The van was loaded. Passengers were strapped in. And the whole four-wheeled catastrophe rolled back into the street before driving forward, on its way to another city some hours away.
Leni sighed, waving it off. Lori stood next to her, waving as well.
"Well," Lori sighed. "That's that."
The "arrangement," as Leni understood it, was that she'd be allowed to stay home, provided that Lori stayed with her.
It was amazing to Leni how she could be so relieved and yet so heartbroken at the same time.
"Hey," Lori caught her sister's attention. "I'm going to go talk with Mr. Grouse. He mentioned having an old car for sale. After that, I'm going job hunting."
"Want me to come with you?"
Lori shook her head. "No. You should rest. Why don't you check that donations page?"
"Okay."
"After that, shoot me a text," she instructed. "See what you want for dinner."
"Dad cooked us a bunch of meals, though."
"If that's what you want," Lori shrugged. "I'll bring home Starbucks later."
Leni's mouth started to drool. "Yes, please."
Alarms went off across the facility. Bodies littered the floor of the prison. Sloth was instructed to leave most of them alive, and he was happy to oblige. So much work, killing a guy. And he had too much to do already.
He freed the prisoners, each door creeping open one by one.
King stepped out first. With the power dampening lights out of commission, he felt stronger with every step.
"My subjects…" he growled to the criminals in the room. "It's time to take our place… as rulers of this accursed city!"
Roars of confirmation and victory echoed throughout the makeshift manor. The building, for all its seclusion, was still far too close to the city.
The ride was almost completely silent as the family made their way to Great Lakes City. Music seemed unseemly. Horseplay appeared blasphemous. Any game or sign of mischief was silently deemed inappropriate by the individual occupants.
Fifty-five minutes to noon, they pulled up to the bodega in the middle of town.
"Alright everyone," Rita instructed. "Let's all go visit the Casagrande's. I want everyone to be on their best behavior, and be sure to thank them for letting us stay!"
Grumbles of agreement rumbled among the crowd.
Lincoln huffed as he lowered himself to the ground. Luna stood by at the ready while Luan handed him his crutches.
"Need help with the stairs, bro?" Luna offered.
"No." Lincoln sighed. "I got it. It's just going to take a minute."
Lincoln looked around the lobby and sighed. It'd be too easy if they had an elevator, wouldn't it?
With effort, he made his way to the second floor, and with his sisters standing next to him, he rang the doorbell.
Ronnie Anne opened it with a smile.
"Hey guys- Whoa," she blinked. "Are you okay?"
It was then that Lincoln realized they might all have a sour look on their faces.
"Yeah," Lincoln tried to smile back. "Um, thanks for letting us stay here."
"Yeah, no problem," she stepped aside, letting a kindly old woman step into view.
"Oh hello, dearies!" she greeted the three of them. "Oh Lincoln, you little trooper, why don't you come in? You can rest for a bit while I show your sisters to your rooms."
"Sounds good to me," Luna smiled, following the older woman into the hallway. Luan followed suit, though silently. She seemed more sad than angry. "Our parents are downstairs. They'll be up in just a second."
"Oh, wait!" Abuela turned around. "Lincoln, there's some sodas in the fridge, and help yourself to the pantry!"
"Thanks," Lincoln waved.
With that, Ronnie Anne and Lincoln were alone.
"My cousins can help with the bags and stuff," Ronnie walked Lincoln to the couch. "Are… are you okay?"
"Yeah," Lincoln huffed. "I mean, I don't know."
"I heard Lori and Leni weren't coming," she added.
"Yeah," he answered. "Not too jazzed about that."
They sat down, and Lincoln set his crutches aside.
"So what happened?"
Lincoln sighed. She'd been so cool with keeping this a secret. Both her and Bobby, from their own family no less. Crap; did Lori have a cover story for why she- of all people- wasn't coming to Great Lakes City?
"A lot," Lincoln rubbed his eyes. "Alright, here's the abridged version…"
Lincoln explained as best he could, as much as he could remember. After the fight with King, even more people started popping up with powers, except this time they had an animal theme to them. If he had to guess, anyone who was exposed to radiation, and didn't get powers the first time around, got powers this time around. Including Lana, who now looked like a lizard person. King called it his "Second Wave" and now its clear he wanted it so he had more people to control.
And that's not even going into the fact that Victoria Grace, fashion designer extraordinaire, tried to make a play as a crime lord (lady, whatever). She even had a mad scientist in her employ, one that tried to build a machine to take away Leni's powers.
