungs squeeze on itself, causing my throat to close.

I couldn't blame Holly for just running away like that. I would probably do the same thing if I was in her shoes. She probably feels extremely guilty for her brother as well as agitated at herself for not spending more time with him. Again, I would feel the same thing, so I can never be mad at her for something like this. I think the worst part about her position is how she didn't even know she was doing any harm. She was just having fun with her friends like any other teenager. She was being happy and carefree. So much so that she didn't have the time to find out Fern's condition.

I closed my eyes and took one large breath, feeling my nerves shake from holding back so much emotion. I then let my head fall so I was now facing the wall opposite of me. With one final look at it, I pushed my body off the wall and walked over to the gathering, where Leaf was most likely already introducing the plan. I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling a weird sense of self consciousness overcome my senses. I looked down at my feet as I walked over, not bothering to raise my gaze until I knew everyone was focused on Tiger and Leaf, who were both in the middle of a large semi circle of people.

Tiger's POV

"So," I asked Leaf with my hands on my hips, "What's the ploy so far?"

Leaf gave me an emotionless stare and pressed a large button in her hand. A sudden blue hologram appeared in the center of the circle, illuminating throughout the already dark room. The hologram showed a semi hidden building that I could only guess was the Skyclan school as it definitely wasn't Warrior High.

Leaf cleared her throat before giving her speech in a surprisingly booming voice. "The Skyclan school is a simple yet complicated structure. Half of the building is above land while the other half is below the surface. This was specifically made to protect the school from natural disasters as we frequently get earthquakes here as well as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and even tsunamis. Half of it being below ground to be secure and protected by landslides and tsunamis while the other half is above to not let any serious damage happen in the event of an earthquake. We can't all live inside a mountain after all."

She gave a quick 'don't test me' look before pressing another button that zoomed into a barely visible window. "Jacques Zerev and his comrades broke into the school by smashing their way through the greenhouse. The only area in the school where sunlight can be reached. Even though this area was extremely secure, he still managed to get through by one of his homemade weapons, as you saw in the security camera footage about a week ago. So not only does he have a formidable army, but he has advanced weaponry that can be close to our current technology. Thanks to our mechanical and engineering team, we found out what his weapons were made of, and let me warn you, it isn't pleasant."

Leaf pressed another button as the hologram changed. The school disappeared and was instead replaced with an image of an axe. "We were able to gather one of his weapons from a fallen foe outside the bunker entrance and examine it thoroughly. Everything seemed normal until the team took a good look at what was inside the blade." The hologram zoomed into the axe's blade to show a three different categories of what seemed to be apart of the blade's function. "In the blade, we found three different liquid chemicals that can be altered using a button on the handle, allowing the toxins to switch places easily. The chemicals are Chlorine Trifluoride, Fluoroantimonic acid, and Azidoazide Azide."

Without meaning to I turned my gaze towards Crow. I knew he had a passion for chemistry, so I wanted to see his reaction to those toxins being named. Even though he was far away, I could see his face was filled with nothing but fear. His expression was so worrying I didn't know a person could make that face.

"Before we move on to our actual plan, I need to tell you what these chemicals can do so you know the risk we're taking with this future ploy." Leaf clicked another button and a category containing a group of four molecules came into view. "Chlorine Trifluoride is a colorless gas as well as a green liquid, yet is an extremely poisonous and reactive compound. If it makes contact with any organic material such as us, it would immediately ignite into flames. And if we are in contact with the toxin, we would as well." The button was pressed again as another category containing six molecules this time came into view. "This is Fluoroantimonic acid, the strongest acid known to humanity. If you're wondering how Jacques's team broke through the dense glass of the greenhouse, it's because they used this as well as some firearms for extra measures. Fluoroantimonic acid can eat through anything, including plastic, glass, and even bones. If you came in contact with this substance, your skin would be completely gone in only a short amount of time. So whatever you do, stay away from this substance at all costs." A click came from the button as the final category containing several molecules popped up. "Finally, this is Azidoazide Azide, the most explosive compound known yet. It's said that even the slightest touch or friction of this can cause the substance to detonate immediately. It's highly unstable and the explosion is so powerful and quick you can compare it to a single blink of your eyes." Leaf snapped her fingers, causing a few poor people to jump at the sound.

