《Magic & Aliens》 Prologue The door swings open and Akio shuffles through, bags full of shopping on each arm. It smacks against the opposite wall and ricochets back, nearly clipping him in the face. ¡°Goddammit, Alexandria! A little help would be appreciated!¡± He flings over his shoulder, wrestling the door back open again. Cursing under his breath, Akio stalks into the kitchen where he unceremoniously drops the bags on the counter, scatters the contents about the counter in a totally warranted show of pettiness. He brought in the bags, Alex can see to their storage and arrangement. Tossing a particular canned something she insisted on behind the dishwasher, he grabs a glass before heading to the sink for a drink. A shuffling sound causing him to pause and head towards the living room. ¡°What the hell?¡± He mutters under his breath. Someone is sneaking through the house. Or rather, someone is trying to sneak through the house. The masked culprit is crouched behind the couch, unaware of their reflection on the glass case behind them. ¡°Hey!¡± Akio hollers as he rounds the couch. Causing the thief to rear up in alarm, gun trained on Akio, an ancient tome clutched in their other arm. Akio raises his arms in surrender, unused drinking glass still clutched tight. ¡°Whoa, pal.¡± he chastises nervously, ¡°How about we talk about this for a moment, like say how you got a key?¡± The thief swallows audibly, the hand with the gun shaking in poorly concealed fear. Definitely didn''t need a shaman to tell you this one had never fired a gun before. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°I don''t want any trouble--¡± They begin. ¡°Perhaps you should have thought about that before you broke in.¡± Akio interrupts. Also, how long did it take to park a damn car? This part he doesn''t say out loud. ¡°I''m just going to take the book, and leave.¡± The thief says, gun still trained on Akio as they round the couch, and inch for the door. ¡°Listen pal--¡± Akio starts, but is interrupted by the garage-kitchen door slamming shut. Finally! ¡°Really?!¡± Alex screeches indignantly, obviously over the mess in the kitchen. Akio can''t find it in him to appreciate her annoyance at the moment. Breath hitching in his throat when Alex pops her head out the kitchen door to possibly berate him, and takes in the scene. ¡°What the--¡± The fragile atmosphere is shattered by the crack of a gunshot. Akio''s eyes widening in fear, as the gun person hightails it out of the house in the distraction. He looks down to catalog his torso, whimpering when he sees the red patch spreading just over his sternum. The glass cup falls from his grip, shattering into a million pieces. ¡°Motherfucker.¡± Alex mutters, darting to quickly catch his teetering body. She lays him down gently, avoiding glass shards while cradling his head, her other hand rifles through her jacket for her phone. ¡°You''re alright.¡± She promises, fingers dialing quickly. ¡°Alex.¡± Akio wheezes. In the end, he''s a doctor, he''s not going to pretend like the wheezing is a good thing. ¡°I don''t want to die.¡± He struggles out, blood spraying as he coughs. ¡°You''re fine.¡± The phone is on Alex''s ear now. ¡°Hello this is 911 how can we help you?¡± The operator''s voice echoes through the eerily silent house. ¡°Ambulance.¡± Alex grits out. ¡°I need an ambulance now.¡± ¡°Can you tell me exactly where you are?¡± The woman responds calmly. Alex chances a look at Akio to find him glassy eyed, body slack. She freezes. ¡°Hello?¡± She can''t help but stare at him unmoving. Half expecting him to pop back up and scold her for keeping the nice lady on the phone waiting. ¡°Hello?¡± The operator tries again. It is with great difficulty Alex gets her throat to work again. ¡°F-false alarm. Everything is fine now." She grinds out mechanically before ending the call. Chapter 1 ¡°Alex!¡± A voice breaks into her subconscious, wrenching her from the little safe haven in her mind. A safe haven where Akio is still alive. She blinks to find Chris squatting at eye level, another quick scrutiny puts her at the exact same spot on the floor with Akio''s head still cradled in her arms. She sees Akio''s pale body and makes a little noise in her throat. ¡°Alex!¡± Chris'' hands on her shoulders shake her violently. She finally meets his eyes. ¡°You gotta clean up. I left the kids in the car, couldn''t bring them in to see this.