Leni confronted her about it, Grace kidnapped Luan and held her hostage. Leni got her out, and even got the evidence to send her to jail. But…
"…I guess that was the last straw," Lincoln sighed, taking a breath. "Mom and Dad are too scared to stay in the city anymore. Now we're here."
The two sat in silence for a while. Neither knew what to say to the other.
"I'm sorry," Ronnie Anne finally spoke. "I had no idea."
"It's okay," Lincoln nodded. "Sorry I haven't been in touch, but…" he gestured to his legs. "I've been working through some stuff."
"So… why'd you all leave home, again?"
"Because… It's not safe?"
"I mean, it worked out, didn't it?"
"Luan almost died."
"But she didn't," Ronnie Anne argued. "I mean, I'm not judging, or anything, but doesn't this all mean that Leni did exactly what she said she'd do? She protected you guys. She's protecting the city right now. I mean, doesn't that count for something?"
...
Leni straightened in her seat as a sound pierced through her ears. She stood, setting her laptop aside. The sound was unmistakable. Screaming. Horror. A cry for help.
Leni cringed as she remembered the donations page dedicated to her. She wasn't sure she deserved such a thing, but that didn't matter right now. She made her way upstairs and into her room. She changed out of her clothes, wearing the costume that had turned into her uniform of choice. She paused when she saw the phone on her bed.
There was a sudden chill up her spine, like something awful was about to happen. She shook it off and put the phone into a side pouch. It was time to go.
A short flight downtown showed the signs of distress. The screams and cries for help were coming from the mall.
She flew through the massive hole of the shopping center to see the source of the destruction. King and his minions were free!
"Bow before us!" the lion man bellowed. "And we'll only kill a certain few of you! Offer us your tributes in this faux pantheon you sycophants worship!"
Leni sighed and rolled her shoulders back. Her hands were on her hips, and she looked down on King with a disappointed frown.
"For the record," she spoke aloud. "There's nothing wrong with having a spot to hang out and socialize."
King looked back at her and grinned.
"Ah. Look who it is." He waved an arm at the chaos and looting. "I believe you've met my army?"
The beast-men all fell in behind him. Goat, Void-Frog, Leech, Hate-Raiser, and the newest addition of the sloth-boy, Sloan.
"You might have noticed the theme around them?" King grinned. "Shame about your sister, though. She would have made such a fine addition to my army. The perfect Envy."
"Why this?" Leni demanded. "What's the point to making them based on…"
"The Seven Sins?" King licked his chops. "Isn't it obvious? When I take over this world, I'll destroy any semblance to the old one! Rights and wrongs are deemed by the strong! And none are stronger than me!"
"That's enough," Leni shook her head and waved her hand to dismiss them. "I've beaten you all before. I can do it again."
"Not all at once, though," Frog ribbited.
"Yeah," Hate agreed. "And with King's anger fueling me, I bet even I can tear you apart."
"Let's not be too hasty," Leech held up his hands, the disgusting needles reaching out from his palms. "I want her first."
"I want to pla-a-a-ay with her a little," Goat brayed with a wicked smile.
"Not me," Sloan bared his claws. "I wanna get this over with."
Leni dropped to the ground, and set her feet apart. She held her hands in front of her, ready to fight.
The villains charged at her, with snarling ferocity.
Lori walked out of the office with her application in hand. Just needs to download the Food Fast App, and she'll be all set to make some deliveries.
She walked down the street to her car. Well, that might be too kind to the vehicle. It was more rust than car. Lori wasn't the best with car models, but she couldn't even tell what company the original owner of this mechanical deathtrap was.
Well, it ran. That's what counted.
As she made her way back to the parking spot, she passed by some construction guys crowding around a radio.
Well, at least they're not catcalling me. Lori thought to herself.
Then she got within earshot of the radio.
"Eye witness reports say the mall has become ground zero for another superhuman attack. Suspects currently sighted include the lion-man hybrid, King, and several associates. All citizens are being asked to stay away from the sight and let the police and Sky-Girl handle it."
Oh no.
Lori ran the rest of the way to her car. She didn't know what she could do, but she had to get there as fast as she could.
Things are not going well for the teenaged superhero.
She had initially charged forward, figuring that, with her speed, she had all the time in the world to figure out how to take out six villains at the same time, but she was blindsided. Sloan attacked her, tackling her through the glass display case of an underwear shop.
