CHAPTER 46
PREPARATIONS
November 27, 2010
2:37pm
Charlottesville, Virginia
Russell Family Home
"We have to tell someone," Alex said. She and Jeremiah were hiding out in Jason, Jack, Keegan, and Amy's room the six of them were still reeling form the news of Peter not being Peter. Jeremiah and Keegan had told Alex and the other three kids everything else they had learned about Kaine. The information only furthered their fright.
"Who can we tell? Who would believe us?" Keegan asked.
"Will," Jason and Jack offered.
"He is the obvious choice," Jeremiah replied
"Pete...Kaine is still sleeping we should try and tell Will now," Alex said glancing at her watch. "Jeremiah stay here with Amy and the boys. I'll be back shortly."
Jeremiah nodded his head as Amy, Jason and Jack made their way over to the security that was Jeremiah. Amy climbed into her brother's lap pulling Keegan along with her, Jason and Jack snuggled into Jeremiah's sides. Jeremiah held the four children closely knowing how frightened they were.
Alex found her eldest brother in the room he shared with Alley. Will was alone and for that Alex was grateful, it would make things easier.
"I lied to you earlier," Alex said entering the room.
"About what?" Will asked looking up from his medical text.
"There is something going on. It-it's about Pete," Alex stuttered.
"What's wrong with Pete?" Will asked.
"He's not right Will. He's not Pete," Alex managed to say. Will laid his text aside.
"Katie, we both know that Pete isn't going to be the same after what happened to him. He's going to need time to heal," Will told his sister.
"No Will you don't understand. That boy is not Pete. His name is Kaine, he is a clone of Pete," Alex hissed.
"Alex that is impossible," Will said shaking his head.
"No Will it isn't. It's the truth." Alex said pleading with her brother to believe her
"Fine if it's the truth Alex then were is the proof?"
"I don't have it," Alex said not willing to reveal what she had Keegan and Jeremiah do. "Will you must believe me. Just look at all of the signs. The forgetfulness, the confusion of twins. Pete never forgot names and he never confused Air and Andy. But every since we brought him back he has. And what about his temper, Pete is the sweetest boy I've known but now he is quick to anger. Then there are the mental blocks in his mind. Pete is not a telepath he doesn't have the ability to place mental blocks. And even if he did why does he need them?" Alex asked.
"Enough Alexandra. What you are saying is beyond reason. Pete has not been cloned, he is simply Pete," Will said.
"But Will," Alex began.
"I don't want to hear anymore of this Alexandra," Will told his sister. Alex shook her head in disbelief. She could not understand why Will did not believe her and said so herself.
"Why don't you believe me?"
"Because when Pete was nine he fell out of one of the tree houses and gashed his arm pretty bad. It left a terrible scar. This morning when Pete pulling up the sleeves of his shirt I saw it. So tell me again how Pete has been replaced by his clone," Will said. Alex was at a loss for words. Not knowing what else to say to defend her beliefs she left and returned to Jeremiah, Amy and the other boys.
"From the look on your face I'm guessing it didn't go to well," Jeremiah said when Alex returned. Alex sat next to Jeremiah and Jason and Jack climbed into their sister's lap.
"I don't know what else to do. Will didn't believe me and if he didn't I can't think of anyone who will," Alex said desperately.
"You have to find Pete," Jason said softly. "You and Jer."
"Out of the mouths of babes," Jeremiah said softly.
"We can't leave the four of them alone, Jeremiah. You said so yourself Kaine is dangerous," Alex spoke.
"Jasa's right, you to have to go. The four of us can protect ourselves. Amy's a telekinetic, Jace and Jack are empaths now, and me well... I'm a Black File version eight-point-oh," Keegan said with a grin "'Sides I don't think Kaine will try anything with a house full of people."
"Okay but if Alex and I go here are the rules. Stay close to either Mike, Maddie, Air, Andy, Greg, Lissa, Will or Alley. Never be alone with Kaine, ever. But if you ever are defend yourselves at all cost," Jeremiah ordered. "Understand?"
"Yes, sir," The four children replied.
"Jer maybe you should stay. Protect them," Alex said nodding at her baby brothers, Keegan and Amy.
"There is no way I'm letting you go on this mission alone Alex," Jeremiah told her. "We're in this together."
"Alright. When do we leave?"
"Tonight," Jeremiah whispered and the four younger children clung to the two older ones frightened at what might happen while Alex, and Jeremiah were away.
November 27, 2010
5:52pm
Charlottesville, Virginia
Russell Family Home
"So we're pulling an Adam," Alex said as she and Jeremiah quickly packed their rom was empty for the moment but there was no telling when someone would be back.
"Speaking of Adam I've been thinking. Maybe we should try and catch up with him," Jeremiah suggested.
"The question is where is he," Alex replied.
"Will knows. Hell we've already peeked into Pete...Kaine's mind. Keegan can easily peek into Will's and find out where Adam is," Jeremiah said. Though his voice nor mannerisms betrayed him, Alex could tell that Jeremiah was more than uncomfortable with the suggestion. But like Jeremiah, Alex knew that there really wasn't any other choice.
"We'll finish packing, stash our things in the kids room, and go talk to Keegan," Alex said.
"Do we leave a note?" Jeremiah asked.
"Yeah. We should keep them all from worrying. Just tell them that we're off to find Adam." Alex agreed.