¡± He carefully extricates Alex from the body, who seems to be more perfunctory than usual. ¡°Akio''s not alright.¡± Alex says completely zombified. Her body pliant as Chris pries her off the floor and heads her upstairs to her room. ¡°I shouldn''t leave him.¡± She protests weakly. ¡°Hey.¡± Chris stops in front of her room door, and addresses her softly. ¡°You''ll get cleaned up first, I''ll sort out the living room, and then you''ll tell me every last detail of what happened, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She agrees. Chris giving her shoulder one last squeeze, before heading back downstairs. Thud! The large tome lands on a rather expensive mahogany desk, scattering dust in the air. A coughing fit follows, a hand batting furiously at the thick dust cloud the thing seems to have generated. ¡°You didn''t think to clean it?¡± The owner of the hand growls. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. A scowling young man steps into the field of vision. Brunet, rugged but good looking. ¡°Don''t you dare give me grief, Viktor. You have no idea what I went through to track this thing down and get it.¡± The man complains. Viktor eyes the man with a particular viciousness before saying, ¡°Stealing is your favorite past time. If you''re not even good at that, why the hell do I keep you around?¡± He grabs for the tome, exerting an unnecessary amount of violence to simply flip through the pages. ¡°Careful with that!¡± The brunet warns. ¡°I had to off a guy for that fucking bible.¡± Viktor abandons his thorough examination to massage the growing headache in his temple. ¡°You were asked to retrieve, Erik. How do you kill someone in a house you claim was empty?¡± Viktor asks exasperatingly. Erik shrugs, ¡°They came home early.¡± Viktor casts his eyes heavenward, soliciting a higher power for strength, before returning to the tome. An ancient relic rumored to be the measuring stick for practicing Warlocks back in the day, and just the answer to his current dilemma. His Father had given his life in search of the damn thing, just like his father before him. Pity there would be no one of importance to celebrate his occultic takeover now that even his mother was dead. ¡°--and then I find out that the car is registered to some old timer named Chris Jordan or something--¡± Erik rambles on. Viktor shakes his head in disappointment, wishing he could slit the idiot''s throat and be done with it. ¡°--some funny Japanese name, Akio I think--¡± That catches his attention. ¡°What?¡± He asks. ¡°The guy I shot? The girl in the house called him that. ''Akio''.¡± Erik says. Viktor closes his eyes in silent prayer to anything unoccupied at the moment capable of answering prayers, and he flips to the first page of the book, opening it to find the very same name scrawled in ancient ink on the page. He slams the tome shut, the sound causing Erik to flinch and begin a new barrage of complaints, Viktor types rapid fire on his phone. A couple of hectic seconds later the search results come up, and he thrusts the phone into Erik''s view. ¡°Please tell me this isn''t who you shot?¡± He begs. Erik squints, before nodding, ¡°Yea, that''s exactly the dude!¡± He grabs the phone from Viktor and enlarges the photo next to it. ¡°And this is the girl too.¡± He zooms in on a photo of Alex. Viktor stares slack jawed at the phone, then Erik, his face crumbling in regret, before finally steeling in anger. ¡°I knew I should have fucking killed you when I had the chance. Chapter 2 Alex stood ramrod straight, hands up to elbows immersed in foamy water. She had been scrubbing at a particular dish for the last 30 minutes, Chris noticed silently from the door. He exhales forcefully before pushing off his slant on the door. He could spare some time for Alex at the moment, the kids were all sorted and asleep in their rooms, with the added bonus of noise-proofed walls in case she decided to have a good cry. He walked up to the sink and pulled the drain plug, watching the soap suds swirl into the unplugged hole. Alex looks away from the plate rather belatedly and into the sink, before focusing on Chris beside her, then back to her still foamy hands. ¡°I wasn''t done with that yet.¡± She says. ¡°We own a dishwasher.¡± Chris responds, turning on clean water to rinse out her hands. ¡°Also you''ve been at that particular plate for the past half hour. That''s probably as clean as it''s going to get.