Author's Note: Hello everyone! Happy Holidays one and all! I don't think I'll be able to post another chapter before Christmas or the New Years (but I shall try even though I'll be busy). Thank you for all the reviews, follows, favorites and views! It is all very much appreciated and means so much to me that you can't even believe!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Resident Evil Franchise, all rights belong to Capcom! Any grammatical errors or inconsistencies that you may find I do hope that you can forgive me and that my chapter is still readable. Happy reading everyone!
When Ethan was out of sight, I returned to my home and sat at my kitchen table, staring absentmindedly out the window that showed a vast expanse of my village. I reminisced about all the work that had gone into creating this little bubble of peace. This little part of the world that many called a sanctuary. Years of sweat and tears went into this greenhouse by myself and my most trusted guardians just so that people who sought my humble home could live out the rest of their lives safe and secure.
To calm my bundle of frayed nerves and restless emotions I had brewed my favorite cup of tea which now remained cold and forgotten as I continued to stay lost in my thoughts. The red book that the Duke had so graciously retrieved for me sat in my lap as my fingers traced over every curve and edge of the cover.
So much has happened these past couple of days. In a blink of an eye my whole world and all that I knew…vanished. The village I walked through for years was gone and all that was left were deserted houses and empty beds. My siblings dead…and soon my best friend would follow them.
Even though I had requested it from Ethan, part of me wanted to be upset and blame the man as well as the existence of his child as the reason that I had to lose my family and my reality. But I knew from the moment that I found out who my siblings truly were that all this needed to be done no matter how I felt about the situation. Emotions and logic were fighting against each other, the need of wanting my siblings to survive while knowing that their reign of terror and senseless slaughter needed to end.
I could never recall my life nor my parents before being kidnapped, so being with the only people I knew to be family had blinded me from all that went on beneath the surface of the 'happy smiles'. The guilt that I possibly had any inkling of how much of a monster my siblings were and just continued to look the other way because I knew part of them could be good…ate me up inside. There were things around me that served as a constant reminder of my failures…so much so that I could never escape the guilt. Even my own home served as a reminder of things that could've been prevented had I just opened my eyes.
But maybe a part of me wanted to be punished for it. The people that I failed to protect would never hold grudges against me so I think subconsciously I needed to be punished somehow if not by them.
In the span of two days, buried memories of all the good moments have resurfaced due to my encounter with Ethan…a sense of nostalgia settled around me. It was my vain attempt to hold on to my family even when they were well and truly gone.
Alcina, the proud and conceited, who lashed out at any servant who made even the simplest of mistakes, had a big heart deep down that she'd only shown to very few. I'd like to think that the love she had toward me as her sister was genuine, and the bond that she developed over time with her daughters was real. Though they were not related by blood, myself included, she raised us as if we were her own. My sister taught me so much of the world outside our own, as a child and a woman, and I owed her so much. And her daughters…ah, her daughters. Bela, Daniella, and Cassandra. They were…a special group of young ladies. Suppose if I did have a 'normal' family, they made me see what being an older sister could've been like, as twisted as it was since I was more their Aunt than their sibling. The times that I had visited, when they were in their right frame of mind, they would look to me for answers to everything when their mother was absent or preoccupied. It was pleasant.
Donna, the quiet and misunderstood woman who found comfort in dolls, who treated her servants as nothing but playthings. Choosing to continue to live in isolation from the rest of us, and was heavily afraid to interact with everyone around her. But…she did make an effort to speak to me without the help of Angie. Donna cared enough to make me such beautiful and elaborate dresses since I was just a child. Thinking about it now, she did treat me as if I was one of her own precious porcelain dolls. When I grew older, I thought Donna would've grown out of that habit, but she still took the time to create new clothes for me even when I would outgrow them in a year. And the dolls, the wonderful gift that Donna had given both Karl and me. I cherished it and kept it safely tucked away in my closet…I wonder if Karl kept mine safe or if he burnt it after burning the metaphorical bridge that connected us.