The cousins finished their packing, taking only the necessities, two changes of clothes, laptops, a few thousand in travelers checks, a credit card each and identification cards, not under their true names of course. They would be traveling under the aliases of Ashling Samantha and Liam Samuel O'Connell. Alex had agreed to dye her hair red, and Jeremiah agreed to get blue contact lenses. Their guise was a pair of orphan twins off to visit their cousin.
Done with their packing Alex and Jeremiah went to the younger children's room to stash their bags, and to make their request to Keegan.
"Can you do it Key?" Alex asked her younger cousin.
"No need. I already know where Adam is. When Will tried to get into my mind I blocked him, but at the same time I looked into his mind. Adam is in Galway, Ireland," Keegan told Alex.
"Little cousin you're the best," Alex said placing a kiss on Keegan's cheek.
November 27, 2010
6:36pm
Charlottesville, Virginia
Russell Family Home
As Will prepared dinner, his mind was on something else entirely. He was so focused on the conversation he had with Alex that Will nicked his finger while cutting chicken for stir fry.
"Shit," Will cursed and ran water over his bleeding finger.
"Will you okay?" Alley asked her brother.
"Yeah," Will sighed. "I just cut my finger."
"Let me see," Alley ordered. She inspected the cut on Will's finger. The cut wasn't too deep to demand stitches. Alley poured some alcohol over Will's cut, and wrapped it in a band-aid. Will paid no attention to his sister's doings, he was so deep in his thoughts.
"William where are you?" Alley asked braking Will's musings.
"Sorry. Just thinking," Will said shaking his head.
"About," Alley prompted.
"Alex. She had this wild theory, about Pete not being Pete. That he had been... Never mind, it doesn't matter. I think that Alex's nightmares are messing with her, and she's seeing things in Pete that aren't there," Will said.
"You think Katie is becoming paranoid?" Alley asked.
"Honestly I don't what to think. I'll talk to her later, try and sort things out," Will sighed.
"Good idea," Alley replied turning to leave the kitchen. Alley paused on her way out. "Will here's the thing. When have you ever known Alex to be wrong?"
And that there was the thought that had been plaguing Will since he last spoken with his baby sister.
November 27, 2010
8:13pm
Charlottesville, Virginia
Russell Family Home
They were created to be super-pretenders. They could completely become someone else. Close to two decades, and millions of dollars were spent by the Centre, to create and train the Black Files. As far as Alex and Jeremiah were concerned the Centre had not wasted it's time nor money.
Dinner was much like lunch earlier that day, playful arguments, Marc and Greg making horrible jokes, and embarrassing childhood stories being told. Alex, Jeremiah joined in on the dinnertime conversation but their hearts were not in it. They were planning just how and when they would leave the house and get to the airport.
Alex and Jeremiah weren't the only ones at the table who's minds were someplace else. Will was wondering just how he would talk to his sister. Keegan, Amy, Jason and Jack were worried about what would happen while Alex, and Jeremiah were gone. And then there was Kaine. His father had given him a task to perform and Kaine had yet to go about completing it.
Once the table was cleared, Alex and the rest of the Black Files washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Everything was almost done, a few dishes just need to be dried when Will entered the kitchen.
"Everyone out," Will said guesting towards the door. The Black Files quickly left the room. "Hold on Katie," Will said tugging on Alex's sleeve as she walked pass.
"What is it," Alex asked she was not in the mood to get in to another argument with Will.
"I want to know if you're okay. I'm worried about you," Will said placing a hand on either one of Alex's shoulders.
"I'm fine. I don't know what I was saying earlier. I guess the dream I had just seemed so real, like a premonition. But you're right the though that Pete could have been switched with his clone is insane," Alex said with a little half smile. Inside it was breaking her heart to lie to her big brother. She loved Will, idolized him, but Alex knew that there was nothing she could really do to convince Will that Kaine had taken over Pete's identity.
Alex and Jeremiah had briefly toyed with the idea of telling one of their parents, but they knew that if they couldn't convince Will, they had very little chance of convincing anyone else.
"I'm glad to know that you're okay," Will said placing a kiss on the crown of Alex's head. "You had me worried for a moment. Why don't you go on up stairs, I'll finish drying the dishes," Will offered.
"Thanks big brother," Alex said and went to leave. She stopped for a moment and turned to look at Will who was already drying dishes. "I love you Will," Alex whispered and left.
November 27, 2010
8:36pm
Charlottesville, Virginia
Russell Family Home
"Hey Jer pass me the papers next to you," Jake asked. With out looking up Jeremiah passed Jake the papers he requested.
"Where are you going little brother?" Jake whispered. Jeremiah looked up to met Jake's eyes. Jake was not at all surprised that Jeremiah did not appear shocked at the fact that Jake knew something was amiss. Jeremiah was well aware that Jake like the majority of the Black Files was psychic, in fact Jeremiah had been waiting to see who would approach him first. In truth Jeremiah was happy it was Jake.
"Ireland," Jeremiah replied softly, he didn't want for his and Alex's leaving to be common knowledge.
"What's in Ireland?" Jake asked.
"Adam," Jeremiah answered. "Cover for us?" Both boys understood that Jeremiah was partially lying. Both boys also understood that Jeremiah and Alex would need a cover story.
"Of course," Jake replied and returned to working on Keegan's files, just as Alex returned to the room. Jeremiah met Alex's eyes and raised a questioning eye brow. Alex nodded, and Jeremiah gave a brief half smile.
Up Next: Alex and Jeremiah inform their siblings that they are leaving. Lissa and Andros aren't pleased with the news. Later Alex makes contact with Benny.
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