Tale One – The Breach

CHAPTER 07

April stood at a crossroads, lost as she could be, trying to catch her breath. She had walked and walked and then walked some more, unable to stand still or even slow down. The anger boiling in her threatened to overflow if she didn't burn it somehow, and burn it she did. She had taken turns at random, without thinking, until it had seemed like she'd had walked the empty, ravaged streets of Newport for hours. She'd finally come to a halt, the muscles in her legs were sore, and she couldn't tell which part of the city she was in even if her life depended on it. Not that it was her biggest concern. Useless idiots! She thought bitterly. I did their dirty work and this is what I get! Where were they when I was putting myself in mortal danger!?

Memories came to her, as vivid as ever - being attacked by the Chaos Vortex, armed MTI goons chasing her throughout Venice, Roper Klacks' magic blasting the floor just a few inches from where she'd stood, the Gribbler, the Snapjaw, the Chaos Storm raging on the horizon, terrifying waves rocking The White Dragon, almost throwing her overboard, MacAllen's monstrous mutant cornering her on the roof of a skyscraper… Images and sounds flickered one after another, but the most terrifying one was that of a large, pristine clean hall, filled with light and colorful advertisements on enormous walls, and a blond woman at the deck, smiling her learned, artificial smile manufactured for use on customers, extending her a piece of paper. I never should've signed, I should have found another way. She thought in anguish. I shouldn't have thrown my life away, I should've had a backup plan. But when had she ever been a girl with a plan? And now she was paying the ultimate price for her shortcomings.

She took a few deep, steady breaths and pulled her bangs back, running fingers through her hair. It was wet with sweat, she realized, and cool wind blew right at that moment, sending shivers through her body. The heat that had been plaguing Newport for the last few weeks seemed to have been sucked out. She hugged herself tightly. "What the hell do I do now?" she asked the air around her and the cracked asphalt beneath her feet, looking around desperately, searching for nothing in particular. The obvious answer came to her at once - go home. Wasn't that what you did after your adventure was over? Go home? But do I still have any?

She started walking again, headed in no particular direction, trembling more violently when the wind strengthened. She didn't even know which way Venice was, but it was a ridiculous notion. she didn't need to walk all the way back to the Border House, of course, Shifting was as convenient a way of travel as she could've asked. She simply needed to summon two portals in succession and in a matter of seconds she'd be in her room, facing the damage she'd brought unto the place, facing the people that took her in and cared for her. Emma's face resurfaced, her face when she'd been shot - pain, anguish and shock. All at once April realized something she'd tried to dispel from her mind. She had been delaying going back to that place on purpose. She'd set out to check on her friends that very morning, but used everything she could to postpone it. Now, it was night, she had nothing else left to do, no one else left to go to. She had run out of excuses.

She pulled her hair back from her eyes again, the wind had been beating it into her face, throwing dust and lighter pieces of garbage strewn around the street. I'm pathetic. Before she could start getting second thoughts again, she took a deep breath and summoned the portal to Alais, not bothering to find a secluded place, not even looking around to see if anyone was watching. In a matter of moments her feet got buried in warm sands of the beach and almost immediately, another Shift was in front of her, just two steps away. She made to it, but stopped dead in her tracks when a tall figure emerged from it in a great rush, bumping into her and almost knocking her down.

"What the hell!?" she cried out in dismay, falling back.

"April, I'm so sorry!"

Somehow, Adrian had found his own way to the beach pretty much at the same time, and even the same place. She stared at him, bewildered. "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't know where else I could find you", he explained. "I left too late to catch up with you."

"How did you… What are you doing in my Shift? That's supposed to be leading to Venice."

He looked back at the portal, confused, "This is my Shift." He said, just as it dissolved, "yours are over there." He pointed behind her, where, sure enough, two portals were swirling side by side - the one she'd just left and another she hadn't noticed since she was preoccupied with Adrian's portal right in front of her.

"My mistake", she muttered and eyed him suspiciously. It would be quite a coincidence for them to just stumble into each other by accident, especially with her unpredictable timing. "How did you know when I was going to arrive?"

