Stephanie parks the car and climbs out. Fear nearly overwhelms her system. She's willing to run but must find Wolfram to protect her son and other children like Giuseppe. "Remember to give me your powers when I say, now," Stephanie says.
"Okay," Giuseppe replies, gulping. He's swallowing his fear. The energy in the air is palpable. "How do I give my powers to you?"
Grabbing his hand, Stephanie replies, "Through physical contact. Use your mind to push your abilities into me. It will overwhelm both of us, but you must not break the connection until the transfer is complete." She tugs him toward the hiking trail at Cay Point, where she knows Wolfram will be waiting for her.
"How long will it take?" he asks.
Diesel replies, "Five seconds."
"Why do I need to give my abilities to you?"
Stephanie stops walking to face him. "It's the only way I can defeat Wolfram. He will leave you alone if you have no powers to transfer to him," Stephanie patiently explains. She hopes her son makes it through this encounter alive. Wanting a subject change, Stephanie asks, "What did you think about Julie?"
"She's beautiful, funny, and kind. I really like her," Giuseppe replies. "My neck tingled when she caught my eye."
"Julie doesn't have a boyfriend," Stephanie says.
"And I don't have a girlfriend. None of the girls in my school caught my attention."
"The girls didn't interest you, or was there another reason for maintaining your distance?" Diesel asks. Stephanie suspects Giuseppe's powers were increasing and exploding with his emotions like hers did during puberty.
Giuseppe sheepishly replies, "I didn't know what was happening with me, so I didn't want to get involved with anyone. I was too afraid of hurting someone when I lost control."
"It was the same for us," Diesel confesses while Carl nods. "We don't date for that reason. Plus, it's hard to explain why we need to leave in the middle of the night."
"Shhh," Stephanie hisses. Everyone immediately stops talking to determine what caught Stephanie's attention. She squeezes Giuseppe's hand and whispers, "Now."
Her body shakes as Giuseppe forces her to accept his abilities. Stephanie feels the heat building inside, threatening to rip through her skin. "Don't fight it," Diesel whispers. "Take it all." Stephanie stifles a painful moan.
Wolfram appears before them. He's growing angrier as he watches the last of Giuseppe's abilities enter Stephanie, the girl who carried his handsomely powerful son. "No!" Wolfram screams, lunging at Stephanie.
She grabs Wolfram's face and pulls his powers from him. It's more than her body can handle. Energy with the intensity of a hydrogen bomb explodes from Stephanie as Carl and Diesel protect Giuseppe. Wolfram, headless, falls to the ground. He's dead – never able to harm another woman or child again.
Stephanie collapses. "Did I kill him?" she weakly asks.
"Yes," Diesel replies, releasing Giuseppe.
"Mom," Giuseppe cries as the light in Stephanie's eyes dims until the remaining essence of life leaves her body. "Mom, I love you. Please come back. I just found you and need you in my life."
"It's too late," Diesel quietly says. "She gave her life to save yours. We need to leave."
"What about the bodies?" Giuseppe asks, afraid to leave his mother's body behind. He's trying to be brave, like his mother.
"We're taking Stephanie with us. Someone from the Unmentionables Committee will collect Wolfram," Carl replies. "They should be here soon."
"Will they try to kill me?"
"Giuseppe, your abilities are gone. They will never return because your mother died using them to protect you," Diesel explains.
"Take Giuseppe and Stephanie to the car. I'll meet you after someone removes Wolfram's body," Carl says.
Diesel gently lifts Stephanie from the ground, placing her in the leakproof body bag he has in his pack. He tosses her over a shoulder. Stephanie's arms hang loosely down his back. Giuseppe takes her hand and walks along the path to their car. Tears fall on Giuseppe's cheeks. He lets them fall, leaving the occasional mark on his shirt.
They don't encounter anyone in the parking area. Giuseppe climbs into the back seat. Diesel lays Stephanie beside him, placing her head on Giuseppe's lap. He opens the bag to look at his mother. While running his fingers through Stephanie's silky curls, Giuseppe says, "Thank you for saving my life, Mom. I only wish it never would cost yours."
"She understood the risks and the likelihood of her death being the only way to destroy Wolfram," Diesel reminds him.
"I know. Do you have the letters Stephanie wrote on the jet?" Giuseppe asks.
"Yes. I'll distribute the letters when we return to Miami," Diesel promises. He has them in a safe place. Diesel wonders how nobody noticed his temporary absence during the flight.
"Do you have them with you?"
"No. I have the letters at my house," Diesel replies.
"Is that where you went while 'using' the washroom?" Giuseppe asks, adding air quotes for the word using.
"Perceptive, just like your mother," Diesel replies, pointing to Stephanie.
"What else is like my mom?"
Diesel waits until Carl returns to tell Giuseppe everything he knows about Stephanie. They tell Giuseppe about her job as a bond apprehension agent. She wasn't the best at capturing her FTAs for a few years, often rolling in trash or at the receiving end of paint or food fights. Some stories make Giuseppe laugh; others have him opening his eyes wide with amazement.
"I'm a klutz everywhere except on the soccer field," Giuseppe confesses. "Did Stephanie play sports?"
Carl and Diesel look at each other and laugh. When Carl stops laughing, he says, "Stephanie hated running and was too uncoordinated to join an organized sport. She was a Majorette in high school."
"A baton twirler?" Giuseppe asks. "Don't they march and twirl the baton? That has to involve some coordination."
"You might think that, but Stephanie found a way for her baton to hit the tuba player in the head," Carl replies.
"Buckle in. We have to leave," Diesel says, checking his watch. Carl climbs into the driver's seat to drive back to the airport, where the pilot refuels the jet for the trip to Chicago.
It takes Carl less than thirty minutes to drive to the airport. He calls the rental agency for someone to meet them in the parking lot. Giuseppe sees a black jet landing as they approach the parking area, where they will leave the car with the rental agency's employee.
Airport security meets Diesel and Carl at the terminal, where the other passengers can't see the body bag containing Stephanie.
Ranger massages his temples. He knows Diesel is close. "Over there," Lester says, pointing to the staff surrounding a luggage cart. "Where's Stephanie?" he asks.
"Stephanie?" Ranger yells. He runs toward the men, opening something resembling a body bag. One man unzips the bag to reveal its contents. Ranger recognizes Stephanie's curly hair. Her skin appears nearly blue from lack of oxygen. "No!" Ranger cries as he falls to his knees.