Even's Point of View

Ienzo slept in that morning. Usually, I would wake him, but since the only thing he would wake up to was more loss, I allowed it. In addition to myself, Xehanort, and Isa, we had Dilan, Aeleus, and Braig in the lab to help with our experiments. Telling Isa about Ansem had been a minor inconvenience as Xehanort was the one who told him. I knew telling Ienzo would be a much more difficult task. Ienzo entered the lab and approached me. "Sorry I slept in. Why didn't you wake me?"

I had to get my story straight. I was able to leave out details for Jessica, but Ienzo would need more information if he was to comply. "Ah, Ienzo. If there were ever a day where sleeping in would be permissible, it would be today. I have some... disturbing news." I paused, unsure of how to phrase what I needed to say.

Braig became tired of my hesitation and stepped in for me. "We don't know what happened. Last night, Master Ansem lost his mind. He up and left us."

"What?" Ienzo squeaked. Guilt overcame me, but I knew I couldn't show it in front of Ienzo. We had agreed to leave him out of the part of the plan to rid ourselves of Ansem. He would continue to help us in the lab solely because his mind was valuable.

Ienzo started walking off, and I knew I had to stop him. "Ienzo, come back here right this instant!"

Ienzo turned to me, on the verge of tears. "Why? Master Ansem is gone. What business do I have down here?"

I wanted to hug the boy and tell him to go back to Jessica's room to be with her, but we needed him, so instead, I crossed my arms and used as much authority in my voice as I could muster. "You are needed here. We are resuming our studies and adding some new experiments today. We have come too far for this to end in vain. Come back here immediately."

When Ienzo didn't listen, Aeleus took his hand and brought him back. This brought a smirk to Dilan's face. I knew that look. He was about to manipulate Ienzo. I had to bite the inside of my mouth to stop myself from lashing out at Dilan. He and I have the same goal, and in this particular situation, I must be willing to allow whatever is necessary to get what we want. Dilan begins to speak to Ienzo. "You know, before he left, Even asked him about what you would do with him gone in an effort to try and stop him. He said something horrible in return. He said it didn't matter because you don't pull your own weight around here otherwise. He went so far as to say that it wouldn't make any difference whether you were still here or out on the streets."

"He said that?" Ienzo whimpered.

"I'm afraid so. It was quite uncalled for. I can see you're hurt by this. Do you know how to make the hurt go away, boy?" Xalding paused for a response from Ienzo, but when none came, he continued. "You turn it to anger. You'll see it won't hurt anywhere near as much if you want to make him pay for his words instead."

I felt sick to my stomach as Ienzo's visible eye hardened, and he nodded, wiping stray tears off of his face with his sleeve. Things had spiraled out of control much too quickly. "What now?" Ienzo asked.

"Now, you prove him wrong. Show him that you make a difference by making one now and helping us carry out these experiments," Xaldin smiled.

Ienzo looked to me for some form of reassurance, but I couldn't find it in myself to give any. "I'm going to check on Jessica and ensure she doesn't disrupt us. Ienzo, listen to Xehanort and do as he tells you. I'll be back shortly." I walked off to find Jessica. I didn't give myself any time to linger on my regret. I knew if I did, I wouldn't be able to go on. I tried to tell myself what was done was done and pushed all of my feelings aside.

When I entered Jessica's quarters, I arrived to a heartbreaking sight. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she was hugging her pillow while rocking back and forth on her bed to comfort herself. She looked at me, and her blue eyes were filled with hope. "Did he come back?"

I put on an icy front so as to not fall apart and confess everything to my daughter. "No."

She immediately deflated. "Did you change your mind about going back to work so soon?" Though she appeared defeated, I could hear the hope in her voice.

The response I had to give hurt me just as much as it hurt her. "No. My work remains the same with some minor variations, which is what has brought me here. We are going to start performing some experiments that will be more dangerous than what we normally do. I want you to stay away from the lab for the time being."

She sent an icy glare in my direction. "That's what you came here to tell me?!" She yelled. In a fit of rage, she screamed and threw her pillow at me. It bounced off my chest and landed harmlessly on the ground.

I let out a sigh and allowed myself to show a bit of empath by picking up the pillow and placing it back on Jessica's bed. She collapsed onto the bed and cried. I rubbed her back in an attempt to help her to calm down. When the sobs weren't as loud, I began to speak in a much softer tone. "Jessica, listen to me. I know this is upsetting you. I'm sad, too. My work is my way of coping. I hope you can understand that. Everyone deals with pain in different ways." It was a complete lie, but I was willing to do just about anything to ease her pain.

"Why would he just leave us?" Jessica sobbed.

"I'm sure had he been in his right mind, he wouldn't have. All we can do is carry on," I tried.

"Are you going to leave me next?" Jessica shuddered.

"No!" Her question caught me by surprise to the point that my answer came off sharper than I intended. "No. I won't ever leave you. I promise I'll be right here. In fact, I'll come by to check on you every couple of hours." Jessica sat up and reached for me, but I stepped away and made my way to the door. "I can't. I'm sorry. I have work to do." I left her there and returned to the lab, her cries and wails haunting me all the way.