Adrian's smile grew from ear to ear. "This told me when you did", he announced dramatically and held out his hand. He was holding the Talisman of the Balance. April's eyes widened at the sight.

"How?.." she stammered.

He simply extended it to her and she gratefully took it in her own hands, feeling immense relief to have it back. She gave him a quizzical look.

"I told the Vestrum I wanted to inspect it", he shrugged casually, "then I just stared and stared at it until I got a sign and I Shifted right away."

His explanation confused her even more. "A sign?" she repeated.

"I told you it's attuned to you, remember?" she nodded, "When you use your powers, it knows and it responds in a way. If you're versed in magic, you can feel it."

"So you could feel me Shifting?"

"Yes."

"How did you know where I was going?"

He shrugged, "It wasn't beyond reason to assume that you'd keep using this spot. And I felt it too. I… sort of… felt your intention."

April ran her thumb over the engraved symbol of the Balance on the medallion, contemplating this information. "Why couldn't you just come here and wait for me instead of staring at the medallion for.. how long?"

"I didn't know what you were going to do", he said apologetically, "by the time they explained to me what had occurred and I managed to pry that from Vestrum Euan", he pointed at the Talisman with his chin, "you'd been gone for some time. I asked Father Raul but he didn't know where you were going either. Then I decided I'd track you with the Talisman. I did promise I'd give it back, didn't I?"

April smiled, it was a small, timidly grateful kind, "Thank you", she said, "the Vestrum's going to be pissed though."

"I suppose you're right, he shan't be pleased", he acknowledged, "but I'm as entitled to make this decision as he is. I am the Twelfth Guardian after all." His smug smirk was lovable, or perhaps she was a little overwhelmed with gratitude for consideration.

"I suppose you're right", she mimicked him.

They stood in awkward silence for a while, distant rustle of leaves in cool breeze and whispering of waves being the only sounds breaking it.

"What are you going to do now?" Adrian finally asked, he looked solemn all of a sudden. Something about his voice suggested that he was putting effort in sounding casual.

"Home", she sighed, "I'm going home. I've waited long enough. I need to see my friends, one in particular. What about you?"

"I don't quite know yet", he admitted. "I could stay in Stark, it was my intention from the start. But I no longer know if this is the right thing to do. That whole place feels so alien to me, I don't know if I can fit in. I have no idea what I would be doing, how I would even earn living."

"What did you do before you became the Guardian?" She suddenly wondered why she hadn't thought to ask before. It was still hard to wrap her head around the fact that this man had been born in the tenth century.

"I lived with the Sentinels", His gaze moved to the sand on the ground, lost in remembrance and contemplation, "they taught me to read and write, to count and make calculations. They told me a learned man would always manage to earn his daily bread. Except a thousand years have passed since and it seems that my knowledge is too meager to earn me anything. People used to think I was a scholar, now I'm told little children in schooling are more learned than myself."

"That may be true", she offered carefully, "but you have a sort of rare knowledge. You can read and write in Old English which not many people know anymore. And since you were alive over a thousand years ago, you must have first hand experience in history we may have forgotten. You know people's ancient customs. With a bit of creativity you could do a lot with that! And the rest of what you need you can learn! The Sentinels would help you! They wouldn't move a finger for me", she said bitterly, "but they would help you, I'm sure!"

Adrian shook his head, "there's also a matter of my identity. The Vestrum tells me they need to resort to elaborate forgery, for me to adopt a fake persona."

"Many people do that", April tried to console him, thinking to herself maybe I could pull it off too, "even I used a fake ID a little while ago", she added, trying to sound hopeful.

"I don't want that", he said stubbornly, "I don't want to spend the rest of my life in fear of being discovered for a criminal. I'd be constantly looking over my shoulder to see if anyone was after me. Whoever I might meet I'd have to be on guard, careful not to give something away, knowing they'd hand me over to authorities. I simply don't want to lead this haunted kind of life."

His words hit hard and cut deep. She felt more powerless than ever. After listening to him painting this mental image of what her life would be if she tried to rebuild it in Stark, she became even more unsure of her decisions, if that was possible at all. "Yeah… Neither do I", she said softly. His eyes flicked to her, studying her face.