Salvatore. A man who could not comprehend or be able to read the room, who treated his villagers as nothing but potential experiments to appease Mother Miranda…even when mentally underdeveloped due to the cadou I think he had the biggest heart out of all of us. All the man wanted to do was please Mother Miranda and gain her approval, something that we all had at one point in time, but not him. Salvatore wanted to be the perfect son and be acknowledged by Mother Miranda for his work…something that would never come. When he was conscious of his actions and the ongoings around him, he was such a caring man. Salvatore took it upon himself to look after our wellbeing when it wasn't needed, such care did stop once his mental health deteriorated and reduced him to his childlike state in a mutated man's body all because of Mother Miranda's push to see what the results would be if she introduced more parasites to his body. It's sad that Salvatore didn't even blame Mother Miranda for his condition, didn't even consider that his state of being was that way because the woman he loved so much didn't care about him.
Everything around me was taking a heavy toll on my physical and mental health.
Losing my siblings, and knowingly asking Ethan to put an end to them caused my guilt to deepen and comfortably settle deep within my heart. I'll miss them all dearly. The moments we all shared….and soon Karl would join the departed. That is what hurt my heart the most, thinking that my best friend and the man that I've loved for all these years would fall just as Mother Miranda planned without having reconciled and repaired our relationship.
'The last one standing…' I thought as I bit the bottom of my lip. 'Miranda's plan…she wants me to be her daughter's true sibling. But even she, too, will fall.'
I could care less that Mother Miranda's end was near, I cared that I would be alone without Karl by my side like we had always planned. What could I do? Ethan was headed to Karl's factory to hear his proposal and knowing Karl and his ambitions? I have a feeling that neither party will come to an agreement even if both could benefit from this partnership. Though their end goal is the same, the process would differ which would lead Ethan to choose his daughter, his only family, above all else.
'Ethan won't be coming back, and once word that Mother Miranda has fallen then I know that Karl would've fallen too. If only…' I shook my head, just thinking about that moment made my heart ache to this day. But there was another problem plaguing my thoughts causing me to be unsure of what I should do concerning the other outside guests that had visited my home days before Ethan had.
"-Sinclair." A distant, muffled voice cut through my muddled thoughts causing me to snap back to the present as the voice cut through once more much more forcefully. "Lady Sinclair."
I blinked a couple of times, my attention leaving the window and toward the man who stood rigid at my side as the stern yet warm wisdom-filled eyes stared down at me.
"Ianto." I greeted kindly, watching as the man's body began to relax when I finally acknowledged his presence. "How long have you been standing there?"
"A good few minutes, my Lady." Ianto responded as he stepped away from me, taking the empty seat across the table and dragging it over so that he was seated close to me. "What troubles you, my Lady?"
"Why would something be troubling me, Ianto?" I asked in hopes that I could successfully cover up what I was truly thinking as I turned to look back out the window.
"Because your favorite tea has grown cold." Ianto pointed out. "I've known you for years, my Lady, last time this happened you had stopped going over to see Lord Heisenberg."
"The village seems quiet today," I tried to divert the topic to something more favorable to avoid me thinking further about what weighs heavily on my mind. "Where is everyone? Marco. Alfrid. Damien?"
"Your attempt at changing subjects is awful, Selena." Ianto pointed out, for the first in a very long time, speaking my name without the use of honorifics. That familiar…fatherly, scolding tone he'd use when attempting to get a straightforward answer was the surefire way to force the truth out of me. "Our friends will be joining us soon." Ianto's eyes hardened, indicating to me that he was not going to play around on the subject any longer. "I'm only concerned about your well-being, my dear. So, what is honestly troubling you, Selena."
After a moment of silence, and several attempts at avoiding the man's gaze, I let out a heart-wrenching sigh. "…everyone is gone, Ianto."
"Are you worried that you'll be next?" Ianto asked as I simply shook my head.
"No," I said. "Ethan has no reason to come after me for I was never a threat to the man or his daughter. And Mother Miranda has said that she has other plans for me that differ from my siblings." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "What I fear is what those strangers revealed to us…what would happen to everyone here, as well as living through this life without Karl by my side if I am successful in protecting us from what's to come."