Leni's cape had fallen over her head, blinding her as she sat in the knocked over racks of bras. She flipped it over, looking up at Sloan in astonishment.
"You're… like me…?"
Sloan shrugged, and reeled an arm back over his head.
Leni lunged forward, grabbing him by the wrist and slamming him into the floor as more people cried out from their hiding places. Some took the opportunity to scramble away.
"Sloan, I know you can beat this!" she pleaded. "You can resist King's control. My sister can do it, and so can you!"
"Ow," he groaned as he sat up to standing. "Why would you make that point after attacking me? 'Sides. I don't want to. All I gotta do is kill you. Then I'll be free to do whatever. So if you could just die real quick, that'd be great."
"Wait your turn, Sloth!"
Leni's vision was blurred as a massive black hand grabbed her head, flinging her out of the store and slamming her face into the tiles outside. The hand let her go, and a hoof started slamming into the small of her back.
"Make her a damn cripple!" Hate-Raiser snarled and drooled. "Embarrassing me like she did!"
"She's mine!" Something stuck to the back of her neck, it wrenched her into the air and whipped her into a wall, breaking more tiles before slamming her onto her back. Her blurry vision soon focused on Frog. "I'll put her on display! The finest piece of my collection!"
"Let me at her!" Leech ran up to her. "I'll drain her dry! I'll watch her die!"
"Wait, allow me," Goat intersected. "I'll stick her in a dream state so deep, she'll never wake again. She'll practically be a vegetable. We'll be free to do whatever we want with her after that."
"No." Leni coughed up something wet. It was suddenly hard to breathe. She fought to get back up. Something was definitely broken, but she couldn't tell what. Her shock was shielding her from the pain while her healing power is doing everything it can to keep her alive.
"No." someone else commanded. "As King, it is my duty, and privilege, to dispose of this trash."
Leni coughed as King stood over her. She flipped over to her stomach. She lifted herself on her elbows, and started clawing at the ground. She had to get away. She has to regroup. Come up with a plan.
"Uh oh," King mocked as he reached down and grabbed her head. "Watch out, gentlemen. I think the hero is developing a new superpower!"
Cruel laughter sounded the girl as she tried to pull herself free of King's grip.
"Look," he said, stepped over to something. "I think she can go through walls now."
He reeled Leni back over his shoulder and slammed her into a concrete wall. The tiles and plaster completely shattered and rained down on King's fist and Leni's shoulders.
"Oops," King taunted further. "Let's keep trying."
He reeled his arm back, and slammed her head into the wall. Again, and again, and again.
Leni was starting to lose consciousness. Her vision was red. Her mind was static. Her body felt numb. Her ears were ringing. She could taste blood and smell the iron in the air. Was that hers? She couldn't think.
There was nothing else but this. This gruesome rhythm.
The chaos and rubble did little to dissuade the press from observing the action. As cameramen fought to get past the police barriers, Katherine Mulligan and her cameraman got through, and hid behind some of the malls plastic shrubbery.
"Are you getting this, Jerry?" the reporter questioned.
"We're rolling."
"This is Katherine Mulligan with Royal City News," the woman reported, albeit in a hushed voice. "We're live on the scene of this latest villain attack, and Skygirl has just entered the scene."
"That's enough," the superhero demanded. "I've beaten you all before, and I can do it again."
"A paragon of bravery and virtue," Katherine narrated. "Truly a real hero through and through."
They watched as the hero was assaulted by her enemies. Smashing into a store, only to be drug back out and slammed to the walls and flooring. How in the world is that girl even alive right now? They watched as they made their disturbing suggestion, and looked on in horror as the massive King pulled her up by her head and walked up to a wall. He slammed her face into it. And then he repeated the process, over and over again.
"Oh my God," Katherine covered her mouth. She felt like she was going to be sick, but the camera was right over her shoulder. She kept reporting. "I… Our superhero… the brave girl is doing everything she can to defeat these villains… but she is outnumbered… and needs help. I don't know if… there's anybody out there who can help. I…"
Katherine couldn't help but look on in despair.
"I'm not sure there's anything anyone can do."
She stood, setting her laptop aside. The sound was unmistakable. Screaming. Horror. A cry for help.
Leni cringed as she remembered the donations page dedicated to her. She wasn't sure she deserved such a thing, but that didn't matter right now. She made her way upstairs and into her room. She changed out of her clothes, wearing the costume that had turned into her uniform of choice. She paused when she saw the phone on her bed.