I felt myself overflow with fear as I took a quick glance at my wife and daughter. Dove was holding onto Pounce tightly as they stood near the hologram, the blue light illuminating off of them. My adam's apple bobbed in my throat as I nervously took a gulp, looking at them with worry. Dove caught my stare and bit her lip, holding Pounce closer to her in response.

"Now," Leaf boomed, causing me to turn back to her, "Need I remind you that this is only one of the weapons. They have several others we still don't know the technology of, so please be cautious with all this information. We know very well that they have firearms, but we don't know what their capable of just yet. If an axe can be able to interlude different dangerous chemicals from its blade, who knows what their other weapons can do. But don't let this scare you. I'll have the mechanical and engineering team try to find a protective gear that will work against them, so don't give up hope just yet." The hologram then suddenly changed to a man's profile. At first, I didn't seem to know who he was. He had short dark hair that swooped over his forehead and sleek dark eyes. It wasn't until I turned to Bramble and see his expression that I understood who it was.

It was Jacques Zerev.

"Over the past week," Leaf said as she put her hands behind her back, "We've looked into Jacques Zerev's track record and found out a lot of useful information. His father, Zachery, was a police officer in the beginning of his life, but soon took advantage of his position and caused a lot of deaths until he was eventually released with no punishment. His mother, however, was a victim of sex trafficking and in the very early stages of his life, so was Jacques. His mother, her name was Anna, helped him escape when he was only four and later paid the consequences for it. Jacques went on a journey to find his father and did eventually find him. There he was raised until Zachery's eventual death."

The room was left in a tense silence. "That's it?" someone in the crowd asked, "That's all you could find?"

"Well he was sent to an orphanage after his father's death and then went to a college afterwards, but that's all we could find on him. However, I encourage all of you to take the time and find your own information on him. The more we know about him, the easier it will be to find out what kind of a person he is. What we do know about him as a person however is that he's cunning and vengeful, a dangerous combination to say the least. And so the only way we can truly defeat him is to outsmart him. He may know how to construct dangerous weapons and fight, but he doesn't know the school as well as we do."

I raised my eyebrow and crossed my arms. "Where are you going with this?"

The hologram changed again so the inside of the school now came into view. Though, it showed a room I've never seen before. In there was a large control panel with several buttons as well as a large TV hanging over it. "This is the control panel for the entire school. And not only that, but it's hidden behind a secret door I can most confidently say Jacques hasn't found yet. You would need fingerprint recognition or else it wouldn't open. So with that in mind, we would need a small team of people to sneak into the room using an air vent from the outside to get into the storage room first and then travel through another to get to the actual control panel. The greenhouse will most likely be guarded so you'll have to sneak in through that way instead."

"But what would the team do when they get to the control panel?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders.

"Long ago when Fire was here," Leaf explained, "We installed a little sequence using the wires under the TV that when in a specific order, will cause the school to self destruct. This was specifically included in the school in case something like this were to happen. But do not fret, there is a two minute timer, so the team will have enough time to get in and out safely. When the timer officially starts, all the outside doors will lock on their own which will trap everyone who's in the building."

"But like you said before," Squirrel expertly pointed out, "Jacques is extremely cunning. What if he manages to escape along with some of his comrades."

"Jacques is indeed cunning," Leaf agreed, "That's why he won't be there. He, along with others, will not be in the school because they'll be fighting the rest of us in the woods far away from Skyclan. When he's out there in the fight, the team will sneak into the school and trigger the self destruct sequence. Like we all know very well by now, Jacques is smart. That's why he won't leave the school unless some of his allies stay behind. With their leader gone and left trapped in the school, they'll have no choice but to die from the eventual explosion. But for this to play out correctly, we need to make sure Jacques gets out and away from the school and to the fight. For that to work, we need spies to lure him to the fight.