"Those strangers…they were an interesting group. Alfrid almost tore those people into pieces had I not intervened. Blood would've been spilled if left unchecked. What they revealed was quite… eye-opening of our mortality." Ianto let out a breathy laugh, his mind seeming to move on to a different topic. "And that boy Karl…why I remember a time when you two were quite close. If you weren't here, we never had to worry about your whereabouts because we always knew you were at that dark and rusty old factory." Ianto chuckled. "I always knew you loved that boy…I also could never forgive him for allowing such a look to grace your face. For putting you through such a dark time…not only for you but for all of us because we knew our Lady was suffering. We were so worried for you Selena when you wouldn't come out of your room." Ianto let out a low grumble that emitted from the center of his chest. "Many times I found myself holding back from going over to the factory and giving that man a piece of my mind."
"He's going to die, Ianto." I attempted to swallow the lump in my throat, saying such a thing out loud left a foul taste in my mouth as I was still coming to terms with my soon-to-be reality. "Mother Miranda had this…plan to use Ethan to dispose of my siblings to awaken the Megamycete. And even though I had asked Ethan to do it, and though my intentions differed from Mother Miranda…I can't help but feel responsible. I wanted to save my siblings from the horror of finding out how…little our mother thought of them. If they knew, their whole world would've come crumbling down around them. And even if Karl wants to team up with Ethan…I don't think that's ever going to happen." I growled in frustration. "Karl's way of doing things greatly differs from Ethan's, they'll disagree, argue, start a fight…and Ethan will have no choice in the end but to kill Karl as he did everyone else who opposed him and his mission to fix his daughter."
"Then why don't you go and stop them?" Ianto asked. "Make sure that they can be on the same page so that both men can get what they want in the end."
"You know what would happen if I leave! Those strangers…they called themselves…Wolf Squad? That plan of theirs…would wipe us all out. I need to be here to protect us…or at least try to keep our way of life intact." I muttered. "It was a combined effort that you and the others kept this village safe. And it is because I am here that Mother Miranda has never dared to interfere in our lives…or those monsters from infiltrating our home." I turned to look at Ianto. "If I leave…this village of ours, the villagers-"
"If you leave, then you must leave." Ianto stated plainly. "Selena, my friends, your faithful guardians…everyone here knew that these peaceful days were only a temporary arrangement. You have taken great care of all of us here for so very long. It is fine for you to finally leave. To think about yourself and your needs instead of constantly thinking about others."
"But…" I looked at Ianto, seeing the determination blazing behind his eyes as well as a sense of acceptance for what was to come should I leave. "You will all die…I can't bear that…as the Lady of this village-"
"As our precious Lady, you have faithfully done your duty, Selena." Ianto smiled in assurance. "We're alive, aren't we? We are healthy. We're breathing and have been thriving for all these years. You've sheltered us from the horrors that happened outside of our village, saved us from the torture and atrocities afflicted by your siblings. We've lived a full life in this beautiful paradise…and that is the best a lot of us could've asked for while living in this region." I was unsure how to respond as I looked down at my lap. "You don't know what to do, so I along with Damien, Marco, and Alfrid have decided for you." Ianto reached out to place his hand over my own. "Leave this place Selena and make those boys come to their senses. Help and support those boys as you have helped us."
"…I don't know how I can help…" I mumbled. "Karl never wanted to see or speak to me ever again after our fight…nothing on a personal level like we used to, and I can't ask Ethan to choose my feelings over saving his daughter. Not to mention my mutation is limited! It's not made for fighting! I just-"
"Selena," Ianto let out an exasperated sigh. "do you remember when you first came to me?" Ianto asked, cutting me off mid-panic as I stumbled over my response. "When Mother Miranda placed you in my care?" And when I shook my head, Ianto let out a sigh of disappointment. "Young Lady, I'm older than you, your memory should be better than my own."
"We're all old Ianto. With how long we've been alive can we really hold age as a factor to my bad memory?" I laughed, this brief jest momentarily diverting my attention away from all my worries.
"When Mother Miranda first put you in my care, I initially thought that you would be such a nuisance in my life as well as those I protected in this village. How much of a danger you would pose to my friends and the families that lived here." Ianto confessed though it wasn't the first time he had revealed this. Ianto would remind me how frustrating and stressful it was being put in charge of a child who was associated with the other Lords and Mother Miranda. "But when you weren't like the other Lords I thought that maybe my job would be easy. That I could just ignore you and vice versa, and things would remain peaceful." Ianto took a breath. "Then…I suffered that life-threatening accident."
