Here I am, once again, bringing back Another Chance. Sorry, I was thinking of the Victorious theme song. Anyway, this is chapter six. I hope you enjoy.
Megan's words echoed in Audrey's head.
Vince and Croatoan are dead.
Vince and Croatoan are dead.
Vince and Croatoan are dead.
She couldn't believe it. She was shocked, amazed, and... sad. Not just about Vince, Croatoan too. Audrey knew he'd done horrible things, he had killed James after all, but he was still her father. Technicalities meant crap, she still hurt.
"Are you sure?" Nathan asked, pulling Audrey from her thoughts. It was a fairly reasonable question, but Megan seemed sure. Very sure. Like there was no doubt that they were dead.
"Yes I'm sure! I watched the barn crash and had to see my father die for god's sake!" She snapped, throwing her hannds up. Nathan flinched, all too aware that he could feel her, and she could hurt him easily.
"Megan, calm down okay. Nathan just wanted to be sure." Audrey soothed. She was excellent at calming people down. That was why she was so great at stopping troubles. Which she would be doing a lot of pretty soon.
Megan took a deep breath and nodded. "I know. It's just - this hit me hard. I'm really worked up as it is." She explained. Audrey and Nathan nodded.
"Megan I'm sorry. I know what you're going through and I shouldn't have said that. This has got to be tough, for both of you." Nathan said, nodding toward Audrey slightly. She released a humorless chuckle.
"Yeah right. I barely knew him. Megan remembers him, I only knew him the way everyone in Haven did. I don't get to say this is tough for me." Audrey stated coldly. She felt like she was lost, no way to tell what was going on, or why she felt hurt. Like she said, she only knew him as a monster, not a father. Megan got to remember his good days, and she didn't. Megan shook her head.
"Don't say that. Don't even try Audrey. I know it hit you hard, I saw it. Just because you only knew him as a monster, doesn't mean he's not your dad. You have every right to feel hurt because memories or not, you are still his daughter, and my sister. That will never change." Megan scolded. Audrey gave her a sad smile. Nathan walked over and sat down next to Megan on the couch, since Audrey was in the chair. He grabbed her hand.
"She's right Parker. Family is family, he was your father." Nathan added. Audrey closed her eyes, and nodded unconvincingly. She had to admit, they had good points. She just didn't seem like she had a right to grieve a man she never knew as much more than a monster that longed for his daughter. Nothing more personal than that.
"I guess." She gave in. Megan opened her mouth, then closed it. The one thing she knew was that messing with Audrey was not a good idea. If she said something final, it better be final.
"So, moving on, did the barn crash because I..." Audrey began. Megan cut her off promptly.
"No. Vince and Dad knew Paige wasn't making up for taking you, that's why they brought her into the barn, to bring you back. From what my agency knows something was purposely done to make the barn crash. They tossed you back to Haven right before the crash. Whoever did this was highly skilled with aether. Barns only crash when some type of... disturbance happens." Megan said. She directed a look at Nathan, and he shrugged.
"I'm pretty sure I'm not the first person that wanted to shoot him." He said nonchalantly. Megan and Audrey rolled their eyes, but nodded in agreement. Everyone who ever dealt with Howard around barn time wanted to shoot him. Audrey was definitely one of them.
"Anyway, right before he... died dad told me that I needed to come here, that you'd need me for something." She finished. Audrey nodded. Then she had a peculiar question.
"What is this 'agency' you keep talking about?" Audrey asked, sitting up straighter. Megan took a deep breath.
"The TMA, troubles monitoring agency, is an organization that was created to keep tabs on Haven, more so Mara and her overlays than anything." She explained. Audrey subconsciously winced when she said overlays. That reminded her that once apon a time she was one too. And then she was taken over by Paige. She's played both roles. Overlay and original.
"So, they watch Haven?" Nathan clarified giving Audrey's hand a reassuring squeeze. She smiled slightly, reminded that she was whole. No more overlay stuff. Ever.
"Yes and no. They mainly watch troubled people and Mara's personalities, with the sole purpose of trying to help. They have people working around the clock, but no cure yet. So they watch and try to maintain order. It's kind of like what you two do, only they work behind the scenes." Megan explained. Audrey and Nathan nodded. They both knew exactly what she meant.
"So, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that Char-mom knew to come here because of them." Audrey assumed. She and Megan both smiled at the fact that she'd said mom, not Charlotte. It was becoming more automatic. If only it had been that way before she died. Megan nodded.
"Okay, so where does that leave us?" Audrey asked. Megan took a deep breath.
"Well, if we're gonna be helping each other, and acting like sisters, you need to know the truth about Mara and William, all of it." She began. Audrey furrowed her eyebrows, and Nathan did the same.
"What do you mean? And what does William have to do with anything?" Audrey asked. Megan sighed.
"Mara, she wasn't always bad. Certain things happened and they... changed her." She continued.
