Amara was in the hospital for another two days. On the first of them, she was allowed upstairs to see her mother. She was unconscious, had been intubated with a ventilator. Amara couldn't help but notice the big bandage on her chest. As she stood there weeping, a familiar voice echoed behind her. "I've never not wanted to kill him, Kit. My whole life I thought he was an absolute waste of oxygen, but I never imagined he'd do this." Silver stepped up next to Amara. "Between this and what he's done to you and your sister, I've never been so angry." Amara turned.
"You knew?" Amara asked, as Silver pulled out a police badge. "What the fuck, Silver? You've been a cop this whole time?" Silver chuckled and affirmed that yes, he was working to take their father's empire down. "Why the fuck did you wait until after mom got shot?"
"That one is harder to explain, but because of this we've got Archer and Arianna. They've been offered plea deals to divulge any information they have." He looked back at Amara's mother. "This wasn't what I wanted, though." Amara stood, looking through the glass at their mother for another few minutes. Silver gave her a hug and she made her way down to her room. Everyone had gone back to school, and with the room empty, Amara found she had nothing better to do than fall asleep.
As the body slept, Amara found herself in a white void. Elaina stood across from her, and Madilyn was suspended in the air, imprisoned in crystal. "How are you holding up, Elaina?" Amara asked as Elaina's eyes welled up with tears. Amara pulled her into a hug as she cried.
"My entire life has been a lie, Amara. I don't know if I want to live anymore." She sobbed into Amara's shirt as Amara held her. "But I don't know if I want to go because of the friends I've made along the way. I just want to go back to how it was." Amara stroked Elaina's back as she kept crying. "And I can't end it. I can't do that to Penny." Elaina's sobbing grew louder. Amara pulled Elaina into a tight hug, and Elaina started to calm down.
"So, don't. Sometimes life's a bitch and you keep on living." Elaina looked to Amara, and past the red in Elaina's eyes, she saw something. It was hope. Elaina dared to hope. "Also, I've always wanted a sister." Amara added. Elaina chuckled.
"Well, sis, I think we can make that happen. Though someone is going to have to break it to Penny that she's dating a pair of twins." Elaina said as Amara put her finger on the tip of her nose. "Nose goes, 'Layna."
"Fuck." Elaina muttered as she looked over to Madilyn. "Hey, how did we even seal her in that crystal, by the way?" The two stepped forward and inspected the crystal prison. They found it had formed perfectly, with no weak points from the outside. "Honestly, 'Layna, I'm not really sure myself."
"That's because you two didn't do it." Another woman stepped out of the void. She was taller than Amara and Elaina, with shorter hair and more curves. "Hello, Amara, Elaina. I'm Melody." The twins looked to each other, and then back to Melody.
"How many of us are there?" Amara asked in disbelief. Melody chuckled, but her eyes betrayed a deep melancholy. After a second, she spoke. "Just the four of us. Once Giovanni finished destroying our mind when we were five, our brain got good at sectioning off memories and feelings for each of us." Melody pulled a wand from her belt. "I just happen to have the magic wand that gives me a modicum of control over this place. That's how I was able to seal Madilyn in crystal."
The three women looked over Madilyn again. Elaina smiled sadly. "The world failed all of us, but it failed Madilyn most of all." Melody and Amara voiced their assent, then the void shuddered. "Seems like someone is trying to wake us. Who's going to front?" Elaina asked. Amara slapped her on the ass and declared "Get in there, tiger." And Elaina woke up.
A nurse was standing over her with a syringe. "Do I need medicine?" Elaina asked drowsily. The nurse stuttered for a moment before looking at the document in her hand again. "Nope, sorry. This is for room thirty-four B, not A." She turned and walked out. As Elaina watched her leave the room, she noticed the woman was wearing black under her scrubs, rather than the white of the other nurses. Elaina hit the call button and another nurse came in. This one wore white under her scrubs.
"Hey, a nurse wearing black just came in here and was about to inject something into me while I was asleep. Is that weird?" The nurse's eyes went wide. "So that's weird?" The nurse pulled a radio out of her pocket and called for security. "I didn't get a good look at her; she was wearing a face mask, but it seemed like she had a head of ruby red hair." The nurse passed the information along, and then started to take out Elaina's IV. After a few additional minutes, she was escorted to the main entrance of the hospital. They handed her a bag of her personal items and bid her farewell. She looked out the door. "This just keeps getting stranger. It's 2:30 in the morning." She found a bathroom and changed back into her academy uniform, then she shouldered her bag.
Silver, Are you in mom's room? Some weird shit just happened to me…
Her brother's response came through almost immediately. Yeah, I'm here with her. What happened?"
I woke up to a nurse with a black undershirt on trying to inject me with something while I was asleep. Then when I told another nurse about it, they gave me my stuff and now I'm in the lobby bathroom.
Rocket Blacks? Silver responded.
Non-zero chance, Elaina texted. You think they were trying to drug me or smth?
Silver shot back the shrugged shoulders emoji and assured Elaina he'd sit with her mom. Elaina decided to leave the hospital and called for a flying taxi to take her back to the school. As she landed in front of Dragontongue, she tossed a coin to the driver and headed inside. She reached her room rather quickly and upon entering she found there was a note on her pillow. It held an address and a date. "August fourteenth, twenty forty-four. What the hell could they be planning? Elaina thought. Amara confirmed she had no idea either, but the fact that her father's people had gained entry into her room frightened Elaina.
We're only going to be here for another day. Let's text Vaughn in the morning. Right now, we need sleep. Amara echoed. Elaina took her uniform off and climbed into bed. No Penny to keep us warm tonight, huh, Elaina? Amara asked, to which Elaina did her absolute best to conjure a mental image of an obscene gesture. As Amara's laughter died down, Elaina fell asleep.