"The stable fire." I nodded my head. "The lycan that attacked you."
Ianto nodded his head. "My final thoughts when I was faced against that creature without any sort of protection was that this was the day I would die. I accepted my fate because I knew no one would come for me, that no one would be hurt by this monster if he too were to die in this fire. Dying was a sacrifice I was willing to make if it kept the creature focused on me and not my village." Ianto turned to face me. "But just as I accepted my fate, to my surprise, I had opened my eyes to see your tear-filled ones looking back at me and urging me to keep going."
"Of course I was crying, I thought I was going to lose the one person who was nice to me in this whole village." I stated. "No one aside from you treated me with such kindness…in your own way, and I didn't want to lose you…especially since it was you that prevented the villagers from lashing out and treating me too harshly."
"The villagers reacted the way they did because of the rumors your siblings accumulated over the years. They feared you." Ianto said. "My point of this brief trip down memory lane, Selena, is that your mutation…you say that it is limited? That it's not good enough?" Ianto smiled. "Selena, that day, you saved my life. Your mutation saved my life from something that would've taken me from this world. It gave me a new way to protect all that I held most dear and gave me hope. You and your mutation did that." Ianto's head inclined back as his eyes looked toward the door. "I'm sure you three have something similar to say to Selena, don't you?"
I turned to where Ianto was looking and saw the three men that I've come to identify as my guardians and faithful friends crowding around the entryway of my kitchen.
"Selena," Alfrid was the first to speak as he squeezed his way past the other two, coming over to kneel in front of me as his hands replaced where Ianto's once was. "have more confidence in your mutation for it is a gift that has been such a blessing to us. That has made such a positive difference in our lives. It has allowed us to live a normal life…whatever 'normal' is in this region of ours."
"You are incredible, Lady Sinclair. Mutation and all." Marco meekly added in.
"Your mutation may not be meant for violence…but never once think that it is any less than what Lord Heisenberg can do." Alfrid assured. "Your mutation is the most powerful weapon around, you can save both of those men just as you have saved us. A debt that we can never repay."
"But we can start right now," Damien stepped forward. "as the last request from us, we ask that you leave this place and put your happiness first for once."
"What do you mean?" I asked as I saw Ianto turn his head to look at Damien.
"Is everything settled?" Ianto asked as Damien nodded his head.
"Everyone is settled in for the day." Damien assured.
"What are you four talking about? Settled in for the day?" I was in the process of speaking before Damien's sly eyes turned to me with the typical cheshire smile that always accompanied it.
"Lady Sinclair." Damien firmly spoke, causing me to close my mouth and listen due to the seriousness of his tone. "As the Lady of this region, and our most precious treasure. The woman who always listens and goes above and beyond to grant every villagers request that has come seeking your aid…we ask that you forget about us." Damien got to his knees just as Alfrid had. "Take all that is necessary to help your friends and walk away from this place."
"Are you insane?" I exclaimed in a mild panic. "I just can't…forget about either of you!"
"Will you deny our request?" Damien dramatically asked. "You were willing to grant everyone else's plea at the drop of a hat. Yet you will deny us, your most trusted companions, one final request?"
"I…" I wanted to help them, to do what they asked of me, but to walk away? And what Damien was implying by taking what was necessary to help my friends…I knew exactly what he was asking me to do, but I wasn't sure if I had the heart to do it. "…I can't, Damien."
"But you must." Ianto proclaimed. "It is the only way."
"What you're asking, it has never been done before." I argued. "We've theorized that it was a possibility, but we're betting on a chance. What if it doesn't work? I would've taken it for nothing."
"The odds may be small, but so long as there is a chance, no matter how small it may be…then it is worth taking it." Ianto scolded.
"We'll be okay, Selena." Marco interjected, taking to standing just behind the two who remained in their kneeling position. "You've taken great care of us and secured us a safe life, now it is our turn to completely take care of you and guide you to your future. We all knew this day would come, my Lady." Marco motioned with his hand back toward where they had previously stood. "We've walked this path together for so very long, but now is when our paths must diverge. Only you are able to travel further when we cannot."
