Erikstrulove- You're about to hate Lyle even more in the next few chapters. And I don't want to make him evil Lyle is actually one of my favorite characters from tP. As for Sydney he's ... away... on business...he'll be back soon. I think. He definatly will be back after I write him a couple of lines tomorrow. Thanks for reminding me he's missing. I swear I need to keep a leash on these characters. They're always wondering off.
LadyJadePerendhil- I thought about having Lyle rape Alex but I couldn't do it. I've become to attached to my characters to leave them too emotionally scared. Instead I'll just physically scar them and emotionally scar them a little. I also look forward to your nomination.
Joy- thanks for your vote, it means a lot
Pretender Fanatic- I don't even know how I thought of it. I think it come form reading too much Stephen King. I am going to hunt down your story so that I can read your death scene for Lyle, I still haven decided if I'm going to kill him or not you'll find out why in this chapter. And don't worry Jarod will be able to do something for Alex. What's the point of being a pretender if you can't make your kids boo-boos better.
Mrs. Rhett Butler- Good question where is Adam? I've seem to have misplaced him along with some of my other characters. I better find them and quick. I know he's flotaing around these pages somewhere.
CHAPTER 53
CONVERSATIONS, SECRETS AND ALTERCATIONS
January 24, 2004
4:21am
Charlottesville, Virginia
Russell Family Home
"Do you feel better now that they know?" Will asked Alex who was sitting on his lap. The two were watching the other children perform jumps and other tricks on the horses.
"A little, yeah. I don't have to worry about them finding out anymore. It's a relief really. Daddy thinks that he may be able to get rid of most of it."
"That's good." Will muttered in his baby sister's dark brown hair.
"Thanks for letting me tell them."
"We all have our demons we aren't quite ready to share with our parents." Will said. Alex didn't reply, instead she leaded against her brother's chest deep in thought.
"Will, do you think that Lyle picked on us the most because of who we are?" Alex asked.
"Lyle did become a bit more violent towards us when he discovered he and Mom were twins." Will said
"I used to feel sorry for him. When I was three, I simmed his childhood. In a way his childhood was worse than ours was. He had other people around him who had loving, sane parents who didn't lock their children in a woodshed. Where as with us we were all treated the same. Granted it wasn't treatment that social services would go for, but it was what we viewed as the norm. Besides, the way Lyle treated us was the way he was taught to treat a child." Alex said.
"That may be so, but after a while that excuse runs thin. Just because he had a shitty childhood didn't give him the right to beat on us." Will said angrily.
"Do you forgive him for what he did to you." Will asked a while later. Alex mulled it over for a while.
"Yes." She said eventually. "I know why he did it. Why he did all of those things to you, Alley, Aaron, Andy and me. He would look at us and see himself as a boy. He hates himself so much, Will. When he hits us, he's subconsciously hitting himself. He hates that he was so weak as a child, that he was so helpless. The reason he kills those women is for the power. In the moment of the kill he feels as though nothing can stop him, that he was never that little boy whose father locked him up in a shed. Except after the kill he once again fells like that weak, helpless little boy" Alex told Will.
"He's a monster, Alex." Will said fiercely.
"And Uncle Kyle? One could say that he too was a monster."
"That was different, Raines screwed around with Uncle Kyle's head." Will protested.
"Raines did the same to Lyle." Alex pointed out.
"Christ, Alex, I thought that you'd be the last person on Earth to defend Lyle." Will said shocked at his little sister.
"I'm not defending him, Will, I'm just pointing out the facts. Looking at it from both perspectives. You're right in saying that Uncle Kyle was different from Lyle. Uncle Kyle redeemed himself. He, he changed. In the end he wanted to make a difference, he didn't give up on humanity."
"But Lyle, he gave up a long time ago. It was the day he saw the DSA of Raines taking him away from Grandma Catharine. He cried, you know, when he saw the DSA for two reasons. One he knew that if he had stayed with Grandma Catherine he would have led a better life. The second reason he cried was because it was Raines who took him. His whole childhood Raines was the only person Lyle trusted. When he learned that Raines was the one responsible for his childhood Lyle lost all hope in humanity. He gave up."