¡± He finishes, moving her to get her hands toweled dry. Alex looks down at Chris rubbing the towel over her damp hands and frowns. ¡°Look Chris, I''m fine.¡± She says, prying her hands from his grasp, ¡°You don''t have to treat me like a child.¡± The words are barely out her mouth before she''s striding out the kitchen, Chris scurries out after her, his knees protesting the action. ¡°Your brother just died, his corpse is in the garage freezer. You have the right to act like a child.¡± He says. Alex stills on her climb to the stairs, and Chris worries he''s offended her. Between her and Akio he recalls sadly, Akio was the one who insisted on manners and empathy. Alex preferred her discussions blunt and to the point. ¡°I can''t cremate him.¡± She finally says after a while. ¡°What?¡± Chris responds intelligently. ¡°His entire family died on the pyre, it would be incredibly tone deaf to cremate him in turn.¡± Alex finishes. Thankfully Chris has caught up to her train of thought. ¡°What would he have wanted?¡± He asks, reconsidering when Alex rounds to face him. ¡±I mean, you guys never had any ''in case of such event'' discussions?¡± He amends. Alex makes a derisive noise in her throat before dropping to sit on the step cross legged. ¡°We were young and thought we could-- would live forever. There wasn''t really any need.¡± Chris joins her on the step, knees popping loudly. ¡°You''re welcome to use the Jordan plot.¡± Alex inclines her head towards him, and he elaborates, ¡°I know it''s a stupid thing to get sentimental about, but it''s pretty much all I have of use to offer.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Alex stares at him for a painstaking 15 seconds - he counts - before nodding slowly. ¡°He was incredibly sentimental about things like that.¡± She says softly. And Chris pretends like he can''t see the tears threatening to spill. He pats her gently on the back and opens his arms for a hug. It''s a testament to how broken she feels that she takes the hug without any grumbling or dramatics. ¡°You''ll be fine, we''ll all be fine.¡± He coos. ¡°God, I hope so.¡± Her muffled reply echoes. Viktor winces as the nurse wraps gauze tightly across his bruised knuckles. He glances at the indented wall across from him, and then at Erik''s regrettably still pristine face, and calculates the seventeen different ways to break a blood oath. Rumored to be extremely painful, but in his case he suspects it would eventually be worth it. The nurse is now giving him some strict instructions on how to maneuver getting his bandages wet, he bats her away with his bandaged fist, his other hand trying once again to pinch the headache out of his eyes. Blinking to restore his vision, his gaze finally lands on Erik, who doesn''t even have the good grace to look sorry. He is flipping through some magazine adorned with scantily clad women, the obnoxious sounds from his gum punctuating the silence in the room. Erik snickers quietly to himself as his eyes settle on a particular page, the accompanying smack of his gum proving the final straw for Viktor who rises angrily from his seat and stalks towards him. Erik''s eyes grow wide in fear as he attempts to scramble from the desk where he''s perched. ¡°Now, now Viktor!¡± He is yanked to eye level by Viktor''s good hand on his collar. ¡°You promised, you promised Mom!¡± He cries petulantly. ¡°If I had known just how monumental of a burden you would become, I would have killed you and then killed her myself!¡± Viktor grits out, his breath puffing against his brother''s scared face. ¡°I didn''t know, okay! I didn''t know they were in the no touch pile.¡± ¡°You were to find the tome, grab it and get out. How did--¡± He looks skyward for a moment, eyes coming back down. ¡°Where did you even get a gun?¡± Erik mutters something under his breath that Viktor doesn''t catch, impressive as hell seeing as he''s close enough to inventory every freckle on the half wit''s face. ¡°What was that?¡± He says. ¡°I got it from your desk.¡± Erik mumbles. Viktor lets him drop to the ground with a thud, fists - yes including painfully, the bandaged one - lifting to pull on his hair. ¡°You shot a Jordan, with a gun registered in my name?