The next morning came, and Elaina awoke to the sounds of knocking on the bathroom door. "Are you back?" Nemona asked. Elaina confirmed that yes, they were back and to wait for a minute before coming in. Elaina tugged on her bathrobe and Nemona came into the room. The bruise had faded, Elaina noticed. Nemona pulled her into a big hug. "Holy fuck, 'Layna. I'm glad you're back just in time for the end of respite week." She let go of Elaina and smiled. "I have the squad on their way there to compare project notes. Do you want in?" Nemona asked as she turned around. "Put on a bra and we'll meet up in my room for a change." And then the bathroom door closed, and Elaina was alone in her room. It's never felt so lonely even with them right beside you, has it, Elaina? This voice wasn't Amara's, but Melody's. I mean, after everything I just feel numb, to be perfectly honest. I wanted it to stop hurting, but this is almost worse.
She tugged on a bra and changed into her uniform, then headed across the bathroom to meet Allie and Nemona. As she walked in, several voices called "Welcome home, Elaina and Amara!" The entire squad had gathered, and once the hugs started, Elaina lost track of the time until they stopped. Arven produced a perfectly frosted cake from the counter and presented it to Elaina. Elaina burst into laughter as she surveyed, "One tough cookie," She snorted. "And it's a cookie cake. Arven, you've outdone yourself again."
Nemona smiled a smile that could be seen from the heavens. "We know this week has been absolutely abject chaos, but we wanted you and Amara to know we love you both with all of our hearts. Elaina looked around to everyone, and after a second glance around the room, she said, surprised, "Where's our girlfriend?"
"Penny is on her way. She made those frosted sugar cookies we had at snowflake day." Allie's phone buzzed and she made her way from the room. She returned moments later with Penny in tow, and Penny smiled wide as she saw Elaina. "Welcome back, my beloved." She sat the cookies on the counter and pulled Elaina into a deep kiss. The sensation caused Elaina to shudder with pleasure, and as they kissed, they pretended they couldn't hear their friends cheering.
"It's good to be back." Elaina said between gasps for breath. She took a seat in the circle alongside her friends, and Penny found her way into Elaina's lap. Trish spoke first of the group. "I think I found an apartment." Everyone cheered. "Yeah, up in Medali. There's a complex called the Trainer Tower. They have some really good rates right now. I'm so excited to get out of Fortree."
"I found a shrine. It's down by Secluded Beach in South Province." Allie announced. "The Treasures of Ruin are real, and one of them is chained up in the south. Ms. Raifort had a field day, and I mean that literally. She came out to see the shrine and was absolutely blown away." Everyone clapped and gave hearty congratulations to Allie, and Arven spoke next.
"I found the flying titan. It's up by the western lighthouse. Elaina, are you and Amara still good to help me bring it down?" Elaina nodded and affirmed that Amara had him covered so long as he didn't get trapped under a second rock. Everyone chuckled except Arven, who grumbled.
"This is what you get for asking me to get your rocks off, Arven." Nemona said, shaking her head all the while. "Next time ask when we're not in the middle of the canyon and maybe I'll put out." Arven blushed and responded with a simple "uh" before the conversation moved on. Elaina elbowed Arven and whispered, "Get it, Arven." Then she turned to the group. "Pokédex is coming along great. Mr. Vaughn gave us a Lure Ball during our meeting. Also, I think I might actually be making friends. I don't really know though." Everyone laughed at Elaina's statement, and Penny voiced that she'd reconnected with one of her friends, and that there were four to go, to much applause from the squad.
"That leaves our very own Nemona." Trish announced as all eyes turned to Nemona. "Amara's shaping up to be my rival, but we'll see how it turns out. I'm excited to see where it goes." She sat backward on her hands and smiled. "Amara battles in a way that I struggle to describe. Watching her battle makes me feel some type of way." There was a pause, then Elaina went limp. "You wanna make out, Nemona. We can just make out; you don't have to be coy." Amara said as she came to consciousness. "As long as Penny doesn't mind, of course." Amara clarified as she planted a kiss on Penny's cheek.
"Full disclosure, 'Mara, Arven and I have a little side bet going about which girl finally makes Nemona realize she's bi." Nemona blushed super deeply before yelling, "It's not sexual; it's just a Pokémon battle!" The entire room laughed again as Nemona sat, flustered and Pomeg Berry red, on the floor. At this point there came a spell of quiet that no one dared break. After a few minutes, it was Penny who spoke. "So, orgy?" The raucous laughter continued, then the squad started to give each other sidelong looks.
Nemona shrugged. "Orgy." Amara looked to Penny on her lap. "May I call her bluff, my lovely?" Penny laughed and climbed off Amara's lap. Amara crawled across the circle and pinned Nemona to the floor. "If you're down, then so am I." Amara said as she pressed her lips to Nemona's. She wears cherry lip gloss. Amara announced into her back brain. Nemona was underneath her, and as Amara pulled away, the entire room could see Nemona's blush. Trish gave a round of applause.
"Alright, Trish, I think I am gay a little." Nemona said as Arven passed Penny five hundred Poké. Nemona looked at the two of them and muttered "Cold blooded, but fair." Nemona sat up as Amara climbed off her. "Now, I was quipping about being down for an orgy, but someone has me feeling something between my thighs, so if we're not having an orgy after all, can you all clear out so I can call one of my men?"
Amara looked to the group and started unbuttoning her shirt. "We are a bunch of degenerates." She announced. The group agreed, but no one stopped what they were doing.