Once the conversation between the group concluded, Marco's words being the last to hang in the dead space between the group, Selena knew that nothing more needed to be said. The four had spoken their peace, and Selena would do one last thing to repay them for all the years of kindness and guidance: she would do what they asked of her and leave for the last time.
With a heavy heart, Selena had gotten to her feet and bowed in thanks to the four who were present for their service and unwavering loyalty. Selena made her way to the front door, but not before going over and wrapping her arms around Ianto's neck to give the elder man a parting embrace.
Ianto smiled, reaching up and placing a hand on Selena's back, and returned the gesture, his hands shaking from weariness as well as from the emotions that wracked through his body. But the man remained poised and composed, for Selena's sake, because he knew that if he or any of his friends showed any sense of fear or sadness, Selena would rethink her decision and remain with them until their demise.
Selena had gone over to the others and repeated the gesture, relaying how thankful she was for the continuous years they had served under her, and the others had the same response…through the embrace, they relayed how thankful they were for Selena having given them and the villagers residing in their village borrowed time that only Selena could offer as well as the safety her territory provided so that they could live out their lives worry-free.
No words were physically said…after all everything that needed to be said had been relayed in that single touch. It spoke volumes of how grateful they were to Selena. That single touch conveyed so much from both Lady and Guardians.
"I shall never forget you." Selena whispered at the doorway of her kitchen as she began to walk away, and continued out the front of her home. "All of you."
"And we shall never forget you, Lady Sinclair." Ianto smiled and continued to do so until Selena was out of sight.
When Selena had vanished only then did the four let their mask truly fall.
Marco removed the fabric from around his eyes as tears began to stream down his cheeks, and turned his head in the direction Selena had gone. Till the very end keeping his watchful eyes on Selena until she was completely out of his sight. "Do you think she will be okay?"
"Selena's strong." Alfrid said with conviction as his head lowered, staring through half-lidded eyes as he remained kneeling on the ground. "Our young Lady will be fine."
"The villagers?" Ianto asked as Damien came over to the table, taking the teapot and pouring the contents into the empty cup that Selena had failed to use.
"Told everyone to go back to their homes, that it's time to sleep." Damien said as he slid the cup over to Ianto. "The children argued that they weren't tired, but the adults knew what was to come since it was a phrase we established long ago. We told the children that if they go to sleep now when they wake up they can play as much as they wanted…even staying up past their bedtimes." Damien then went over to grab another free cup that was by the sink, inspecting it to make sure that it was clean before pouring himself a cup when he returned to the table. "Saying goodbye was never going to be easy."
"But we all knew that this day would come." Ianto said as he took a sip from the offered cup just as Damien did, though the latter grimaced at how cold the tea was as he hoisted himself up to sit on the table. "We just never imagined that it would happen this way."
"They should consider themselves lucky that someone like Selena is on their side. Grateful for our sacrifice." Alfrid smiled in acceptance as he leaned forward and rested the top half of his body on where Selena previously sat. "In Selena's hands, we'll be put to good use till the very end."
"Do you think we'll ever see Selena again?" Marco asked as he began to feel his legs wobble beneath him, unable to hold the weight of his body as he hobbled over to sit in the chair Selena previously sat, being careful as to not sit on Alfrid who was still resting his top half on the chair.
"Maybe one day." Ianto smiled as he could feel his body begin to lose its strength, as did the other three. "But for now, I think it's time for us to join the others…and sleep."
The four were unbothered by what was going on with their bodies, each taking a deep breath as one by one their eyes closed as they relaxed in their positions and waited for the inevitable to come. Each wishing for the same thing: for Selena's happiness. By setting her free of her obligations she could avoid dying here with the rest of them, and they were happy to save her from such a fate.
Slowly, Ianto saw the other three grow still as he was left with his final thoughts.
'Lady Sinclair…Selena.' Ianto thought as he took his final breath. 'Live for us. Start a family. Be truly happy…be free of this place and from Mother Miranda's vice grip on your life.'
As Selena walked through the village, her body being engulfed in light and growing in brightness by the second with each step she took, the blonde woman never looked back at the house that she had called home because if she did…she wouldn't be able to hold back the tears that were already threatening to spill. And Selena knew that if she looked back now, she would never be able to leave.