¡± He pivots to glare at his brother, who is brushing down his rumpled clothes. On second thought, he was definitely going to kill the idiot, blood oath be damned. His hand is on Erik''s throat in seconds. Erik scrambles and knocks over something very ancient and expensive on his desk, but it doesn''t matter. Viktor''s nose and eyes are bleeding from the sheer force of his pushing against bound magick, but he doesn''t care. Strong arms pry him away from his now wheezing brother, who is gasping in as much air as his lungs can accommodate, while massaging his tender throat. The heavy clanging in Viktor''s head seizes as he is pulled away from his murder attempt. His ears pop back open once he''s a safe distance away from his unfortunate brother. Assuring his security of his calmness, he whips out a white handkerchief and wipes the blood from his face. ¡°Jesus Viktor, that really hurt.¡± Erik whines, inspecting the hand he had rubbing his sore throat. As if one could bleed from strangulation. ¡°Lock him up somewhere.¡± Viktor snarls at the burly men, who on observation had forced themselves into his office. ¡°I don''t care where, I don''t even want to know. Just get him far away from me.¡± He instructs. The men grab a protesting Erik and lug him out of the office. Viktor heaves a sigh, pacing to his desk, and leaning on it, arms astride. He was going to need a goddamn miracle to fix this. Chapter 3 Alex is sat hunched over a laptop, the light from the device the only thing illuminating the little home office. Her eyes dart across the screen for a bit, before glancing down at the empty notepad by her elbow. She twists this way and that in search of a pen, opting to leave her seat in search of one when her first attempt comes up fruitless. She walks past the open window revealing the night sky and full moon, the curtains billowing softly as she moves. Ransacking a crate stacked full of books she hums in victory as her hands settle on a pen. Alex stills, as she notices the curtains billowing again from her peripheral. With a jerk, she turns and hurls her pen behind her, the makeshift projectile embedding itself neatly in the opposite wall. She scowls at the empty room, arms crossed patiently in wait. A person materializes in front of her, facing the pen, back towards Alex. ¡°You missed.¡± He says. ¡°I didn''t miss.¡± Alex grouses, ¡°You cheated.¡± The man eyes the pen embedded in the wall, true enough, if he had been stood exactly where he was 5 seconds ago, he would be missing an eye. He turns to face Alex with a flourish, hands situated in his pockets. Alex remains as she is, save for an eyebrow that arches in question. Viktor raises his hands in surrender. ¡°I come in peace.¡± Alex scoffs, ¡°The last person who broke into my house caused me an irreparable damage. The only reason you''re currently still alive, is because I have a soft spot for warlocks.¡± Her hands drop to her sides and clench into fists. ¡°So as a courtesy, you have 30 seconds to explain why you''re here, before I kill you.¡± It is the man''s turn to arch a brow. Alex shrugs in response. ¡°Principles.¡± ¡°What if I said I was here to help bring your brother back?¡± Alex and Viktor are locked in a staring contest. If looks could kill, they would both be melted puddles on the floor. Viktor did have a particular spell that could enable him shoot fire from his eyes, but that was besides the point. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Alex was getting even more pissed off now, he could tell. Her eyes had narrowed into dangerous slits, and Viktor could have sworn he saw tiny bolts of lightning dancing across her fingers. Time to try another approach. He exhales as quietly as he can. ¡°My name is Viktor, I''m a Warlock obviously, and I''m here to help.¡± Alex''s fists clench and unclench faster. He retrieves a small scroll from his jacket as slowly as possible, careful not to spook Alex. Unravels it to reveal old, almost faded writing. ¡°A resurrection spell passed down my lineage, tried tested and true.¡± A quick glance at Alex reveals her eyes are no longer slashed, but her posture is still as rigid as ever. Viktor offers it out to her, ¡°You can have it.¡± Alex''s lips curl in a smirk, a fickle thing, he can decipher even from 3 feet across. ¡°In exchange for?¡± She prompts. Here he laughs breathily, eyes closing in utter frustration, ¡°The truth.¡± He opens his eyes, with a sigh ¡±My misguided brother thought it wise to put a bullet in yours.¡± Alex''s stance changes, body posturing into a fight stance, matter of fact, she looked ready to lunge for his throat. Viktor quickly raises a placating hand. ¡°I''ve handled him.