AFYE chapter 14

Vi was still sulking, Caitlyn had all but run away the morning after their game night and they hadn't heard from her since, and Powder was about ready to throttle them both. As much as she hated seeing her sister so upset, Powder really thought Vi needed to do something, anything, else. She practically lived next to the tube delivery, her face lighting up every time a message came through, only to fall when the letter wasn't for her. Powder was sick of it.

She had been pissed when Vi got hurt, torn between yelling at her sister for being so reckless and tearing into Caitlyn for forcing her to do something so drastic to get them both to safety. Powder cringed as she remembered how she immediately wanted to blame Caitlyn, but after seeing the girl practically fall apart upon seeing how injured Vi got… It made Powder see how much Caitlyn loved Vi. Maybe even as much as she and her brothers did (though in a different way). Her worry only grew as Caitlyn made herself a bed on the couch, completely missing the devastation all over Vi's face before they both went to sleep.

After calming down a little and thinking it over, Powder was forced to realize neither Vi nor Caitlyn could have predicted or prevented what happened. Even if she didn't like it. The roof was supposed to be safe, and Powder couldn't figure out why some addict had gone to all the trouble of getting up there anyway. There wasn't anything up there to steal or money to find. The more she thought about it, the more Powder thought it was just a freak accident. One she wished she could blame on Caitlyn, but couldn't.

What she could blame Caitlyn for was going radio silent right after Vi almost died trying to protect her. Vi was absolutely torn up about it. Hell, even Mylo was worried about her. It wasn't until she noticed her sister pushing away her meals and refusing to leave the bar that Powder resolved to finally do something about it.

Taking a bag packed with essentials (smoke bombs, paint bombs, paint gun, and snacks), Powder told Claggor where she was going with strict orders to not tell anyone else unless he absolutely needed to, and made her way to the manor Jayce had led her to the last time she went topside.

Caitlyn had taken to avoiding her parents. Between the worried looks and questions about Vi, Caitlyn couldn't stand being around them. She hadn't sent Vi any letters since the attack, despite having received three (increasingly worried) letters from her. She just didn't know what to say.

At first, she had been worried about how she would apologize for needing to be rescued at Vi's expense, if she should ask about how her injuries were healing, or even if she should ask about what they were doing right before the addict showed up.

But then she received the last letter from Vi.

The undercity girl had apologized for everything, including the almost kiss. Caitlyn didn't know what to do with that. Was Vi ashamed? Did she think she was at fault? Did Caitlyn misread everything? With all these questions buzzing around in her brain, Caitlyn couldn't bring herself to write back. Nothing she could say would make what happened right. She was beginning to think Vi might be better off without her.

Caitlyn was content to sit in her room, sulking, as she had managed to convince her father she was feeling too ill to do anything when a sharp crack caused her to jump up.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" If Caitlyn had been surprised to find Vi randomly in her room a few weeks prior, she was absolutely stunned when Powder stormed in.

"What? I-" Caitlyn tried to find some defense for the little girl even if she wasn't sure what she was defending herself against, but it seemed Powder wasn't done.

"My sister has been sulking! FUCKING sulking! For days! All because you can't seem to pull your head out of your ass for long enough to send a damn letter!" Caitlyn listened to Powder's rant in shock. She didn't even know the 11-year-old knew some of those words. "You need to fix this!" Caitlyn turned away from Powder in shame.

"I can't," Caitlyn whispered.

"What do you mean you can't?! Make up some stupid excuse, write it on a piece of paper, and send it to Vi. She'll buy it, I'm pretty sure you could tell her the sky is purple, and she'd believe you!" A small part of Caitlyn wanted to laugh at the idea that Vi would believe something so ridiculous based on her word alone, but the bigger part just felt guilty.

"I can't do that to her." Caitlyn could tell by the silence that followed her statement that Powder was shocked. The topside girl just hoped Powder would declare her a lost cause and leave, but sharp pain that exploded in Caitlyn's upper arm, accompanied by a small splatter of bright blue paint, showed Powder had other ideas.

"Can't do what? Make her happy?!" Caitlyn flinched. "I know you don't like me and frankly, I'm not sure if I like you," if that didn't hurt… "but you make Vi happy and I'll be damned if I let you run away without a word and hurt her like this!" Caitlyn's anger flared at Powder's words.