When Selena made it to the single entrance that led into her greenhouse, she hesitated in taking the final step out. All that she knew, all that she was used to…and all that she had built would be gone. But she knew that she had to take this step out of her house, if not…then she would be too late to save her best friend, the man she loved, and her newly made friend Ethan. The sacrifices her guardians made would've been for not.
Selena steeled her emotions and stepped through the threshold. Her body ignited in a bright light and pulsated with the addition of the cold wind that seemed to invigorate her. With each step Selena took she quickened her pace till she was sprinting in the direction of the factory and used the secret passageway that she hadn't used in years.
Once the Lady of the greenhouse had run off, with millions of particles beginning to follow the trail in an attempt to keep up, the greenhouse rapidly began to lose its color. Flora, fauna, people…no sign of life. In seconds the trees that lined the outskirts of the greenhouse had shriveled up and the leaves withered and fell to the ground. The fishes in the pond had gone belly up in the lake, the lily pads on the water's surface as well as the flowers surrounding Selena's house had wilted and the baskets of fruits and vegetables that lay abandoned by the villagers who now lay 'resting' in their home shriveled and dried up. One by one, the livestock and the people in their houses evaporated into bright particles and began to gently drift in the direction that Selena had run off to.
It was as if the bright and lively environment had never existed in the first place. All that remained was an abandoned glass dome.
"God Karl, you let this place go…" I mumbled to myself as I surveyed my surroundings in passing.
Through the dead, grassy open field in front of the factory, useless scrap metal and junk were strewn across the open area that remained unused and forgotten. I had hoped that the outside didn't reflect the inside, but I was completely wrong. The inside wasn't much better. Along with the forgotten pieces of scrap metal, there were pieces of cloth hanging and draped in random places, wooden planks and boards haphazardly littered the ground, boxes either unused or in use stacked on the shelves and the floor…not to mention it was incredibly dark and gloomy. It was so bad that I had to be extremely careful where I stepped. Otherwise, I would trip over the mess that Karl didn't bother to clean up.
The double metal doors were locked for some reason so I had to go through the door to the left that led to a staircase leading down to the lower levels, a place I rarely went to back in the day. And as I began to venture further into the factory, following the single path and getting closer to another metal door, I could hear the familiar voices of two men getting louder the closer I got as well as smelling the distinct odor of cigar smoke.
As slowly, and as quietly as I could, hoping that the metal hinges wouldn't creak and notify the two men of my presence, I pushed the door and saw Karl and Ethan talking with each other in front of what looked to be a wall of pictures and documents. I quickly lowered myself to the ground, not caring that the bottom edges of my dress was kicking up dust, and hid behind the closest metal shelf to listen in on the conversation.
"Lady super-sized bitch…" I peeked out from between the boxes of junk that were placed without care on whichever level it would fit in. I heard it before I could see it with my own eyes, the sound of the metal reacting to Karl's ability as the knife flew out of Alcina's crossed-out picture, hovering in the air momentarily before slamming into the picture of Donna. "Ugly-ass psycho doll…" Karl's arm repeated a similar motion as the knife pulled back and once more embedded itself into Sal's picture. "…and the moronic freak." I could see the side profile of Karl's face as he turned to face Ethan, eyes hidden behind the dark of his shades as he held out his hands in show before taking a step toward Ethan. "Don't you get it? It's a test, to see if you're strong enough…" Karl threw his arm back toward the wall of photos. "…to be a part of Miranda's family."
"I don't want to be a part of Miranda's family…" Ethan harshly spat from where he sat upon a metal chair that was positioned precariously close to an opened grate. Ethan's response caused Karl to round back on the man.
"Neither did I! But here we are." Karl motioned to himself as his voice rose in volume as his emotions spiked, echoing and bouncing off the four walls as he began to eerily pace back and forth in front of where Ethan sat as he threw his thumb back over his shoulder. "And I'm next in line, right? Kill me, move up the chain!" I had to duck behind the boxes for shelter to avoid being spotted as I heard Karl's voice growl the more worked up he got. "Well, fuck that!"