"Will you need to?" he asked carefully.

"I'll need… something. I signed up as a colonist", even saying it aloud was painful, "it's a ticket in one direction. For all intents and purposes I'm a slave to a corporation, unless I fix it.. somehow."

"There's always Arcadia", he offered. April knew at once that he was talking about both of them. An involuntary snort escaped her. "What?" Adrian laughed, "Does living in the wondrous land of magic sound so bad to you?"

"That's not the point. Arcadia is great and all but.. Look, it's different for me. I know modern Stark can seem depressing, or maybe overwhelming..."

"Frightening", he offered enthusiastically, "incomprehensible…"

"It is all that, but… I was bo… I grew up there. My whole life, my friends, everything I ever dreamed of... It's all connected to that world. And even with all the bad and scary stuff it's still... well...", she fumbled for the right words to describe her feelings, to explain.

He sighed. "It's home", he said. "I know."

She nodded. "Arcadia's a whole different world. I know a few people here but... The place I'm most familiar with is overrun by these savage beasts. Where else would I go? I don't want to spend my life hiding on this little island, hardly ever seeing another human being, if the Alatiens would even welcome me for a long term residence. The Blue wouldn't even see me anymore", she mumbled, aware of how much she sounded like an offended, pouting child.

"You're still pessimistic about Marcuria's future, aren't you?" he cocked his head to the side, crossing his arms at his chest, ignoring the last bit of her complaint.

"I'm not saying it's finished", she amended, "or that it's in the hands of the Tyrens for good."

"Of course not", he replied with enviable confidence, "Ayrede won't just give it up. They'll take it back."

"Is it going to happen in my lifetime though?"

He smiled sheepishly, "That I don't know."

"Yeah, I'm kind of between a rock and a hard place here."

"A poor choice is still better than no choice", he shrugged again, "and Arcadia has still more to offer, doesn't it? It doesn't end with Marcuria."

April laughed, "You've already made your decision, haven't you? You just want my approval."

"I don't need approval. I just thought…" Adrian looked embarrassed, "It would be nice to have at least one familiar face around."

"Oh." She wasn't sure what to say to that. It was a heartwarming sentiment, for sure, especially in a time when she felt so lost. But the ongoing mess in her head was exactly why she wasn't up to coming up with a proper response. "I can't even think about that right now." She sighed. "I need to get going."

"Yes, so do I", he agreed, "I'm sorry for delaying you. Think about my suggestion though. How about… let's meet here tomorrow. Would you mind? We can talk about this more then."

He looked so very hopeful, April had no heart to tell him she had no clue where she'd go and what she'd do in the nearest hour, let alone the next day. "Uhh… sure", she said instead, "tomorrow at.. noon?"

A smile illuminated his face again, "I'll be here."

"Thanks for this, Adrian", she lifted the Talisman, "this means a lot to me. And thanks for all the help today. You did more for me than most anyone."

He appeared embarrassed again. "You're welcome", he grinned.

"Take care, okay?" she said, not needing to look to see her Shift materializing behind her again.

"Of course", he summoned his in the likely fashion, and for a moment they faced each other with the manifestations of their powers at their backs, casting light and shadows onto each other, "you too."