There was a sudden chill up her spine, like something awful was about to happen. She shook it off and put the phone into a side pouch. It was time to go.
A short flight downtown showed the signs of distress. The screams and cries for help were coming from the mall.
She flew threw the massive hole of the shopping center to see the source of the destruction. King and his minions were free!
"Bow before us!" the lion man bellowed. "And we'll only kill some of you! Offer us your tributes in this faux pantheon you sycophants worship!"
Leni sighed and rolled her shoulders back. Her hands were on her hips, and she looked down on King with a disappointed look.
"For the record," she spoke aloud. "There's nothing wrong with having a spot to hang out and socialize."
King looked back at her and grinned.
"Ah. Look who it is." He waved an arm at the chaos and looting. "I believe you've met my army?"
The beast-men all fell in behind him. Goat, Void-Frog, Leech, Hate-Raiser, and the newest addition of the sloth-boy, Sloan.
"You might have noticed the theme around them?" King grinned. "Shame about your sister, though. She would have made such a fine addition to my army."
"Why this?" Leni demanded. "What's the point to making them based on…"
"The Seven Sins?" King licked his chops. "Isn't it obvious? When I take over this world, I'll destroy any semblance to the old one! Rights and wrongs are deemed by the strong! And none are stronger than me!"
"That's enough," Leni shook her head and waved her hand to dismiss them. "I've beaten you all before. I can do it again."
"Not all at once, though," Frog ribbited.
"Yeah," Hate agreed. "And with King's anger fueling me, I beat we can tear her apart."
"Let's not be too hasty," Leech held up his hands.
"I want to pla-a-a-ay with her," Goat brayed with a wicked smile.
"Not me," Sloan bared his claws. "I wanna get this over with."
Leni dropped to the ground, and set her feet apart. She held her hands in front of her, ready to fight.
The villains charged at her, with snarling ferocity.
Lori walked out of the office with her application in hand. Just needs to download the Food Fast App, and she'll be all set to make some deliveries.
She walked down the street to her car. Well, that might be too kind to the vehicle. It was more rust than car. Lori wasn't the best with car models, but she couldn't even tell what company the original owner of this mechanical deathtrap was.
Well, it ran. That's what counted.
As she made her way back to the parking spot, she passed by some construction guys crowding around a radio.
Well, at least they're not catcalling me. Lori thought to herself.
Then she got within earshot of the radio.
"Eye witness reports say the mall has become ground zero for another superhuman attack. Suspects currently sighted include the lion-man hybrid, King, and several associates. All citizens are being asked to stay away from the sight and let the police and Sky-Girl handle it."
Oh no.
Lori ran the rest of the way to her car. She didn't know what she could do, but she had to get there as fast as she could.
Things are not going well for the teenaged superhero.
She had initially charged forward, figuring that, with her speed, she had all the time in the world to figure out how to take out six villains at the same time, but she was blindsided. Sloan attacked her, tackling her through the glass display case of an underwear store.
Leni's cape had fallen over her head, blinding her as she sat in the knocked over racks of bras. She flipped it over, looking up at Sloan in astonishment.
"You're… like me…?"
Sloan shrugged, and reeled an arm back over his head.
Leni lunged forward, grabbing him by the wrist and slamming him into the floor as more people cried out from their hiding places.
"Sloan, I know you can beat this!" she pleaded. "You can resist King's control. My sister can do it, and so can you!"
"Ow," he groaned as he sat up to standing. "Why would you make that point after attacking me? 'Sides. I don't want to. All I gotta do is kill you. Then I'll be free to do whatever. So if you could just die real quick, that'd be great."
"Wait your turn, Sloth!"
Leni's vision was blurred as a massive black hand grabbed her head, flinging her out of the store and slamming her face into the tiles outside. The hand let her go, and a hoof started slamming into the small of her back.
"Make her a damn cripple!" Hate-Raiser snarled and drooled. "Embarrassing me like she did!"
"She's mine!" Something stuck to the back of her neck, it wrenched her into the air and whipped her into a wall, breaking more tiles before slamming her onto her back. Her blurry vision soon focused on Frog. "I'll put her on display! The finest piece of my collection!"
"Let me at her!" Leech ran up to her. "I'll drain her dry! I'll watch her die!"
"Wait, allow me," Goat intersected. "I'll stick her in a dream state so deep, she'll practically be a vegetable. We'll be free to do whatever we want with her after that."
