Annette turned on the faucet, hearing the comforting sound of creaking pipes and let the sulfur tasting water fill her glass. She had to lean the glass at an angle so it wouldn't hit the dirty plates. She pushed the glass to her lips and drank the water in short sips not wanting to drain the glass too quickly. She turned to face her home and sighed at the sight of her empty home as she brushed some grey hair from her face.
She checked her watch again. An hour to go. Putting the glass on a stack of bills she pulled a cigarette pack out of a cupboard, one of many, and lit one of the little sticks of cancer. She had never meant to start smoking. She wasn't even sure when it became a habit. But the feeling of dopamine rushing through her brain and the burn of smoke on her lungs helped the days be bearable.
Pacing around the kitchen she took several deep breaths feeling the smoke burn and the taste of it. She told herself she'd quit one day but she knew that it was a lie. Deciding her time was better spent distracting herself than pacing, she walked to her spot on the couch and moved to turn on the tv.
Static played and she smacked her forehead. Right. She hadn't paid that particular bill in several months. It was one of several she neglected or was behind on.
Sighing she rose once more to find a book to instead read to pass the time. She could have graded papers or gone over lesson plans but she tried to keep her home life and work life separate though she failed at that many times. She would do better though. She had to for her daughter.
Grabbing King Lear and blowing dust off of it, she leaned back onto the couch. How long had it been since she had read this copy? The one in her office was definitely not dusty. Christ, how dusty were the rest of the books on her bookshelf?
She couldn't recall the last time she dusted the house outside of the living room and the upstairs bedroom. Another thing to add to her to-do list.
Right as she was feeling her limbs destress her phone rang. She groaned and went to her purse where it lit up. Reading the name on it she answered and put it to her ear, putting on a voice that sounded like it belonged to someone who had gotten a good night's sleep.
"Hey Auntie!" An overly cheery voice said. Well that told her enough right there. She was in trouble.
"Emma, how are you sweetie?" She said to the girl who was practically her niece. She had no doubt the girl was in trouble if she was calling her in the middle of the day on a weekday. As far as Emma knew Annette could have been teaching class. She was supposed to be.
"I'm… good. Could I ask a huge huge favor please? Me and a friend got in trouble and are being sent home for the day. Could we hang out at your office for a little bit until later?" The words came out in a rush not allowing for Annette to respond until it was all said. She couldn't blame the girl, she'd done it herself in high school when she had skipped classes. The black wrath of an angry and disappointed parent was one that crawled its way into every teenager's nightmare.
Any other day she'd say yes. Most Saturdays Annette ate with her and her family in truth. Annette wasn't sure if she'd have been able to keep going after Danny's death and Taylor kidnapping if it hadn't been for Zoe and Alan.
She realized she had been silent on the line for a time. "Alright I'll be there in a few minutes."
"You're the best! Thank you so so much Auntie!" Emma said and Annette could hear another girl in the background whispering and asking what had been said. Annette gave a small smile and glanced around her house for her keys. Arcadia wasn't far from her home. Well it was but at this hour traffic wouldn't be bad.
When she picked up the two girls she had expected them to be in trouble for a fight, or skipping class. Things she'd tell them off for before giving them a wink and giving some praise. Not this.
"I'm sorry, where did you even get cigarettes? You can't really tell me that you thought it was a good idea to smoke? Please tell me this is the first time you did it and not just the most recent time" She said, pressing her fingers to her eyes.
Beside her Emma sat looking down at her shoes, stiff legged and mute. In the back seat of the worn truck her friend, a mousy girl with freckles, was just as quiet. "I… got it from you." Emma squeaked. Those words hit her like a punch to the gut.
"I know I never gave you a cigarette. I know for a fact that I have told you numerous times how terrible it is for you." Annette said, giving a glare at Emma.
Emma gave a tiny shrug. "Yeah but you still do it. And you go through like a pack a day… I just took one of the ones in your office last time I was there. Besides, it's not a big deal Auntie." How long ago had that been? A month? Two?
"It is a big deal Emma, you can get addicted to them from a single one. How many times have I told you this?"
Emma muttered something under her breath as Annette stopped at a light. "Say that again?"
"Amy said she'd heal anything if something happened." Emma said, glancing at the mousy girl in the back seat. Annette was unsure what a teenage girl knew about curing addiction and lung cancer and was about to say as much when she got a good look at her face. Ah.
"Would you be the daughter of the Dallons by chance?" She asked and got a nod from the girl now looking out the window as if a store selling cd's was the most interesting thing in the world.
She knew the Barnes had gotten close with the Dallons since they moved and Emma had gotten into Arcadia, in part due to Annette tutoring her. She just hadn't really cared. Capes had not been something she was fond of for a long time. She had met the Dallons at a few social events the Barnes had hosted and they had seemed polite.
She gave a nod and Annette pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. The car behind her honked and she realized the light had turned green. "I don't think I need to explain that exploiting a friend's powers, to cure your addiction to cigarettes is inappropriate."
Emma shrugged seemingly unbothered. "Amy, tell her you don't mind. Besides, it looks cool." She frowned as she watched Annette miss the turn that went to the college. "Auntie, where are we going?"
Annette had meant to do her daily drive to the parahuman asylum where her daughter was, to spend time with her and her 'sister' until she had to go back to her empty home. She had done the math to maximize the time she could spend with them. It didn't matter if she missed a few classes. She was tenured after all and she was going to exploit that for as long as she could.
