Chapter 14
Gabriel, Grandpa Danny, and Marie wee home in less than a second and saw his Aunt Chloe, Aunt April in her green ghost fighting armor suit, Uncle Roger, and Uncle Jack all floating above the house ready for trouble. "Did you get it?" Uncle Roger asked. "We got it," Marie said and showed the laptop to him. "I hope it has what we need," Uncle Roger said and Marie went inside with Uncle Jack while Gabriel stayed out. "Aren't you going in?" Aunt Chloe asked him. "No, they don't need me in there," Gabriel asked. He turned to Aunt April and asked her, "Can we talk?" Aunt April turned to Aunt Chloe and Uncle Roger and asked, "Will you be okay without me?" "We'll be fine," Uncle Roger told her as he took out a Black Dahlia brand cigarette from his vest.
Aunt April and Gabriel flew a few yards away from his house and she asked, "What's on your mind Gabriel?" Gabriel looked at her and asked, "How did you get over your Mom's death?" Aunt April blinked in surprise at this and Gabriel hung his head, "I don't know what to do. I hate the Purifiers so much for what they did, they killed almost all my friends, and I don't know what happened to Lacy and Stacy, and I just…" he was starting to hyperventilate and Aunt April hugged him. "I know, I know. Gabriel, you need to talk to your parents, we aren't going to make you do this if you don't want to. It hurts, Gabriel, and that hurt, it…never goes away. You lost people you cared about; that is not something that's easy to get over, if it was then we wouldn't be human. But eventually, you'll meet new people, and the hurt will heal. This wasn't your fault, Gabriel." Gabriel swallowed the sobs that were coming out of his throat and said, "But I should have stopped it from happening. JJ, June, Cooper, Eve, Ivan, James, Greta, Selma, Michael, Anna, everyone managed to beat the Purifiers without them blowing up. I should have known better, I should have done something different! I just," Gabriel couldn't hold it in anymore and cried while his Aunt held him.
Gabriel lost track of time, but finally he stopped crying and Aunt April brought him back home. She deactivated the armor and it collapsed back into two wristbands. Gabriel turned Human and they walked into the door and they saw his Dad working on the laptop. "Jerry, Marie, you need to talk to your son," Aunt April told them. They both looked at Gabriel and Jerry turned off the laptop, "Okay." Aunt April grabbed Uncle Jack, Grandpa Danny, and Grandma Sam and got them to follow her outside, leaving Gabriel alone in the living room with his parents. "Gabriel…what's wrong?" his Mom asked. "Mom, I…I don't know if I can do this anymore," he said.
Gabriel sat down next to his Mom and she hugged him tight and so did his Dad. "Gabriel, we understand. We won't make you do this if you don't want to," his Dad told him when they stopped hugging. "But Dad…It's not just that. I don't want to, but I want to, it's just all so confusing," Gabriel told him and held his head in his hands. His Dad put a hand on his shoulder and told him, "I know, you want revenge, don't you." Gabriel nodded, "Yes, I want to make them pay for this. If it wasn't for them then Lucas, and Mike, and Lisa, Mrs. Grant, Kory, all of them would still be alive if it wasn't for them…if it wasn't for me." "Gabriel, look at me," his Dad told him. Gabriel looked into his Father's eyes and Jerry told him, "This isn't your fault. None of this is. You never asked for this, you couldn't have known that they would rig their suits to explode." "Then why do I feel this way?!" Gabriel yelled and got off the couch.
"Why can't I stop feeling like I could have done better!? Everyone else did, why couldn't I! I'm one of the most powerful halfas, I should do better!" Gabriel yelled. Jerry stood up and told him, "You're still just a teenager. No one is perfect at your age." Gabriel just broke down again and after his cries became hiccups his parents took him to his room. They told his siblings and cousins to go to Michael's room and they all did, looking at Gabriel sadly. They must have heard, or one of them spied on us. Gabriel went on his bed and laid there for he didn't know how long. He only noticed how long it was when he realized he was all alone in his dark room.
Suddenly Michael ran into his room, "Gabe! It's Lacy and Stacy! They found them!" Gabriel leapt off his bed and asked, "Where!? Are they alright!?" Michael took him to show him the TV in their living room where he saw a paused screen showing a Hispanic man in a suit. As soon as he was in the room his Dad said, "Play." The reporter continued, "We have reports that twin sisters Lacy and Stacy Cosgrove have been found alive and were taken to Millertown General Hospital's Emergency Room one hour ago, we're waiting for an update now, this was truly a miracle in the midst of such tragedy, back to you Gerald." "Off," Jerry stated and turned to a smiling Gabriel. "They're alive!" Gabriel yelled in relief.