It felt like the whole room began to vibrate as I heard the teeth-grating sound of metal scraping against concrete. The sudden silence tickled my curiosity as I peaked out from my hiding spot to see Karl's back toward me and a deep, giant line slashed through the image of Mother Miranda, but something else had caused the two men to grow silent as I saw their heads facing a different direction.
As the dust of the concrete began to fall, the vibration from the knife slicing through the concrete disturbed a stack of papers that littered the surface of the desk in front of Karl. A single piece of paper had slipped off the desk, and floated to and fro in the air before landing just at Ethan's feet.
In that brief moment, I had seen Karl's body falter as his head swiftly turned to where the paper had gone and it seemed like his body had jumped into panic mode as he attempted to rush over to snatch it back…until Ethan had gotten to it first.
I watched as Ethan picked up the piece of paper that landed by his feet and turned it over. I saw the man's eyes widen before he turned to stare accusingly at Karl as it seemed like from the image, Ethan could now deduce the reason for Karl's sudden panic.
"It's hard for you to face your own mistakes, huh?" Ethan pointed out as he motioned back to the paper in his hands just as Karl snatched it back.
"What mistake?" Karl huffed indignantly as he went back and slammed the piece of paper back down onto his desk. "I simply forgot to put it up. Nothing more."
"Are you really going to fight me on this till the very end?" Ethan pointed out and when Karl didn't answer, Ethan started to challenge the man. "Fine, put it back up." I watched as Karl hesitated to comply with Ethan's request which only encouraged Ethan to continue to speak what was on his mind. "You can't, can you? You're ashamed of what you did…because you can't admit that what you did was out of line. That you jumped to conclusions too quickly and lashed out from anger."
"Why are you so invested in this?" Karl mumbled as I saw my friend turn his head to Ethan. "You owe Sinclair no allegiance, you've only just met her a couple days ago."
"Because she's helped me, and I've seen how much it's been eating her up inside to not have what you both had in the past." Ethan pointed out, whatever that paper was must've been about me I guess? "You wasted years with no contact over a mistake you caused and you couldn't even muster up the courage to apologize to her!" "Shut up…" "Selena never came, not because she was afraid of you, but because she didn't want you, her best friend, to hate her any more than she thought you already did!
"I said!" I watched Karl curl his fingers, the knife that he was previously using responding to his summon as the metal vibrated form being forcefully yanked out of the concrete as it flew and stopped just inches from the center of Ethan's forehead. "Shut your trap, Winters!" Karl clicked his tongue against his teeth in irritation. "Last time, mind your goddamn business."
"You wanna know what I think?" Ethan mustered up the confidence and courage to continue speaking even while staring down the tip of the knife.
"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me." Karl growled.
"You haven't put up her picture like the others because you can't face the warmth of the eyes staring back at you. To face the person that trusted you, that loyally stuck beside you, all these years." Ethan gritted his teeth. "Selena has helped guide me and offered me a safe place to rest. This is where she has led me, that after everything you've put her through…she said that I should at least hear you out. So, I've come here to do just that with my goal remaining the same. To fix my daughter."
Karl scoffed, flinging his arm to the side as the knife followed his movement and embedded into the desk. "You're not the only one Ethan, do you have any idea how powerful that kid is?" Karl avoided anything Ethan accused him of concerning me, and I think Ethan noticed that too because he was about to speak up, but Karl just continued without allowing Ethan to do so. "Even Miranda's scared of her-" There was a sound of a powerful engine revving up, the noise sounding as if something was attempting to come to life which caused Karl to shake his head as he turned to scream down at the open grate. "Last time, you freak, I swear to god…!"
I saw Ethan look behind him down at the open grate as the engine suddenly cut off, whatever creature Karl had created in my absence seemed to listen to Karl's barking order.
I could hear Karl's loud breathing as he took off his glasses and bent low to Ethan's seated height. "You and me, Ethan. Together we go save Rose, and we can use her to grind Miranda into paste." There was a slight glee in Karl's voice as he attempted to get Ethan to join up in his cause against Mother Miranda…yet I knew immediately that Karl had used the wrong words to try and get Ethan to see that they both had a common goal to reach.