"I'm going…" What did she say, 'I'm going to see the daughter I thought was dead for a decade but was instead being tortured by a biotinker.' Emma and Taylor had been close when they were little but a decade was an incredibly long time. "I'm going to visit a family member at a mental hospital."
"I can't do brains." Amy said without prompting, seeming to have come to the conclusion that Annette was going to ask her to do so. Annette gave a frown.
"I wasn't going to ask." There was no way she could afford whatever retainer rate the girl had. She'd have to put the house up for a third mortgage she expected to afford that. From her limited research into capes she doubted it would work anyway. And her baby was back regardless of what she now looked like.
Besides, the way Taylor had made it sound, the removal of those horrible parasites would kill the two.
Emma shifted in her seat. "Who is it?" Her curiosity peeked through.
"..." Annette kept driving, turning toward a familiar law office. Both of the girl's eyes went wide.
"I'm already behind. I'll drop you both here with your parents." She said happy to have changed the subject as the pair got a look of terror in their eyes.
oOo
Vista tried not to stare as the pair were led into the room. She had seen the pictures provided as well having been warned ahead of time, but it still didn't prepare her for how wrong they looked.
The taller one was stretched in ways that made it painful to look at. Her limbs are like sticks and twine. She wore braces on her legs that looked painful and her black curly hair looked like it had been ripped or burned at some point from how it hung to her nape. The smaller one was clinging on her back holding the ugliest doll Vista had ever seen. It looked like something from a museum.
Her black hair was tied back into a strict ponytail with a dumb looking white ribbon. Her wide thin lips were stretched into a smile as she sung a song about maiming people and searching for 'angels.' She shuddered slightly as the hell lights that were the older' one's eyes looked her over. They cast a soft shadow in the dim lighting of the room. Lighting that she still wasn't sure why it was so low. How sensitive could their eyes be?
The girl's bothered Vista in so so many ways. No person should be that tall or thin or pale or creepy. The older one sat down, her feet pointed inward like… a… um… a folding chair, yeah. She gave Vista a once over, her eyes darting over her uniform before dismissing her and looking at Gallant with a face that nearly went to something animal-like.
Sitting down the girl let her smaller 'sister' down from her back. The child then crawled under the table and began to play with the doll calling it "Mr. Bubbles" Vista resisted the urge to groan. She supposed the kid couldn't help it, but she had expected her to act more… adult like. Not like a child. Not a kid wearing a kiddy looking dress and a stupid doll. Why couldn't she dress like the older one did, like the armor, or the simple scrubs the older one now wore.
"It's nice to meet you." The older girl, Taylor, said. Her face barely moved as she spoke, instead her arms and shoulders moved in its stead. Her voice creaked with reverb.
Gallant leaned forward and spoke, "It's nice to meet you as well Taylor. I'm Gallant and this is Vista. We were hoping to hang out with you for a little bit today if that's alright."
Taylor stared at him for a moment, her eyes blinking several times. "Why do you want to hang yourself?" Oh Christ this was off to a lovely start.
"I meant spending more time with you. We're hoping to be friends." At this Taylor's shoulder lost tension.
Vista glanced down under the table and flinched as the eyes of the smaller child, Rosie, looked up at her. She gave a tilt of her head and Vista glanced over to Gallant before looking back down. "Um… hi." Fantastic job Vista, if heroing didn't work out, public speaking was your calling, she told herself.
The girl stared for a time longer before going back to playing with the doll. When Vista looked back up Taylor was staring directly at her, her arms on the table. "Rosie, come here." She said and Rosie climbed up the spindly girl's back. "Don't talk to her." She said to Vista before turning back to Gallant.
"So do you have any hobbies you like? Are you enjoying your stay here?"
Taylor was silent for a moment as Rosie continued to play and hum on her back. The girl was like a squirrel the way she moved.
"I like to sing. And dance. And make angels. I guess." She said, like that wasn't the creepiest thing Vista had heard all day.
"That's cool." Gallant said, noticing the tension that had grown and removing his helmet to reveal a domino mask. Seeing his face Taylor relaxed more but tilted her head.
"Your eyes aren't blue." She said seemingly having thought the glow from his helmet was being made by him.
"Nope. Hey uh would Rosie like to show Vista her doll? If we want to be friends we want to get to know you both after all." He said and Taylor tensed before setting Rosie down and whispering something into her ear. Rosie looked conflicted and put on a pout as she glanced at the floor and Vista. Her head going back and forth before finally nodding to her.
Vista felt miserable. Here had been her chance to be seen as mature in front of Gallant and instead she got set playing with the six year old's doll.
"So… this is Mr Bubbles?" She asked, cringing inside. The girl looked at her and opened her mouth before closing it and her eyes tightly and shaking her head, seemingly at herself. When she opened them she gave a big nod. Vista looked to Gallant hoping for some help.
Taylor answered. "Little sisters aren't allowed to talk to strangers. Rosie isn't going to be bad and break the rules. But she can play with you since you said you'd be our friend." Vista hated this so much. The way Taylor talked so matter of fact about things that sounded creepy as sin freaked her out. Taylor seemed almost proud with the loophole she seemed to have found by the way she preened.
Swallowing the tattered remnants of her pride, Vista smiled at Rosie and began to use her powers to make the doll twitch and move slightly. This would be a long afternoon. The wide grin on the corpse girl's face made up for it a bit though.
/\\\
AN: Sorry for the delay on this chapter, life stuff got in the way. Next one should be up soon and longer. BigBadBen thanks as always!