"No." Leni coughed up something wet. It was suddenly hard to breathe. She fought to get back up. Something was definitely broken, but she couldn't tell what. Her shock was shielding her from the pain while her healing power is doing everything it can to keep her alive.
"No." someone else agreed. "As King, it is my duty, and privilege, to dispose of this trash."
Leni coughed as King stood over her. She flipped over to her stomach. She lifted herself on her arms, and started clawing at the ground. She had to get away. She has to regroup. Come up with a plan.
"Uh oh," King mocked as he reached down and grabbed her head. "Watch out, gentlemen. I think the hero is developing a new superpower!"
Cruel laughter sounded the girl as she tried to pull herself free of King's grip.
"Look," he said, stepped over to something. "I think she can go through walls now."
He reeled Leni back over his shoulder and slammed her into a concrete wall. The tiles and plaster shattered and rained down on King's fist and Leni's shoulders.
"Oops," King taunted further. "Let's keep trying."
He reeled his arm back, and slammed her head into the wall. Again, and again, and again.
Leni was starting to lose consciousness. Her vision was red. Her mind was static. Her body felt numb. Her ears were ringing. She could taste blood and smell the iron in the air. Was that hers? She couldn't think.
There was nothing else but this. This gruesome rhythm.
The chaos and rubble did little to dissuade the press from observing the action. As cameramen fought to get past the police barriers, Katherine Mulligan and her cameraman got through, and hid behind some of the malls plastic shrubbery.
"Are you getting this, Jerry?" the reporter questioned.
"We're rolling."
"This is Katherine Mulligan with Royal City News," the woman reported, albeit in a hushed voice. "We're live on the scene of this latest villain attack, and Skygirl has just entered the scene."
"That's enough," the superhero demanded. "I've beaten you all before, and I can do it again."
"A paragon of bravery and virtue," Katherine narrated. "Truly a real hero through and through."
They watched as the hero was assaulted by her enemies. Smashing into a store, only to be drug back out and slammed to the walls and flooring. How in the world is that girl even alive right now? They watched as they made their disturbing suggestion, and looked on in horror as the massive King pulled her up by her head and walked up to a wall. He slammed her face into it. And then he repeated the process, over and over again.
"Oh my God," Katherine covered her mouth. She felt like she was going to be sick, but the camera was right over her shoulder. She kept reporting. "I… Our superhero… the brave girl is doing everything she can to defeat these villains… but she is outnumbered… and needs help. I don't know if… there's anybody out there who can help. I…"
Katherine couldn't help but look on in despair.
"I'm not sure there's anything anyone can do."
Leni's mind was gone. She could still feel the sensations of her body, but it was an island. Everything off the island was just a suggestion. There's no proof that anything existed besides this island.
Maybe I should just go to sleep.
Something warm flashed across her skin. She flinched at the touch, but didn't retaliate. There was mumble outside, but she couldn't hear it. Something dropped her to the cold floor. There were trails of warmth and heat racing above her, but she couldn't see or hear what it was. A pair of hands grabbed her and started dragging her away.
Someone was crying out. Someone else was crying. Who was that? She sounds… familiar.
She was placed on some cushions; her head was next to someone's lap. There was shouting. There was wind. One of the voices sounded familiar too, but for a different reason. That third voice sounded new.
Leni felt cold.
Lori got out of the car, tears streaming down her face. This was not happening. This could not be happening.
Her passengers joined her outside. It would've been bad enough on its own if Meltdown was back in town, but now he had a friend.
"I think she'll be fine," the Indian boy said with a slight accent. "Let's get her inside."
Lori had grabbed Leni's shoulders, walking her out of the car with a blanket covering her head. Meltdown walked ahead and opened the door for them.
The new boy wasn't anyone Lori recognized. He was sharply dressed, giving the illusion that he was a little older than what he actually was. The sixteen-year-old wore a buttoned-down white dress shirt, black work pants, tennis shoes, and a pair of square rimmed glasses. They might have been thicker than Lisa's though Lori doubted it.
"Easy, now," Raj instructed. He had an accent, but it wasn't Indian. It was something else. Lori suspected French, but she was too distraught to think about it right now.
The got her inside and laid her gently on the couch. As Lori walked by her, she felt something grab her wrist.
She screamed as she looked down and saw that Leni had reached up and grabbed her.
"Easy now!" Raj held up an arm. "She's still conscious. Leni, can you hear anything? Give a thumbs up if you can hear me."