I knew this conversation would end badly, and I knew Karl's intention the moment I saw the chair situated close to the open grate. It was a threat to Ethan, to do as Karl said or else he would take a plummet down the hole.
"My daughter is not a weapon!" This was Ethan's decision, he had heard what Karl had to say and deemed it not in his family's favor. "Fuck you!"
Karl was taken back as he stood to his full height, a momentary silence settling between the two, Karl then looked down in disappointment…contemplating his next move before lashing out. Before anyone could blink, Karl had kicked the chair Ethan was seated upon causing Ethan to fall backward. Such actions almost caused me to let out a yell in protest but I had immediately covered my mouth the exact moment I saw Karl grab for Ethan's wrist and in reaction Ethan returned the grip.
The chair balanced on the back of its legs, Ethan's feet not even touching the ground, and the only thing preventing him from careening over the edge was Karl's hand as the two firmly held onto each other's wrists.
"Last chance." Karl warned as he motioned with the hand that held his glasses back toward the hole. "You don't want to find out what's in that hole."
"I'll take my chances." Ethan didn't miss a beat in responding to Karl as he let go of the man's wrist, not even considering that there were other options or offering a counter-negotiation!
"Your funeral." Karl said and I saw it before it happened, knew that he was going to shove Ethan down the hole, and I scrambled to my feet, almost tripping over the fabric of my dress. I sprinted at them just as Karl's fingers loosened on Ethan's wrist.
Everything, from the moment I started to rush to Ethan's aid, to Karl turning in my direction at the sudden sound seemed to go in slow motion. Karl had heard my footsteps hastily approaching and his eyes widened in my direction, Ethan's eyes turned to stare at me in shock as I reached out and wrapped both of my hands on the wrist Karl was previously holding. The sudden heavy weight of Ethan falling back caused my feet to skid against the ground since I wasn't prepared for the gravity that was pulling Ethan down. Ethan would have dragged me along with him down the rabbit hole to hell to see the monster that awaited us had it not been for Karl's quick thinking as well as panicking at my sudden presence.
As Ethan flailed his arms, failing to get back onto even ground, Karl reached out for Ethan's left wrist and took a hold of Ethan to balance out the weight and prevented both of us from falling down the hole.
Here the three of us stood, with Ethan's chair back to balancing on the back two legs. The three of us were out of breath from the sudden fright. My heart was beating a mile a minute as I'm sure it was the same for the other two as I felt Ethan's pulse beating hard beneath my hand. Ethan, I'm sure in fright from the shock of falling to fight whatever creature was causing such a ruckus. Myself from feeling my feet slip from under me and being unable to pull Ethan up…and Karl? For the first time, our eyes met and I didn't see an ounce of anger. I saw fear…from what though I could not say.
"…Selena."
Not Sinclair, not Lady Sinclair…but Selena. After years, for the first time, Karl had said my name without an ounce of hatred or disgust…but with care and warmth. That familiarity, for some reason, had triggered something deep within me. A bubbling, built-up rage that the man…after all these years, could speak my name as if nothing had happened. As if years of not speaking hadn't passed us by.
I had taken a deep breath to calm my heart which was beating in my ears. I looked down at Ethan and then rounded back to Karl with a snarl: "Are you two out of your fucking minds!"
We've reached it! The moment that the present Karl and Selena can finally have the confrontation to settle EVERYTHING that's been bubbling up over the years. And it's going to be a doozy! But...you'll have to wait for the next chapter haha I wanted this to pull at the heartstrings as well as show the difference between Selena and Miranda who are in a sense in similar positions. Selena being the successful leader due to her selfless actions while Miranda thinks she was successful (but a failure) through her selfishness if that makes sense.
The chapter title means a lot and hits my feelings because of Final Fantasy 15 ToT if you know then you know lol and the scene that everyone is asleep, I had a bit of inspiration from FGO when my boyfriend told me about one of the singularities (I haven't played it yet but I know he told me about it before).
If you are enjoying my story and looking forward to the next one, then leave a nice little review, favorite, and follow! But it's not necessary, just reading and giving my story a chance is all I needed and makes me incredibly happy. Thank you everyone for reading and happy holidays! See you in the next chapter!
-SO