"It was his choice to give up. If he were truly a good man he would have gotten us out when he learned who we were. At the very least he would have told Mom about us. He's our uncle for crying out loud." Will protested.
"Here's the thing. Why would he have told Momma about us? As far as Lyle was concerned Momma had everything he didn't. By depriving her of her children he was exacting revenge." Alex said. The two were quite for a moment, Will contemplating what his sister had said and Alex debating if she should really finish telling Will about their uncle. Finally Alex spoke.
"Did you know Lyle has children?"
"What?" Will said shocked.
"Yeah. Three of them, they're triplets. Two boys and a girl. Lyle doesn't know."
"Do they?" Will asked.
Alex let out a bitter laugh that stunned Will. "No, Jake doesn't want to tell them who they are. He believes that they're happy now and there is no need to burden them with the truth. Nor does he want them to fell guilty when we send Lyle to jail or more accurately to his death."
"They look nothing like Lyle." Will said as he watched to children in the field. "I mean Alex they look nothing like him. They have green eyes and red hair."
"They take after their Mom." Alex told Will. "I'm surprised, really."
"That they take after their Mom?" Will asked.
"No. Jake and Rach practically told Uncle Ethan who they were. At Momma and Daddy's wedding, Jake and Rach told Uncle Ethan that Greg, Jer, and Lissa's father killed their mother. Had Uncle Ethan dug a little further he would have learned that it was Lyle who carried out the termination."
"Does Uncle Sam or Aunt Jen know?"
"No, just you me, Jake, Rach, Air, and Andy." Alex said. "I almost don't want to tell them. But then I think about us not knowing who our parents were and how much we wanted to know the truth. It's not right. They should know who they are. Besides they're our cousins, we owe it to them to tell them. Not to mention the fact that I'm tired of keeping secrets. I'm going to tell Aunt Jen and Uncle Sam on Friday when they get back form Blue Cove. I'll let them tell Greg, Jer and Lissa."
"Jake won't like it." Will warned.
"Screw Jake. Uncle Kyle said that the only thing the Centre ever offered us was secrets and lies. We aren't at the Centre any more. No more secrets. No more lies. Especially from our family "
"Alex, how do you know what Uncle Kyle said? You never even met him." Will asked.
"I dug around in Daddy's mind when he was sleeping'." Alex replied.
"Alexandra Katherine Russell!" Will yelled, horrified at his little sister.
"What? I wanted to know what Uncle Kyle was like and trying to get Daddy to talk a bout him is like trying to get information from Uncle Jon. A struggle."
Will sighed.
"You and I are going to have a long talk about the ethics of using your powers." He said sternly.
January 28, 2004
7:19am
Charlottesville, Virginia
Russell Family Home
The whole family was just sitting down for dinner. Sydney, Michelle, Sam, Jen, and Jon had arrived a little after six from Blue Cove. Margaret and Charles had recently moved out of the house as had Emily and Nick. The two couples had relocated closer into town. They made it to the mansion just as plates were being set out.
"Grams, let me take your coat." Aaron said, holding out his arms.
"Why thank you, Alex." Margaret replied and those who heard her slightly winced.
"Uh Grams, I'm Aaron. Alex is sitting next to Momma."
"Oh Aaron I'm so sorry. It's so hard to tell you all apart."
"It's okay it takes a while to get it straight, Mom." Jarod told his mother.
"Well, looks like you all need to go back to being color coded." Will said slightly joking.
"Color coded?" Margaret asked.
"For a while each of the kids wore a certain color. But it was only for the two sets of triplets, Mike and Maddie. They're the hardest to tell apart. Mike and Maddie look similar enough to Air, Andy, and Alex that it was easy to confuse the five of them. At the Centre we usually labeled them all." Sam said.
"You labeled my children?" Morgan said giving Sam a look that could kill.
"Uh... No, I would never dream of labeling your children. Not in a million years." Sam replied.