"As you may know, two messengers have been sent out to find us every single day since we've escaped the school. When the day for battle comes, we will kidnap two of the messengers who have been sent out and have two of our individuals impersonate them and report to Jacques saying they've spotted Warriors in the forest. There, the rest of us will be waiting for a head on battle. Jacques's main characteristic is also his greatest flaw, his vengefulness. He wouldn't miss this sort of opportunity for the world. So he'll leave while some of his trusted allies are left behind. The only problem with this messenger situation is we need someone who isn't a warrior. It's most likely true that Jacques knows who's a warrior from Warrior High and maybe from Skyclan as well. Because of that, we can't risk sending a warrior out as a messenger, so we'll have to send two of our volunteers."

"Who are you thinking of then?" I asked.

Leaf scanned the crowd quickly. After a few intense moments of silence, she pointed at two people. "You two."

I followed her fingers to see her pointing at Xavier and Half Moon's cousin, who I forgot the name of. Xavier raised an eyebrow while he continued to relax in the plush chair while smoking a cigarette. Half Moon's cousin however was confused at first, but eventually got what Leaf was saying as he made a surprised face after a few seconds.

"Me?" he asked with a very thick French accent.

"Yes you," Leaf confirmed, "You're one of the only people who are most likely not on Jacques's radar. He won't suspect you of anything, and neither will he of Xavier." She cleared her throat and fixed the cuffs on her sleeves. "While the team sneaks into the school and the messengers are there to help them out when needed, the rest of us will wait in the woods right outside the bunker entrance. It's there where we'll finally face off Jacques and his allies. All the experienced warriors and students will fight them head on while all the doctors and younger students will stay behind in the bunker to guard it and treat the injured. Now that I've explained every detail I possibly could," she sighed, "I need volunteers to sneak into the school and initiate the self destruct sequence. About three to six people will be ideal. So with all that out of the way, does anyone want to volunteer for this mission?"

For a few moments, no one moved a muscle. If anything, they all suddenly became statues. When Leaf let out a sigh of irritation, a person finally raised their hand. Everyone turned their heads' toward Jake's raised hand, who when you looked down had a very stern look on his face.

"I'll do it," he announced, "I know machines and hacking better than anyone in this room. I'll go on the mission."

Leaf nodded at the older man as another individual cautiously raised their hand.

"I'll do it too," Half Moon added on, "I have to be there for Oscar after all."

I gave my fellow warrior a half smile before turning to the crowd. "Anyone else?" I asked them in my best announcing voice, "We need at least one more person for the job. Anyone at all?"

I shrugged my shoulders, thinking that no one else would be willing. But when I turned to Leaf to maybe convince her that two people was enough, a hand was raised in the crowd. I looked in their direction as they made their way to the front of the crowd.

"I volunteer as tribute," Holly said in a feeble voice.

"Holly," Lion pleaded, "Wait-"

"No Dad," she shot back and jerked her head towards her father, "I'm willing to do this. They ruined Fern's life after all. I want to show those fuckers they can't break all of us. I want them to pay for what they've done to him."

Lion was about to say something else, but Cinder put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head, stopping his advances. Holly turned back to Leaf and I with seriousness being illuminated from the blue hologram. At first, I was a bit cautious at first by Holly's reasons, but I knew it was better to not argue with her. I give her a small nod and pursed my lips together.

"Now that we have three volunteers, we can go into more detail with the te-"

"Wait!" someone shouted from the crowd.

I turned from Leaf to see who interrupted me. A student pushed through the crowd and arrived at the front with Holly while everyone else stared at him. He was an odd student with odd features about him. I think I remember his name being Fin from when I talked to Twig a few days ago. The look in his eyes showed that he was both scared and nervous at the same time.

"I'll volunteer as well," he announced in a semi loud voice, "No one on the team knows Skyclan well enough to travel through it. They've only been in it for a few hours at most. What if something happens and they have to navigate through the halls? They'll get lost." He cleared his throat and raised his left hand. "I'll go, just in case something like that happens. I know the school better than anyone after all."

"Fin," Sandy spoke up, "Are you sure about this?"

Fin nodded meekly. "I'm sure Dad."

Leaf looked at her student and gave a comforting smile. "Then so be it," she said softly, "I'll meet with the four of you later today to go over the plans and the route you're going to take. And I'll meet with the two messenger spies with the time I have left. However, I do want to point out this final thing. Even with the new recruits coming to our aid, we still don't have enough people to equally match up with Jacques and his army. We're still too small to fight back. And I know we still have more people coming, but it still won't be enough in the end."