"Hurt her? I've already hurt her!" Caitlyn began to count on her fingers. "I insisted on going to the undercity despite Vi asking me not to, I was the reason she wanted to go to the roof, I was the one who distracted her, and I was the reason she had to throw herself off a building and bust her head open!"

Caitlyn expected Powder to get mad, to yell at her now that she knew how badly Caitlyn messed up and endangered her family, maybe shoot her with the paint gun again, but the little girl just looked at her blankly.

"Man, you're stupid." Caitlyn… hadn't expected that response. Powder just sighed and continued. "My sister is incredibly protective of the people she cares about, and that seems to include you. Of course she would do whatever she had to if she thought it would keep you safe! I can't tell you how many times Vi risked her neck to help me or our brothers!" Caitlyn opened her mouth to argue, but Powder wasn't done. "And newsflash; we all thought the roof was safe. So, unless you called out to the addict and told him to attack you, there is no way what happened was your fault!"

Hearing Powder say that… it was like a weight Caitlyn didn't know she was carrying rolled off her shoulders. She thought Vi's family blamed her and to hear Powder say they didn't… It did more for Caitlyn than she could put into words. But there was still something else.

"Thank you. Really. But I'm afraid I may have hurt Vi another way." Powder raised her eyebrows in surprise but gestured for her to continue. Caitlyn fought a blush as she did so. "When Vi and I were on the roof, we were talking about past experiences and Vi asked me about my first kiss. I told her I hadn't had one and may have insinuated I might want her to kiss me. That's when the addict showed up." Caitlyn looked anywhere but Powder as she explained, hoping the little girl wouldn't get overly protective of her sister again.

"You have got to be KIDDING ME!" Caitlyn flinched at Powder's words. "I knew Vi had bad luck, but this is just ridiculous." A small hand wrapped around Caitlyn's arm and pulled her to her feet, dragging her toward the door. "New plan. No letters. You are going to come down with me and you are going to TALK to Vi like a normal person and then maybe she'll finally eat something."

Caitlyn's worry spiked upon hearing Powder's last sentence. "What do you mean 'finally eat something'? Has she not been eating?" Powder just shrugged at her question which was answer enough for Caitlyn. And as worried as she was about that statement, something else nagged at Caitlyn's brain. The way Powder just showed up in her house struck her as odd, kind of like how Vi had shown up out of nowhere. She didn't…

"Powder, hold on." The undercity girl stopped, looking rather annoyed. "Did you break into my house to come get me?" Finally, Powder's serious façade cracked, and she started laughing.

"Who do you think I am? Vi? No, I knocked on the front door. Your mom gave me directions to your room." Caitlyn just stared in shock. Her mother did what?

"Indeed, I did. And I would very much like to know what you thought you were doing going into the undercity." Caitlyn turned around to see her mother casually exit a doorway, apparently not ashamed to be caught listening in on her daughter's conversations, looking like she was ready to ground Caitlyn until she was 30.

So much for secrecy.

"I specifically forbid you from going into the undercity, Caitlyn. I don't understand why you would disobey me like this." Powder scrunched her face at Mrs. Kiramman as she scolded her daughter. It was as though she didn't think Caitlyn was able to make her own choices or like she thought her daughter was stupid. Well, she is stupid, just for different, emotionally stunted reasons. The way Caitlyn's posture changed, and practically radiated guilt didn't help Powder's opinion of the situation. The girl even found herself taking a step forward to be in front of Caitlyn.

"You know better than to go to such desolate places. I thought you were smarter than this, Caitlyn." That was Powder's last straw, she was already frustrated at the situation and just wanted to drag Caitlyn down to talk with Vi so it could all be over. And even if Caitlyn wasn't her favorite person, especially not at the moment, she still wasn't going to let someone talk to her sister's maybe girlfriend like that. Not even her own mother.

"With all due respect miss," Powder said, doing her best to convey that meant absolutely no respect. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. And I have to listen to my brothers yap all day." Mrs. Kiramman looked taken aback by Powder's words, making the girl feel a small spark of amusement. It was the least she deserved for making Caitlyn so distressed.

"Caitlyn earned her place in the Lanes, even if she wasn't born there. Everyone down there knows it." Powder could tell by Caitlyn's shocked face that she didn't know that. Apparently, she didn't realize just how fast some gossip travels in the most popular bar in the undercity, especially when the bartender brags about anything and everything to do with his children. "Sure, it's not the safest place in the world, but Caitlyn can handle herself just fine. And if she ever gets in a tight spot… well, she has me and my family for that."