April left first, leaving the Twelfth Guardian and the magical beach behind a curtain of Dreams. Her Shift took her exactly in the middle of her tiny room in the Border House. She stepped out so timidly, as if stepping on shattered glass. Her careful footsteps made no sound. When the glowing portal behind her disappeared, she was enveloped in darkness. She searched with her hands and her knee found the edge of her bed the hard way. She grunted, but stifled further moans of pain. She didn't want to alert anyone of her return just yet. At least the bed gave her a sense of direction. Groping her way left she found the bedpost, the bedside table and consequently the door. It wasn't locked as she'd feared it would be, though there was a hole where the doorknob should have been. It seemed like the knob and the lock had been torn out clean when the MTI goons had broken in. She pulled it open with the tiniest creak and tip-toed her way out in the dark corridor. It looked like the Border House simply didn't have electricity anymore. Not a single light bulb was on. Her fingers glided on the wall as she crept slowly to the stairs leading down to the common room. The faint noises of her slow descent sounded too loud to her ears. If any tenants were out of their own rooms, she'd be discovered without a doubt. But the common room was deserted. Here, at last, her sight returned. Dim outlines of furniture were discernible in pale moonlight pouring through the windows. But when she took a look at the floor, her stomach churned. There was a small dark stain near the screen. For a few moments she stood as if petrified, relieving the moment she saw Emma falling. She was blasted with a laser gun, she remembered, the blood must be from the fall. She probably hit something. Words of the strange woman rushed through her head, "she's not dead," they echoed, but facing the crime scene they didn't sound as convincing as before. She had to know for sure to be truly reassured. She was just about to turn back and head to her room to change her thoroughly abused, partially borrowed outfit for a decent set of clothing, when she heard a woman's voice, distant and faint, but hysterical by the tone of it, and it was coming from outside.

April fidgeted in place, indecisive. It could be Fiona. What would she tell her? In the end the thought that Fiona would know where they'd taken Emma won her over. She pulled the doorknob timidly and dragged her feet outside, following the voice. From what she could see, Venice was largely the same, especially compared to mass demolition she'd witnessed on Hope Street. Bathed in moonlight it looked tranquil and quaint, even more so than normally. The voice led her to the backyard. As she got closer she recognized her landlady's voice beyond any doubt. She heard another voice too, more controlled, persuasive. It was Mickey, April realized a little late, the woman hardly sounded like herself. The two of them seemed to be having a heated discussion in a basement, the strangest place for Fiona to be in. April crept to the door they'd left wide open, listening intently.

"What if they return?" It was Fiona, agitated.

"They're after her", came Mickey's hollow voice, "They don' need anything from us. If she stays away, so will they."

"Well, what if she doesn't? What should we do then?"

"Kick her the hell outta here, what else? I'm not looking forward to any more of that shit happening here. And don't you go all soft and mushy on me, you know we..."

"I get it already. I won't. Don't you worry about that." For a while neither spoke, only faint clanking of metal gave away their presence.

"I didn't expect something like this from her, you know?" It was Fiona breaking the silence with her sad voice, "She seemed such a sensible, thoughtful girl, I don't understand what..."

"Well, there you go again", Mickey cut her off sharply, sounding a lot more like her usual cranky self, "can't you just accept that you can be wrong about people? Give me that screwdriver, this one's too small."

A few squelching footsteps made April step away from the door in fear of being discovered, but nobody came out or came in a clearer view and in a few seconds clanking resumed with new vigor and she listened on to this evisceration of her reputation.

"I'm not saying I don't accept it", Fiona argued feebly, "I'm just saying, I don't understand why."

"Drugs maybe?" Mickey suggested casually.

"No, no. She might have been many things, but I don't believe she was a drug addict." There was a pause during which the two must have had some sort of nonverbal communication, "What?" it was Fiona again, "She never displayed any symptoms of being on raptures or anything."

"You weren't with her twenty four hours. Who knows what she was actually doing when she was out studying."

"Her friends didn't notice anything either", Fiona insisted, "she and Emma spent so much time together..." her voice trailed off there and April's heart missed a beat at the mention of the name. She waited for several minutes while the two kept working quietly, hoping they'd say more about it. But they took their time, while her frustration grew with every passing second. She was on the verge of announcing her presence and demanding they told her everything they knew before Mickey started talking again.

"Did Charlie bring any news?"

"No, he's not back yet."

"Seriously?" The noise of her tinkering rose with her temper, "Is he going to sleep in the hospital again?"

"Perhaps he is. I just wish they'd at least say that she's stabilized. All this waiting, and not knowing if…" Her voice got caught in her throat and she stopped abruptly. There came a muffled sob from inside that might as well have been April's own. A soft clink told her one of them had put something down carefully, and more footsteps. She panicked again for a second, thinking one of them might be coming outside, but nobody did. Instead she heard Mickey again, her voice so much softer than April could ever imagine hearing it, she almost thought there was a third person inside, someone she'd never met before. She couldn't help inching closer to the door again, peeking in. A flashlight lay on the floor, but enough light bounced off the walls and metal pipes to make their shapes visible. Fiona was crouched on the floor, nervous tremors passing through her as she kept her hand on her mouth, stifling her voice, Mickey right there with her, embracing her. April was startled, she had only seen Fiona so vulnerable once, and she'd never imagined the woman could ever break down like this. She felt a terrible sadness wash over her.