The crowd was painted with sad and realizing faces of the horrible truth. I hated to admit it, but Leaf was right. We're still outnumbered, and most likely outskilled. Especially with the new weapons they possess. We really don't stand a chance against them, even after we've tried everything. We would need some sort of miracle to be even with him.

"Not quite yet we're not," someone spoke up.

I raised my head to see Brooke looking at Leaf and I. "I may be able to send you more recruits," she said softly, "I was born and raised in a Native American tribe, where there were about a few thousand members and all of which were taught to fight and hunt at an early age. If I can get in contact with them and if they agree to help our cause, then maybe we still have a fighting chance."

I felt the air loosen finally as Leaf looked at the older woman. "How long will it take for them to get here if they do agree to help us?"

Brooke shrugged. "If I had to guess, maybe a few days at most."

Leaf gave a satisfied nod. "Thank you very much," she thanked, "Thanks to you, we're still able to believe in a happy ending." She looked up at me. "Do you have anything to say?"

I shook my head. "No."

Leaf nodded and turned off the hologram while all the lights came on. "That's the end of the meeting then."

Oscar's POV

"Here," Hallie Marie instructed as she handed me a weird black device, "This will help with the language barrier between the others."

I briefly looked at her before I looked back down at the device. It was sort of a recorder with a large speaker on top of it. And connected to the device was a single earbud. I put the earbud in my left ear and looked to my cousin on what to do now. She giggled and pressed a button on the side, causing the device to glow a bright blue. "This is a translator for you," she explained, "It'll help you communicate better with others. For example, if I say something in English that is relative to your distance, the device will translate the speech for you to French."

Hallie Marie put a piece of white hair behind her ear and said something in English I couldn't understand. Suddenly in the earbud, a robotic voice could be heard. "Is it working for you?" it asked me.

I looked at my cousin with wide eyes, super surprised a device like this exists. Hallie Marie laughed at my reaction, finding humor from my innocence. "I'll take that as a yes then," she got out between the laughs.

"Yeah, it wor-" But I was cut off when the device started to talk back in a robotic voice that I could only guess was in English. Hallie Marie laughed harder and was now clutching onto her stomach from my inexperience. "Holy shit, that scared the fuck out of me."

The device seemed to have repeated what I said as my cousin's husband snickered softly while he was walking to a room in the corner. Even though I knew he couldn't see me, he glanced my way and gave a soft smile before disappearing into the room I first met him in.

When I first met him, I was both scared and infuriated. He scared me because of the glasses he first wore. They made him look like a robot or cyborg or any of that futuristic shit, and that intimidated me. And when I was told he was blind, it scared me even more because he seemed to know where I was instantly and was wickedly smart for him to be a doctor. And yet he made me infuriated because Hallie Marie never told me she got married to this man. Now that I think of it, I was more mad at her than at her husband, Jay. I thought we were close, but I guess I understand her being an assassin and all would settle the argument. But still, it got my riled up for a little bit.

"I better go," Hallie Marie finally said after her laughter calmed down, "Leaf is going to go over the plans for the team. I'll talk to you later though."

With a final wave of her hand, she walked away to where that leader woman with the gray streaks was. I was about to question that odd name, but told myself that this situation was all very strange from the beginning, so I kept my mouth shut.

"Hey man," someone called from a little ways away.

I looked to where the voice came from to find that fat guy from earlier. If I remember correctly, we're supposed to be spies together, or at least that's what Hallie Marie told me. He was smoking an almost burned out cigarette and lounged in a soft chair like he was a king. I looked behind me to see if he was calling someone else, but no one was there.

"Yeah you," he called again and pointed a chubby finger at me, "The French one."

I looked down at my translator suddenly when it started to speak to me through the earbud. It apparently caught on to what the overweight man said as I understood what he meant and walked over to him. I sat down in the chair opposite of him, feeling my posture become stiff from this weird encounter.

"There you go, you got it," the man sneered while taking in a large puff of smoke, "I don't think we've formally introduced ourselves yet. I mean, we might as well start to get to know each other considering we're going to be with each other when the ploy is carried out. So yeah, I'm Xavier."