Powder knew what that sentiment meant. She had basically just declared Caitlyn family in front of the girl's mother, and despite her anger and frustration with the topside girl, Powder couldn't seem to bring herself to regret it. While that might not mean much to the average topsider, it was everything to Powder. And judging by Caitlyn's face, she understood that. At least a little bit. Powder might not have been sure she liked Caitlyn all that much, but she mattered to Vi, and that made her family.

Mrs. Kiramman looked at the two of them in silence for several far too long moments before Powder had enough. "I'll bring her back tomorrow. Right now, Caitlyn is going to fix things with my sister before she drives everyone crazy." With that, Powder grabbed a hold of Caitlyn's sleeve, dragging her out the door, and leaving a sputtering Mrs. Kiramman behind them.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Caitlyn called as they left. At least they could finally start the trek back to the bar, and if Powder used the time to chew Caitlyn out a little bit more… well, Caitlyn would be the only one to know.

Cailyn and Powder entered the family room through the storm door, and Caitlyn tried desperately to not think about the last time she entered the building through those doors. The two managed to make it all the way into the family room before attracting any attention, but that was probably because of all the yelling going on.

"I swear Claggor, if you don't tell me where Powder is right now, I'm going to slam your head in that door!" Claggor paled at the threat but didn't give up the information, prompting Vi to grab him by the shirt and drag him toward the door. Caitlyn wasn't really worried about Vi actually hurting her brother. The brawler was too much of a softie to actually hurt her brother, however, she wasn't so soft as to not threaten him to get her way.

"I promised her I wouldn't!" Claggor pleaded, trying to pry himself out of Vi's grip, but the undercity girl was not relenting.

"I don't care! She's been gone for hours! She could be in trouble!" Caitlyn's heart cracked at Vi's broken tone. She cared so deeply for her family. Was that how she felt about her? Suddenly, Caitlyn felt a lot worse about not sending Vi a letter sooner.

Caitlyn and Powder watched as Vi threw Claggor down next to the doorframe, kneeling on his chest and holding the door so she would be able to tap him with it. "Where the hell is she?!"

"I'm not saying! She told me she would be back in a couple of hours from now and I'm not telling you until then! I promised!" Vi looked ready to scream. She threw the door away, into the wall, causing it to slam open. The loud sound was enough to make Claggor flinch, causing a wave of sympathy to wash over Caitlyn. The poor boy was just trying to help his youngest sister.

"Geez, remind me to let Claggor in on more secrets. He can really keep them." Powder finally spoke up prompting Vi to turn around, running toward her without even noticing Caitlyn standing next to her. Vi all but dropped to her knees in front of her sister, wrapping Powder in her arms.

"Powder! Where the hell did you go?! I was so worried! I didn't know where you went or what you were getting into and…" Vi trailed off when she saw the other person who entered with Powder. "Caitlyn?"

Caitlyn gave a sheepish smile and a wave.

"Yes, Caitlyn. I went and got her so you two could talk. So please just talk." Vi's jaw dropped at Powder's words, staring as her little sister stormed off. "Come on guys. We're going up to the bar." Powder called to Mylo and Claggor, ignoring the bewildered expression on Vi's face.

"But I want to watch them- OWW!" Mylo protested, cutting off when Claggor whacked him in the back of the head. Sighing, the boy got up and followed the other two up the stairs to the bar. The door slammed behind them, leaving Vi and Caitlyn in a tense silence.

"I'm sorry you got hurt-"

"I'm sorry I put you in danger-"

The two both started talking at the same time, cutting off as they realized the other was talking. Eventually, Vi sighed and started talking again.

"I'm sorry you almost got hurt. I should have been more careful and known better than to go out. And I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable with… what happened before." Vi's cheeks tinted red. "I'll understand if you don't want to come around or send letters anymore." With Vi's eyes turned towards the ground, she couldn't see the look of devastation on Caitlyn's face.

