WARNING: death appears in this chapter.
…
Knox's POV
"I'm not trying to take the blame, but I feel it just the same," Quinn sings after the movie has finished. "That we could be, yes we should be, in the game."
She goes into the bridge, virtually belting it out: "Our spirit's feeling daunted, I'm not sure I'm all that wanted, though I'm acting nonchalant here, I'm starting to doubt myself."
We're lying on my couch in my apartment. Quinn is leaning against me, and I have my arm around her.
"If you could have any superpower, what would it be?" I ask my girlfriend.
"Hmm…" As Quinn thinks for a moment, she throws a piece of popcorn towards her beak and catches it like it's nothing. Frowning, I try and copy the move but I fail miserably and the piece of popcorn assaults my forehead. "Probably the ability to move things with my mind, like my little brother can do."
"Hermes?" I've never actually met Quinn's only younger sibling. I believe I may have met Teddy and Hazel before, but never Hermes. Closest I came was when we were having a picnic on the field behind OWCA and Teddy found Hermes unconscious.
"Yeah, Hermes." Quinn checks her watch. "Oh, look at the time. I have to be at Casa Blanca in half an hour."
She gets up, rather reluctantly, and begins gathering her stuff. I get up too and switch the lights back on. "You want to sleep here tonight?" I ask.
"It's your turn to sleep at my place, remember?" Quinn slings her back over her shoulder. "Whoever doesn't host the date hosts the partner."
"Oh yeah."
Quinn's POV
When I get to Casa Blanca, I quickly head into the staff room and put on my waitressing outfit. It looks quite quiet today, so that's a bonus.
My boss, Alex the Armadillo, is waiting for me, leaning on the door. "Quinn, I swear you're getting later every day."
I glance up at the clock in the staff room. "I still have five minutes before my shift starts," I point out.
"You used to get here at half past six," Alex says gruffly. His face breaks into a reluctant smile and he ruffles my hair. "Go get 'em, Quinn. Since it's so quiet, you might even be able to get off early and go home to your mate."
"Knox is my boyfriend," I correct him.
He gives me a look. "Sure."
"He's not my mate!" I protest.
"Denial," sings Alex smugly.
"Whatever." I roll my eyes. "Is there any entertainment needed today?"
"A couple are coming in at half nine, and they requested a song."
"Which song?"
Alex takes out a piece of paper and puts on a pair of reading glasses. "Uh…gosh, this is Zoe's handwriting, and I can never read it. Um…Aerial Area Rug."
"Oh, I like that one. That's good." I smile as I remember something Perry told me. "My mother and father did karaoke together when they were at a retreat once, and that was the first song they sang together."
"That's nice," says Alex absent-mindedly.
I smile as I look over at the old armadillo. He's not old as in elderly, but if he were human, he would be middle-aged. He's been like a father to me for two years, since I started my job at Casa Blanca. He's always given me advice and mentoring, like Perry would have given me had I joined OWCA…
I put all thoughts of OWCA out of my head.
Like I predicted, the shift is quiet. Not many people are in today, and Zoe the Rabbit handles most of the orders anyway. All I have to do is take the orders to the tables.
Like Alex said, an older cat couple come in and request entertainment. The stage is all set up, and I've changed into my entertainment dress, which is a short white dress with flowers on it. It used to belong to Sarah's older sister Eden but the latter handed it down to the former when Eden outgrew it, and Sarah gave it to me as a present because I've always liked it.
I step out onto the stage and begin to sing:
You can't see much of the skyline
It looks like more of a grid
It's a viable variation of view
But it's something I'm sure we'll be glad that we did.
Just as I'm about to go into the bridge, something crashes through the large windows at the front of the building. People scatter and scream and race out of the door as a large robot lands on the floor, crushing several tables. I stay frozen where I am on the stage. I see Alex gently but urgently push Zoe into the staff room where she'll be safe.
Inside the robot, covered by what used to be a glass dome, is a man in a white lab coat. He doesn't look like Rodney, so I assume correctly that this is Rodrigo, one of Perry's top three enemies. He turns the robot over and catches sight of me.
"YOU!" he snarls, pointing at me. "You're that platypus agent's daughter!"
I stare at him in horror.
"He's the one who sabotaged all my plans! Now I'll take my revenge!"
The robot's arm lifts up and fires, though its aim is off. It misses me by a long way but hits the ceiling above me, sending a large piece falling towards me. My feet are rooted to the floor but even if they weren't, I doubt I would have been able to get out of the way in time. I squeeze my eyes shut and brace myself.
Suddenly, I feel someone push me out the way. I tumble down the three stairs at the side of the stage and roll a little way across the floor, mostly unharmed. I flinch when the large piece of stone hits the ground.
Or rather…hits someone.
The yell of pain sounds extremely unfamiliar yet familiar enough for me to realise who saved me.
"No!" screams Zoe from the staff room door.
I race back onto what's left of the stage and try my hardest to lift the piece of stone off my saviour. Zoe helps me, and together we manage to push it away from him.
Zoe quickly goes to call an ambulance while I stay next to the still body of my mentor. "C-come on…" I whisper, tears glistening in my eyes. "Come on, Alex. Wake up. Please. Please! You have to be okay. You-you can't leave us!"
There are no signs of external injury on Alex's body, apart from a massively long crack along his shell. I trace it with my finger, trying to pretend it's not as bad as it is. "A-Alex, please…be okay…you have to be okay!"
Alex's eyes open halfway and he coughs violently. "Winn," is all he manages to choke out.
"Don't speak," I say hurriedly, trying to see through my blurry vision. "Zoe's calling an ambulance, you're going to be fine. Just hold on. For me, okay? Keep your eyes on me."
"Where's…robot?"
I look around. I hadn't even noticed that the robot has disappeared. The only evidence that it was there at all is the large pile of shattered glass.
"It's gone," I reassure him. "It's gone now."
He begins to lift his arm but I capture it and return it to his side. "Conserve your energy."
"Not…gonna…make it…" heaves Alex. "The place…is yours…"
"No," I say fiercely.
"It's in…in my will…"
"You don't have to do that; you're going to be okay. Just keep your eyes on me."
Alex almost laughs but it turns into a cough. "Denial," he croaks.
That's when I lose it. Tears flow down my face faster than I can wipe them away. I know that I'm losing him. I'm losing my second father, and it hurts.
I have to tell him before I lose him forever.
"Thank you for saving my life," I whisper, my voice failing me.
Alex feebly smiles. "You're…the daughter…I never had…tell Zoe…she is too…"
Then his eyes close and he stops breathing. "NO!" I scream, my voice going hoarse. "ALEX!"
Zoe hears me and comes running. She sees Alex's very still body and knows immediately. She begins crying too. She kneels beside me and we clutch each other, sobbing our hearts out. Zoe's an orphan, and Alex really was the father she never had.
Alex is gone.
And it's all Rodrigo's fault.
A part of my brain, one that I hate, is repeating the same torturous thought over and over again:
This wouldn't have happened if you'd joined OWCA.
…
I know we didn't get to see much of Alex but it's still sad, right? Quinn lost her father-figure!
Also: Field Trip reference AND Hazel's Mission reference! *high fives self*