I took a moment for the device to process what he said before I answered. "Oscar."

Xavier nodded in what seemed to be approval. "Very proper name. Sort of sounds like you come from a rich and sophisticated family. Where they talk about the most basic of things like water, food, getting laid, driving a car as if they're above all those simultaneously. Like the rest of us are the peasants here." He took a moment to inhale another smoke from his cigarette before continuing. "Especially the getting laid part. Rich bastards always seem to avoid that topic because it's 'too personal'. Yeah but, look at our world fuckers. Nothing is private anymore and all our information can be accessed by anyone and people will use it to gather any sort of advantage they can."

I shrugged at his reasons. "Well, you aren't wrong."

Xavier raised an eyebrow at me. "Really, even with the getting laid part?"

I bit my lip, debating on whether to tell him this really personal fact about me. But in my head, all I could think was fuck it as I opened my mouth once again. "Well yeah," I explained, "It's not just the fact that my family isn't very open with the topic, but it's also because I'm Asexual. I've just never been interested or drawn to the idea of 'getting laid' as you called it."

Xavier took a little longer to respond, even when the device finished translating. Finally, he flung the used cigarette on the ground before answering. "Huh," he sighed, "We're opposites you and I. Complete opposites if anything. And I'll be real with you here, I don't know how you do it. Having so much money and status while also being repulsed by the thought of making love with someone." He chuckled as he took out another cigarette. "I would hate to be you."

How does he have so many cigarettes? Was all I could think to myself in the moment. But I felt myself relax from his slight laugh. He had a way with words I've never heard from anyone before. It honestly made me feel nice to know that even in a time like this, this guy always finds something to laugh at. My spirits were lifted once again, and by him of all people believe it or not. "Right back at you," I replied, giving a half smile.

Xavier gave a yellow toothy grin and chuckled loudly. "We got a feisty one here. I mean, not as feisty as Miss Shaved Chick, but I would say you're a close second in my book."

I felt my smile unconsciously grow wider. "I'll take that as a compliment then."

We talked to each other for a little longer, exchanging odd opinions, economic differences, and ironic oxymorons with each other. In a weird way, Xavier fascinated me. Like he said, he's the complete opposite of me, and I've never met someone like him. Probably why he interests me so much. Is this how all lower class American citizens are? Is he even relevant enough to represent them? So many questions formed in my head. So many so that I've lost track of a few while talking to him.

After spending a little time getting to know each other, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see my other cousin, Noelle stand over the chair. "Hey," she asked in fluent French, "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Uh, yeah sure," I stumbled. I quickly wished Xavier farewell, which he greatly received as he gave one to me in return. After the little exchange, I followed Noelle up a set of stairs and then another until we reached a room. We both entered and immediately shut the door behind us. I looked around the small almost dorm room before my cousin motioned me to sit on the flimsy bed. I sat down without hesitation as she sat next to me while I was taking off and shutting down my new translating device.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked.

Noelle seemed stuck, almost uncertain. "Why did you decide to come here?" she finally asked back, "Hallie Marie told me you were a talented artist living and traveling all over Europe. Why did you decide to come here if you knew the risks you were taking?"

I felt my muscles go stiff. I gulped, glancing away quickly. "Do you really want to know?"

Noelle gave a jolty nod, not backing down from this conversation.

"Alright," I gulped again, feeling my adam's apple bob nervously in my throat, "If you really want to know, then I guess I can't stop you." I turned away slightly, looking ahead at the opposite wall instead. "I was doing quite well in my career when you left with Hallie Marie for America. One of my artworks got recognized by a famous critic and my most recent piece at the time was sold for tens of thousands of euros. I was doing what I loved while also making money for everything I needed and wanted. I guess you can say I was really living my best life. The high life some would say. But sadly, that all changed one day when I met an aspiring artist from Finland.