"No, Vi. That's not it at all." The topsider girl rushed over, placing both her palms on Vi's face, lifting it so the other girl could see her. "I was scared that I had caused you to get hurt. You took the brunt of the fall for me, and you injured your head because of it." Caitlyn ran a hand over the bandage of the still-healing wound. "I was the one who insisted on coming here, and all you did was protect me." She rested her forehead against Vi's, hoping the contact would convey just how serious she was. But if it didn't…

"And I- I love you for that." Caitlyn swallowed after she spoke. She wasn't sure how Vi would react to such a bold statement, but the brawler just chuckled.

"Thank you, Cupcake." Caitlyn breathed a sigh of relief at the nickname. It was nice to hear it again.

"And about the thing before…" Caitlyn trailed off, noticing Vi stiffening up, and tried to choose her words carefully. "Well, I was rather annoyed we got interrupted." All Vi's nerves seemed to dissipate with one choked-out laugh.

"Yeah?" she asked, putting her own hand on the side of Caitlyn's face.

"Yeah." Finally, Caitlyn had enough, and she surged forward, pressing her lips to Vi's, relishing in the way the undercity girl responded to the kiss.

The kiss was soft and short, only lasting a few moments, but when Caitlyn pulled back, she could see the delight and affection written all over Vi's face. Caitlyn decided then and there that she was going to do everything in her power to see that expression on Vi again and again. It was wonderful.

A crash sounded from the bar, knocking the two out of their blissful trance.

"We might need to go rescue Vander from your siblings," Caitlyn said, laughing. Vi simply smiled as she shook her head.

"Those knuckleheads are always causing trouble." Her eyes picked up a mischievous glint as she looked back to Caitlyn. "I say we join them." She proposed, taking hold of Caitlyn's hand and interlacing their fingers gently.

"Nothing would make me happier." Caitlyn laughed as Vi dragged her to the bar, quickly entangling herself in a wrestling match with Mylo and Claggor. She and Powder watched, cheering on whoever was winning at the time and dodging all attempts to drag them into the fray.

A warmth grew in Caitlyn's chest. For the first time ever, she felt like she could really belong somewhere.

The darkness of the cave made it hard for the man to assemble the device in his hand. Of course, the loss of sight in one of his eyes didn't help, but he assembled the small injection device with little trouble, showing the number of times he had done it before.

The man held the device up to his eye, bracing for the injection that would follow, when rapid footfalls caught his attention, causing him to lower the device again. "You're back. Did you complete your objective?" The man spoke calmly, but intensely.

"Well, sort of." The small, out-of-breath figure said, ribbing their hands together nervously. The words they spoke prompted the one-eyed man to turn his sharp gaze on them.

"What do you mean 'sort of'?" The man repeated the figure's words in a mocking tone, clearly unimpressed. "You were to pay a visit to the last drop and incite fear into that coward Vander!" As he spoke, the man backed the hooded figure into a wall, causing them to become panicked.

"Well- well the inside was so busy, and I couldn't just walk in the door. I- I thought the roof would make for a better access point, but someone was up there, these two young girls, and I- you see the shimmer was just so strong. I just couldn't help myself and-" the figure tried explaining, but a sharp bang cut him off.

The figure braced for the pain that would surely follow the gunshot, but to his surprise, a smoking hole in the wall was the only evidence left of the shot. "How is scaring children in any way completing your objective?" despite not yelling, the man was able to convey his fury through the words.

"Well, one of the girls was Vander's daughter. Surely attacking her would get his attention better than attacking the man himself." The scarred man hummed, considering the words.

"Perhaps." The man walked slowly back over towards his desk where the injector still lay, prepped and unused.

"But- but if you want me to do it again I can!" The figure spoke eagerly, their hood falling away to show diseased and withered skin. "If you just give me more shimmer I can-"

"No." The man cut them off, wandering back over to where they trembled, injector still in hand. "I don't take kindly to people that can't control themselves." It was all the warning the figure got before the man forced the injector in front of his eye and set it off. Several times he used the device to inject the man, causing him to cry out in pain from the strange serum contained in the device. Eventually, they slumped to the floor, overcome by the injections.

Straightening up, the man walked back to his desk. "Get rid of him." He ordered, causing a woman he knew was standing outside the room to wander in.

"Are you going to try again?" She asked, picking up the now limp figure.

"No. Through his experience has given me a new idea for our next course of action." The man said dismissively. "And Sevika?" the woman paused. "I expect a full report on how this has affected my old friend at The Last Drop."

"Of course, Silco."