"You're a bad liar, Dad." Greg spoke. "Don't worry, Aunt Morgan, he labeled all of us. It was name tags everyday, til they got tired of it anyway. In fact, it was Dad who suggested to Lyle that we get tattoos on the back of our necks."
Sam glared at his son as the other children tried to stifle giggles.
"You did what, Sam?" Morgan said in disbelief.
"It was a joke. I got it from this show that came on TV Dark Angel. All the kids had bar codes on the back of their necks." Sam said quickly in attempt to explain himself.
"I remember that show. It was great it was a shame Fox canceled it." Jon said.
"Hey was that the show with the genetically enhanced kids?" Jake asked.
"Yeah." Jon told him
"We use to sneak in to the lounge and watch it on Friday nights." Rachael spoke
"That's right we did." Aaron said. "And those tattoos were pretty cool."
"Yeah they were." Andros agreed grinning deviously. "If I remember correctly we all planed on getting one when we escaped."
All of the Black Files parents choked on their food at the mention of their children getting tattoos.
"You most certainly are not." Morgan said evenly.
"And if we already have them?" Alex asked innocently. Her mother and father glared at her as the other children snorted into their plates.
"Mom, don't worry they don't." Will said.
"They sure as hell better not." Morgan threatened and went back to eating.
Alley decided that it was time to switch the topic and told the family about tryouts for the upcoming musical at school.
"We're going Cabaret. Do you think that I'd make a good Sally Bowels, Momma?" Alley asked.
"Lets get this straight you want to portray a Cabaret dancer who sleeps around in your schools upcoming musical?" Morgan asked her daughter.
"Yeah. So can I?"
"Hey, at lest you'll be doing things a normal kid does, instead of staying up past three in the morning trying to bring down the place that held most of your family prisoner. After all once the Centre is brought down you'll need something to keep yourself entertained." Morgan replied.
"We can't get tattoo's, but Alley get to play a slut on stage." Aaron muttered.
"I didn't quite hear that, Aaron-Daniel, could you repeat it, please?" Morgan said in a tone that may have sounded sweet but really meant watch yourself.
"Nothin' Momma." Aaron said quickly.
January 28, 2004
9:58pm
Charlottesville, Virginia
Russell Family Home
Alex nervously walked to the room that served as Sam and Jen's when they came home on the weekends. She halted at the door, once more going over the best way to tell Sam and Jen the truth surrounding the children. Through out dinner she had remained quiet, only speaking when spoken to or asking for a dish to be passed to her. Jake had noticed Alex's behavior and had approached her after dinner.
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Jake asked angrily, as he pushed Alex into a corner.
"Back off, Jacob." Alex warned her eyes flashing red, a small ball of fire formed in her hand. For the first time, Jake was truly afraid of his cousin. Alex realizing that she had threatened her cousin quickly extinguished the ball of fire. Not only had she scared Jake, she had scared her self at how quickly she had reacted after being pushed.
Jake quickly regained his composer and once again questioned Alex, "Are you so willing to destroy their happiness?"
"Pick a new tune, Jake." Alex spat. "You may be the oldest out of the fourteen of us but just because you are doesn't make everything you say right."
"I'm not saying that I'm right nor am I saying that you are, but Alex they are happy. Why does it matter now?"
"Ignorance may be bliss, Jacob. But sometimes bliss has to be foregone in exchange for peace of mind."
"Theirs or yours?" Jake asked
"How dare you question my motives, Jacob Roland Russell? You've known me my whole life, I would have thought you would have know me by now." Alex said and made an attempt to get away from Jake.
Jake slammed his palm against the wall inches from Alex's face blocking her path. "I won't let you tell them, Alexandra. Let them stay happy. Let them stay ignorant of the ways of the world just this once."
"The Centre isn't the world, Jacob. It's the third circle of hell. And if you think for one moment that you're going to stop me from doing something I want to do, you're sadly mistaken." Alex said in a low deadly voice. "Now get the hell out of my way!"