¡± He assures her, ¡±I also realize it would be in my best interest to confess, instead of letting you find out, and help whichever way I can. Hence ...¡± He wobbles the unravelled scroll in his hand, ¡°... this.¡± Alex seems to calm a little, she approaches, stopping directly in front of him to peer at the scroll. ¡°So he''s dead then? The perpetrator?¡± ¡°He''s currently in an undisclosed location, awaiting punishment.¡± Alex halts halfway to the scroll. Eyes snapping to Viktor, ¡°I''m sorry, he''s still alive?¡± ¡°He will be appropriately dealt with--¡± ¡°I want him.¡± Viktor runs a hand through his hair, ¡°I can''t do that.¡± ¡°I will kill him either way, whether by himself, or if I have to go through you first.¡± Alex says. ¡°I am giving you the means to get your brother back, take it and leave Erik to me.¡± He bites out. Alex considers for a moment, ¡°Erik.¡± She says finally, testing the name on her mouth. ¡°The exchange for the scroll is that I let Erik live?¡± Viktor sighs, ¡°Look, I can''t let any harm come to him, he''s my brother. I took an oath.¡± He implores. Alex leans dangerously close to him, ¡°So did I, and your brother helped break mine.¡± She stalks past him to pull her pen from the wall, inspecting it for any nicks, before stalking back to her desk. ¡°Keep the scroll, I''ll take it when I''m done exterminating Erik and anyone else unfortunate to stand in my way.¡± She taps at her laptop which whirs back to life, the screensaver casting a light glow on her face. Her face had closed off now, his window of sorting this mess out without difficulty slowly slipping shut. ¡°Last chance Alex, take the scroll and we can forget about all this, forget about each other.¡± Viktor tries. Alex types studiously on her laptop, pretending to be engrossed in her work. A couple of minutes later, when she looks up, she is alone once again, curtains billowing quietly. A smirk on her face, she returns her gaze to the work on her desk. Chapter 4 Viktor paces his office, muttering obscenities under his breath. Obscenities mostly directed at his mother for birthing his wastrel of a brother, a couple thrown in for Alex and her bull-headedness as well. He stops mid stride to sweep everything from his desk, a very expensive decanter of equally expensive scotch landing unceremoniously on the ground, contents emptying onto a laptop with probably very important things saved on it. He pinches his nose as his secretary rushes in, in response to the clattering. Watches her scramble to salvage some of the things on the ground. ¡°Leave it.¡± He grinds out, flexing his bandaged fist. She stands abruptly, hands fidgeting, itching to tidy the mess he has made. ¡°Call a meeting.¡± He says. ¡°A board meeting?¡± She clarifies. ¡°No. A meeting.¡± Chris ducks to narrowly avoid getting tangled up in the rainbow of strings crisscrossing Alex''s office. He feels something squelch under his good shoes, and realizes he''s stepped in a pool of spilled glue. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± He growls, prompting Alex''s head to pop up from behind a mountain of - he squints - newspaper clippings. People still read newspapers? ¡°Chris!¡± She exclaims breathless, ¡°I didn''t see you there.¡± ¡°Naturally. One can hardly see anything from behind a stack of papers that high.¡± He follows the string of a spinning, dangling doll to the roof, to find it tied to the ceiling fan, considers scolding Alex for hoarding Jo''s missing Barbie, but eventually decides against it. "What is all this?" ¡°Research.¡± Alex stalks past him to circle the head of some scraggly man in a photo. ¡°This is the guy who shot Akio.¡± Chris squints at the photo, cursing his current lack of reading glasses, he''d hidden it from Ginger''s grubby fingers, and had now forgotten the location. ¡°I thought the shooter had a ski mask on?¡± The CCTV footage had confirmed the fact even. Alex arches an eyebrow of superiority at him, ¡°Well I unmasked him.¡± Chris'' eyes wander the room carefully, photos and newspaper clippings pinned to the wall, even the roof. Colored strings crisscrossing the room connecting different pictures to each other. He lifts a hand to his mouth as he takes in the detritus of Alex''s ''investigation''. He was willing to try another method, but eventually this was going to have to be one of those bull in China shop approaches. ¡°The kids have been asking for you.