"Shh, it's fine, it's fine. Things will work out, it will get better." Mickey was soothing her partner, holding her close, caressing her hair and Fiona was clutching onto her for dear life, shaking and crying. "I'm here, I'm right here." As she pulled the redhead's face closer to kiss her softly on the lips, April, shamefaced, backed from the door slowly, leaving the couple to have the privacy they didn't know was being breached in the first place.

She walked listlessly back to the front entrance, into the living room, up the darkened stairs and the corridor, retracing the route to her room without thinking about it, hurting and utterly, hopelessly lost. She didn't remember to keep quiet as she went, but nobody bothered her on her way. Finally, in her dark room, with the broken door closed behind her, she sat down on the bed and only then, finally got to thinking what she should do after hearing what she did. She looked around at the gradually more pronounced shapes of the modest furnishings of her humble suit. Whatever she should do, she realized, this was no longer her home, she wasn't welcome here anymore. This thought immediately made her get back to her feet. This isn't my bed, the thought echoed through her numb mind. She went to the wardrobe. Fumbling, she found her suitcase, a few outfits on hangers and shoes. Then her hands found the box with her childhood drawings. It's over. She realized, thinking of VAVA. I must've been expelled automatically the moment I was registered as a colonial. Her hands shook, she fought the urge to grab those drawings and tear them to shreds, to yell and scream and throw the box out of the window. She merely backed away from the box as if it were a poisonous snake.

In the several minutes it took her to open the suitcase and pack the few things she'd possessed, April couldn't help wondering what to do if she were discovered. She didn't try to keep quiet anymore and half feared half hoped either Fiona or Mickey would hear her and bust in looking for intruders. I'll just tell them the truth about everything. If I'm lucky, I'll get sympathy points for having schizophrenia and they'll call doctors instead of cops. A crazed laughter escaped her before she could control herself. At that exact moment though, a door slammed on the first floor and heavy, slow footsteps announced someone entering the common room. She stopped dead in her tracks, cold sweat on her brow, listening. The anonymous guest took only a few steps before a familiar heavy creak of the sofa echoed faintly from downstairs. When it seemed that the arrival wasn't going to move, April mentally shook herself out of her petrification. I don't care, she reminded herself. I don't care if they decide to come up here and find me, whoever it is. She shut the suitcase and clicked the locks, as loudly as they would. Whether her efforts in carelessness attracted any attention, or it was by coincidence, she didn't know. All she knew was that after just a few seconds of silence the person in question got up and walked closer to the stairs, headed towards her floor, maybe? I don't care! She repeated it in her head a few times and straightened, facing the door, expectant in case the visitor wanted to check up for the noise in her room. But a few seconds later her resolve was put under yet another test, when she heard Fiona's tired voice, "Charlie!" Her heart started hammering its way out of her chest.

"Any news?" Mickey had entered the room too.

Charlie's exhausted, hollow voice barely carried upstairs. "Yeah, she woke up", he said, relief washed over April, she had to sit down at her bedside table for the weakness in her knees.

"Oh, thank God!" Fiona exclaimed, voicing April's feelings for her.

"Finally, at least some good news", Mickey grunted.

"It's still bad, but she's stabilized", Charlie said. "She even smiled at me a bit, but that's pretty much all she managed", his voice broke.

"That poor thing. What did the doctors say?" Fiona urged, sounding more lively and positive than she had at any point in the basement.

"They say they can hardly believe how lucky she was. I'll have to go there again tomorrow morning, they asked me if I could bring some of her things. Fi, I need to go to her room and search through her stuff…"

"Of course, darling, of course. I'll get the key." By the sound of it Fiona quickly shuffled off.

"So…" Charlie cleared his throat, "what's been going on while I was away? Anything new?"