"What are you going to do, hit me? Because I'm not moving."
Alex, fed up with her cousin, punched him in the face. Jake went down like a ton of bricks. Stunned, the boy gazed up at his little cousin.
"You hit me." He said, in both shock and pain.
"Hey, you suggested it." Alex said as Jake held his hand to his eye.
"Stay out of my way Jake." Alex warned she then stalked off down the hall to Sam and Jen's room leaving Jake to brood.
Alex smiled as she remembered Jake's expression. 'Momma would be proud of my swing' Alex thought as she raised her hand and knocked on the mahogany door.
"Who is it?" Came Jen's voice.
"It's me Aunt Jen." Alex said. She heard the groan of the bed as Sam got up to open the door.
"Isn't it past your bedtime?" Sam asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, but I need to speak to you and Aunt Jen." Alex told the sweeper.
"Come on in then." Sam said holding the door open for the child so that she could enter. Alex walked over to the bed where Jen was feeding Amy a bottle. Amy waved her tiny arms and look hold of one of Alex's fingers. Alex looked down at her baby cousin and smiled.
"What wrong, Alex?" Sam asked snapping the girl's attention away from the baby.
"What makes you think something is wrong?" Alex asked innocently.
"You're only this quiet when something is troubling you." Sam answered and Alex sighed.
"I figured I should tell you two first. I figured it would be better for them if they heard it for you. Sam, you remember the day Mr. Parker put me and my brother's on the pursuit team?" Alex asked.
"Of course I do." San replied. "Jarod got you out the next day."
"Well 'member you, Momma, my brothers ,and I were all in Momma's office talking?" Alex asked. She was dancing around the subject and Sam knew it. "When we were there we mentioned the fact that Jake had found our real files. Well Jake found Greg, Lissa, and Jer's files too. They say who their parents are." Alex finished her voice an octave above a whisper. Jen was suddenly afraid. Over the year she had come to love the three children. She and Sam considered them to be their own. Jen was worried that she and Sam were now going to be forced to give up the children that they had come to love so much.
Sensing her mother's tension Amy began to cry, Alex gently caressed the baby's forehead and the child's cried stopped and turned into coos. Sam and Jen raised an eyebrow yet said nothing.
"I've been practicing my empathy." Alex said answering Jen and Sam's silent question. "Anyway, as I was saying, I know who Greg, Lissa and Jer's parents are."
"Don't worry you won't have to give them up." Alex said sensing Jen's panic. "Their mother died a few years back, their father doesn't even know that they are his."
"Their biological father works for the Centre, doesn't he?" Sam said. It wasn't really a question
"Yes." Alex answered. "He worked closely with the pretender program."
"Damn it, Alexandra just say it. Stop skirting around the subject." Sam said harsher than he meant to. Alex flinched away from him and paled. She had done it out of habit and had braced herself for the blow that usually came after Raines, Cox or Lyle yelled at her. It pained Sam to see that even after almost a year of freedom many of the Centre's influences still remained with the children.
"I'm sorry." Sam apologized.
"It's okay." Alex said after a moment. "Um, their birth father is...is...um...is Lyle. He doesn't know though and neither do they. Jake felt it was best that they didn't know but I convinced him otherwise." Alex said quickly as she studied her feet.
Jen placed a hand on his niece's shoulder. "Thank you Alex."
"It's gonna kill them to know. Especially cause of what we're gong to do. We're sending him to his death and..."
"Let us worry about that." Sam said interrupting Alex.
"Kay." Alex said and left the room to return to her and the other children's. She climbed into her bed next to Maddie's and across form Andros's. As she tried to sleep she could fell Jake's disapproving gaze on her.
Though she felt Jake's gaze she didn't feel another. Jeremiah watched Alex that night wondering where she had gone and why Jake was now sporting the beginnings of a nasty shiner.
So what did you think? Should Lyle learn the truth? Let me know.
Oh and by the way in a month maybe more it depends on how much longer this fic last I'll be posting a new story that's kinda a prequell to this fic.