"Yeah, her father's banishment." Nathan interjected. Megan pointed to him.
"Is he always this interupty?" She asked, eyebrows raised. Audrey laughed, remembering when Gloria had asked 'Lexie' that same question.
"Yes." She nodded. Megan just shook her head.
"Well anyway Chief Interupt-A-Lot, not entirely. At first we both had the same reaction. Mara was a little angrier, and while we were both daddy's little girls, she was always closer to him. So mom and I wrote it off. What I meant was William. When they met, Mara became rebellious. At first mom and dad thought it was a teenager thing, like my high heels only phase, then they realized that it was only really bad around William."
Audrey and Nathan nodded, both far too intrigued to interject.
"Then the worst happened, he introduced her to aether. It was the morning after her eighteenth birthday, and I heard a knock at my apartment. When I opened it Mara came in, and she was frantic. As a present William had taken her to the void, dad had only been banished months before. Mom had said he was dead, but William knew better. Mara only thought they'd see him, but before they left William showed her how to use aether."
"And that's when they made the first trouble." Nathan finished. Megan gave him a look.
"Audrey, please teach him how to shut up! And as for you, Nathan, I liked you better when you were fluent in monosyllable." Megan snapped. Nathan raised his hands in defeat, scooting toward a chuckling Audrey.
"And no, they didn't. The troubles weren't made for another ten years or better. Mara was freaking out, she'd never felt that empowered. For the next few years they did small things with aether, enough to worry mom and I, but never anything illegal, so we didn't like William, but we weren't expecting them to hurt anyone. Then when Mara was like twenty four, she and William came to my apartment. They'd just gone to our mother for her blessing, and she refused. So being that Mara and I were still best friends, she came to me. When I refused, she left in a hurry. I'd never seen her that angry with me."
Megan paused, taking a deep breath. Soon she'd have to bring up Matilda, her niece that never saw the world. Audrey had already lost James. Mara's or not, knowing about another child's death was hard. But, she was strong, and the truth was important.
"About a week later, everyone was worried. No one had seen or heard from them since they left my apartment. Then they appeared out of nowhere, and they were married. Everyone was shocked that Mara Cross, former goody goody, tradition lover, had broken tradition. No one in our family had ever been married without a family member present before. Mom and I were really scared. I barely knew my little sister anymore. All because of William's poison."
Megan closed her eyes. She had to say it. Tell them why Mara and William made the troubles. They both deserved to know. Nathan was troubled and Audrey had been condemned to face them forever. Plus Matilda was her daughter, as far as DNA goes. She opened her eyes to continue.
"But they had calmed down. For the next few years everything was normal. Heck, by the time Mara was twenty eight they were expecting a baby. Then, the worst happened. Mara went to the void to tell dad she was pregnant. But when she crossed back over to our world, she got sick. Really sick. They took her to the hospital, and William had to save her with aether. She barely made it." Megan said, looking at her lap.
"And the baby?" Audrey asked. Megan took a deep breath.
"Matilda, she... she didn't make it." She answered. Audrey closed her eyes. Hearing all this reminded her of James. She still felt guilty for what happened to him. And Nathan did too; he had to watch without inter fearing.
"After that, they made the troubles. Mara changed completely. I never got her back after that. She lost all reason. All because of that stupid party I took her to." Megan finished. On instinct Audrey got up, pulled Megan to her level, and hugged her. She might not have remembered her, but this was still her sister. She had to know that she was going to let her in.
"I may not remember you, and I probably never will. But you are my sister, and I want you to know that I don't care about my lack of memory. You lost Mara, but you won't lose me. Ever." Audrey said, holding Megan tight. Although her pride would never let her admit it aloud, she needed this hug too. Megan held her just as tightly, thankful that she could begin again.
"Thank you, that means a lot." She said, releasing her. She was on the line of hysteria, and while she'd make an exception for Audrey, Megan's pride would never let her cry in front of Nathan. And she knew if they hugged any longer, she would cry.
Audrey gave her a smile that said it all, and sat back down. Megan took a look at the clock, and sighed.
8:53
She had to get to her motel room. It was late, and Audrey and Nathan should get some...sleep. They needed to process this together. Megan stood, grabbing her bag.
"Well, it's getting late. I should get going." She said
"Do you have a place for the night?" Audrey asked. It had been an hour and she was already concerned for Megan. Plus, Nathan didn't need that guest room at the moment. Megan smiled.
"I got myself a room at the B&B. I'll call an Uber." Megan insisted. Audrey wanted to argue that an Uber wasn't necessary, but she was to tired to argue. So she just gave Megan her number, and they decided to regroup at the Gull in the morning.
As Audrey fell asleep that night, she knew one thing for sure;
Life just got even more complicated.
Hey guys! Sorry it took so long. My family was busy taking care of my poppop, and then on the 30th he died, so yeah. Anyway please review, it would make my day. Bye!
~Jem