The hand let go of Lori and flicked her thumb up towards the ceiling. Only to reach out again.
Lori met her grasp with her hand, and she held onto her sister like a lifeline.
"What's happening?" she asked the boy. "She's… she's in such bad shape. I thought you said she was dead."
"No," Raj disagreed. "I did not. I said this would kill a normal person. Let me see…"
He attentively lifted the cloth covering her face.
"Hmm," he hummed. "Interesting. There's definitely more here than the was before. Her muscles and skin are growing back to what they were."
"Really?" Lori leaned over his shoulder. She lost her stomach back when she first saw her. "That's a good thing?"
"Give it time," he instructed. "Let's get some peroxide, and a washcloth, just in case. Don't want anything getting infected."
"Okay," Lori stood and turned. She made eye contact with Meltdown and registered his presence here once again. She leered her eyes at him.
Was she really about to leave Leni here with him? She doesn't even want him in the same room as her.
"…Or I could get it," Raj coughed. "If you just told me."
"Cabinet," Lori answered. "Bathroom at the end of the hall. Upstairs."
"Right," Raj made himself scarce.
Lori and Meltdown stared at each other for a moment.
His costume had changed since she saw him last. It was still a pattern of red, black, and orange. Only now it looked more like a motorcycle outfit. The helmet's visor framed his face, highlighting his eyes and mouth. Lori had a feeling Leni was into him, and she could see why. He was handsome, but what he did went beyond all of that. Holding her family hostage. Declaring a war on gangsters and criminals. Manipulating other people to do what he wants.
He cleared his throat.
"I heard…" he addressed Lori for the first time since seeing her today. "I heard about your brother. I'm glad he's okay."
"You don't get to be glad," Lori spat. "Tell me why I'm not beating you to death with a baseball bat right now."
He cringed at her words but didn't back down.
"Because I saved Leni's life," he answered. "And… like what I said earlier, I'm here to help."
"I think you've down enough to my family," Lori gritted her teeth.
Meltdown lowered his head, considering something.
"If you want me gone, that's fine," he answered. "but I came because I heard about King and his plan. I figured you could use the help."
"How do you know anything about King's plan?"
"That would be my fault," Raj answered, stepping down the stairs with the supplies he asked for. "Your sister, Lisa and I are internet friends."
"Lisa talks to you?" Lori wondered. "She's not allowed on the internet."
"We talk through emails," he answered. "Like pen pals."
He started treating Leni's exposed skull. "She's been bouncing ideas off of me, only after swearing me to secrecy. We child prodigies need to stick together, after all.
"Anyways, she wanted my opinions on some of the developments of the past few months. Like Lana's condition and King's apparently psychic commands over his chosen acolytes. I tried to warn her about my theories of King's plan, but her last email explained that she was leaving the next day. That is to say, this morning."
"Right," Lori nodded.
"So I packed everything I could into my father's pickup and drove down here all the way from Ottawa. I believe I may have broken some laws when crossing the border."
Lori turned to Meltdown. "And where do you fit in all of this?"
He shifted from foot to foot.
"Your sister left me in the wilderness," he answered, "at the start of the winter season, no less. I stumbled into hunting what I could, making my way down south. Eventually I found myself in Ottawa. And what's worse, my powers had been getting worse. Growing. If it weren't for Raj, I'd be dead, and half the city would be in a crater."
He turned to show the apparatus on his back. Lori couldn't make sense of the blinking lights and readings, but it looked a little like the Ghostbusters pack.
"I have to unleash my fire every once in a while," he explained. "Relieve the pressure, I guess. But this helps too."
He turned back to face her.
"I'm not here to get back in your good graces," he added. "I'm here because she needs help. And based on what I hear, you all abandoned her."
Lori clenched her fist at her side. She wanted to punch him, but she needed all the help she could get right now.
"Lo…ri…"
Lori spun around and dropped to her sister's side.
"I'm right here, Leni," she grabbed her hand. "What do you need?"
"Water…" she haunted. "Water..."
Lori got up to fetch her a glass. After spilling it drop by drop into Lent's mouth, she finally took a breath. Leni's face… returned to something like normal. Her hair was growing back. Her lips and eyelids had returned. And her skull wasn't cracked anymore, not that she clearly see it.
"There's nothing to do but wait it out," Raj instructed. He sat in a chair next to Leni. "Let's see what's on the news, shall we?"