"April hasn't turned up if that's what you're asking", Mickey said. "Still mulling in disbelief, aren't you?" she added after a few moments.

"Something like that."

"Both you and my wifey over there."

"It's just hard to believe that we were so wrong about her", he explained, "how could she betray us like that?"

"Yeah, yeah. Fiona says the exact same things. But that's the reality. Frankly, weirder things have been happening lately."

"Yes, I guess they have…"

Another pause stretched too long until Mickey broke it.

"What's going on in the city?"

"It's calmer. Police finally showed up in the streets, power is restored in some districts, I think they'll fix all the communications soon. A lot of it is in ruins though. We had it easier here."

"Easier isn't the word…"

"Mickey", Charlie cut the small talk unexpectedly, "if she does show up, don't kick her out right away."

Mickey snorted, "Why wouldn't I?"

"I want to talk to her first."

"Talk about what?"

"I need her to look me in the eye and tell me what she has done and why. Why she lied, made fools of us, why she put us all in mortal danger. I need to hear it all from her."

"Alright, alright, but I won't lie to you, Charlie, I don't think we will ever see her again. Those people mean business, they would track her down by now and if they did..."

"Here's the key!" Fiona called over.

"Thanks Fi." As their steps came closer and closer, April thought her heart got louder and louder, she felt as if a bit more and they'd hear it. But they never came near her room, stopping at Emma's door instead. The key was turned, the doorknob pulled, the hinges moaned softly. Then the door was shut and only the gentlest muffled sounds of careful rummaging through Emma's belongings penetrated the space between her and her former beloved friends.

April took her suitcase, her previous affirmations all but collapsed. The blue light that illuminated her room seemed unusually cold. She threw the last longing look at the worn, abused door 201 before stepping into the Shift. Passing through the world of Dreams had never felt so much like sleepwalking as it did now. She emerged on the starlit beach of Alais, telling herself that one or two silent tears didn't necessarily count as crying. She wiped them away angrily before collapsing on the warm sand, frustrated, but having no stamina left for agitated pacing.

April didn't know how long she'd sat there, eyes transfixed on waves, the maelstrom that was her thoughts leaving no room for introspection. I need to rest my head, she finally decided. The breeze was cool, but the water was warm and inviting, glittering here and there with plankton, especially when a patch of cloud covered the moon, giving more force to the delicate light of the oceanic creatures.

She simply stepped into the sea, parting the waves and submerging herself, swimming away from the shore for a good half an hour and casting her mind and heart to its depths. There was something impossibly soothing about the darkness, the weightlessness, glowing critters migrating above from the lower regions of the ocean. Most importantly, tears were lost in the salt water. April curled up in fetal position and allowed gravity to take her to the bottom. Deeper she went, the easier it was to pretend that she was leaving her problems behind on land. For a while she almost believed she did. Her attention was driven to a strange jellyfish that swam by. It had a glowing pattern reminiscent of a spiral galaxy and it spun as it swam. Soon she was surrounded by things very much like dragonflies, they circled around her for a while, leaving a glittery trail behind. Then a myriad of tiny beings she couldn't start guessing the names of emerged from the deep abyss below her, a swarm of sentient glowing dust particles on their nightly travel to the surface. Strange sounds traveled to her from all around. Spooky, mystifying. This place was more alien than anywhere else she'd been so far, which was quite a testament. But most importantly, it was a solitary place where she could finally think. And once she felt she'd rested enough, she thought long and hard until her thoughts slowly grew into dreams, hardly different from what she'd left in the waking world before drifting off to sleep. It was all the consolation she could hope to ask of the world, maybe that's why he sleeps so much, her dream self mused.

April was back on the shore at first light, pulling a towel out of her suitcase, drying herself at leisure. It was strange to have such homely things with her in Arcadia. She discarded her outfit for a more presentable one and looked out to the grove of palm trees at the edge of the jungle. Adrian would not arrive till noon and she wanted to have something in her stomach before he did. Before breakfast, however, she had one important thing to do. She reached not in the suitcase, but in the satchel she'd been dragging around, looking for her old diary for one last entry.