"Her name was Olivia. She was a almost a decade younger than me and one of my really good friends told me to take her under my wing as she perceived herself as being naive. But little did I know who she really was at the time. I remember coming to my studio one day and finding my just finished painting missing. Olivia told me she already sent it to the museum I was partnering with, so I didn't think too much of it. She told me this a few more times with my other art pieces until I went to the museum and they asked me why I haven't been sending in any art. I looked for the pieces I made and found that Olivia covered up my signature and instead replaced it with her's. I confronted her later that evening, but she denied tampering with any of my latest paintings. But I pushed her to tell me over and over again until I think she snapped. The next thing I knew, she had a razor blade up to my neck and was threatening me not to tell anyone. She told me her father worked with powerful people who could kill me if she only asked them to. And the only way to guarantee my life was to continue to create art with her signature on the pieces I've made. In a terrible lapse of judgement, I agreed to all her conditions because I was scared for my life. So for the next ten years or so, I was a pawn to her entire game and because I was terrified of what she'd might do to me, I didn't tell anyone. And I regret not speaking up to this day. I didn't know what I should do with my life until I got the message from Hallie Marie. Since she said this whole organization was a complete secret, I knew I would be safe from her antics. It was the only way I could be free. So one night, I snuck out and took a flight here. And it was then that I finally escaped from Olivia."

I finished my story and looked down at my hands, ashamed and embarrassed that this had to happen to me. On my hands was still acrylic paint from the painting I was making just before I escaped. I remember painting a lone cherry tree on a island surrounded by dark water as the sun was going over the horizon. Pink and orange paint was stuck to my hands like glue and I still had marks from where I held the paintbrush. I was in such a rush to get out of there I didn't even bother to clean up any of the mess I made.

Noelle gently put a hand on my back as I still stared down at my hands. "I'm sorry Oscar," she whispered softly, "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that without anyone else."

I shook my head, frowning. "I'm fine now," I responded, "Olivia can't find me anymore and hopefully the truth will come out now that I'm gone. But I'm still filled with a lot of regret for not doing something sooner. I wasted years of my life under her control when I could've been spending those years being happy and free." I felt myself unintentionally chuckle. "And when I finally decide to do something, the only other option also deals with risking my life as well. I just can't seem to escape death's grasp, can I?"

I let out a shaky sigh while Noelle moved closer to me for comfort. "I just can't seem to win, can I?" I almost cried, but kept the sorrow in my throat where it belonged.

Noelle leaned in and put her head on my shoulder. "You'll be okay," she whispered, "You'll make it through this. We all will. And when we do, you can go live with Hallie Marie at our school, where you'll be far away from Europe and far away from Olivia. You'll be safe there. And you'll get to see me more frequently when I'm not on my missions."

I forced a smile and looked her way. "That's sweet of you Noelle, but am I even allowed to do that?"

Her lips parted slightly. "I'm not completely sure, but I can talk to Hallie Marie about it."

"Alright," I nodded, not even having to force a smile to raise my lips, "Thank you Noelle. Is that all you wanted to ask me?"

She bit her lip and looked to the side. "Well, not entirely," she hesitated, "I need your advice on something. There's this guy I really like and I'm not sure what I should do. I'm not sure if he likes me back, but I don't want to keep it a secret forever, especially when we're in a situation like this. Because I'm not sure if I'm going to see him the next time around, you know?"

I nodded slowly, turning my head a little bit more towards her. "I would say you should just tell him. You shouldn't wait for something that may never come." I took her hand off my back and placed it on the bed slowly. "Don't make the same mistake I made Noelle. Don't keep it in you forever, because if you do, all you will feel is regret later on. Take my word for it."

Noelle looked down a moment before she turned back to me. "Okay," she nodded, "I'll take your advice to heart."

"Thank you," I said as I got to my feet and made my way to the door, "And don't worry so much about your confession. I'm sure it'll be perfect."

She smiled as I opened it. "Thanks for having faith in me, Oscar."

I smiled back at her before walking out and closing the door behind me. I took a large breath, making sure to calm down my nerves. That was a heavy conversation I just had, I thought to myself, I should probably have a lighter one the next time around, should I? I took out my translator and put the earbud in my ear while I turned on the device. I made my way down the two flights of stairs and towards Xavier, who was waiting on the same chair like nothing has even happened. He grinned at me as I sat down in the chair opposite of him like before.

"So," I smiled as the translator spoke in English for Xavier, "Where were we again?"