¡± He propositions her inner caregiver, ¡°It''s been two weeks and you haven''t said a word to them. They''re starting to think they''ve done something wrong.¡± ¡°I just need a minute.¡± Alex brushes by him again, not even sparing a glance. Bull in China shop it is. ¡°It''s been two weeks, Alex. Akio''s body is still in the freezer, no arrangements have been made.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Alex doesn''t wince, but it is a very near thing. ¡°I am making arrangements.¡± ¡°To kill a man?¡± She turns to face him, the fakest of all smiles, baring too many sharp teeth, in place. ¡°Exactly.¡± Chris softens. ¡°It''s not going to bring him back.¡± Her face falls as she considers for a moment, very quickly it is replaced by a determined scowl. ¡°Why don''t you let me handle that, and you assure the kids that they did nothing wrong, hm?¡± She ushers Chris to the exit with a hand on his shoulder, the other reaching to open the door. "I just gotta work a little, and when I''m done we can all go out for an obscene amount of sugar." Chris stops his forced ejection with a hand on the door jamb. ¡°Viktor Novik?¡± He squints at a photo on the wall beside the door. Alex peers at the man who was in her office a couple of nights ago. ¡°You know him?¡± ¡°Norwegian old money.¡± Chris says, "Largest European automobile export." He frowns. ¡°Why is he on your ''to murder'' board?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Alex begins carefully, ¡°Turns out Akio''s shooter is his brother.¡± She takes in Chris'' wide eyes. ¡°I know, what are the odds huh?¡± Viktor settles into the seat at the head of the obnoxiously long stone table with a groan. ¡°You''re late!¡± An unnecessarily shrill voice rasps at him. He eyes the owner of the voice with poorly concealed disgust. A withered old woman 700 years past her expiry date. ¡°Unlike some of you,¡± He starts, allowing the necessary amount of venom to seep into his voice, ¡°I have a living to make.¡± ¡±Do remember you called for our assistance, child.¡± A man who looked like a poor imitation of Father Christmas bellows. ¡°Alex Jordan.¡± Viktor says finally. As expected, the table is thrown into mumblings. ¡°We have a peace treaty with the Jordans.¡± Father Christmas says. ¡°Oho.¡± Viktor laughs self depreciatingly, and wishes he had a glass of something strong in reach at the moment. ¡°Not anymore. Akio Jordan is dead.¡± The entire coven is thrown into a rightful state of uproar, members flinging accusations at one another. Viktor strongly considers conjuring a glass of scotch from his office while he watches, but everyone knew spirits lost some of their potency after prestidigitation. ¡°Relax.¡± He puts them out of their misery. ¡°Erik shot him.¡± ¡°The ungifted?!¡± ¡°You called a meeting for someone who isn''t a part of the coven?¡± ¡°This has nothing to do with us!¡± Viktor gives in and finally conjures a glass of Macallan. It doesn''t taste as good as it should, but it will do. ¡°He is not a warlock, and therefore not our concern!¡± ¡°You disrespect the elders!¡± ¡°Hand him over to her!¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Viktor swallows a mouthful of watered down scotch, ¡±An excellent idea.¡± He directs to the only other person in the gathering besides him who looked like they bathed. Albeit once in a while. ¡°I should hand him over, wash my hands off this nonsense. Which I would, if I wasn''t bloody bound to him by oath!¡± He rips the collar of his shirt open, revealing the carving of an ugly sigil on his shoulder. The other warlocks gasp in overdramatic horror, and Viktor rolls his eyes. ¡°Erik dies, I die.¡± He sets his cup down as he rises, palms face down on the ugly table. ¡°Now unless any of you have a hidden benefactor under your unwashed,¡± He grimaces, ¡°... tunics. You''ll think up a solution. And fast.¡± The room goes silent in thought. ¡°We cannot antagonize Alex Jordan, your mother did well to avoid her.¡± supposed to be dead woman number 4 offers unhelpfully. And they wonder why he couldn''t be bothered to learn their names. ¡°Perhaps an exchange of sorts? A resurrection spell for staying her hand?¡± Someone piped up. These people needed to get out more, nobody spoke like that anymore. ¡°First of all, nobody speaks like that anymore.¡± He points an offending finger at the man. ¡°Secondly, I did offer to barter a resurrection spell for her clemency. She refused.¡± ¡°Then our only other option would be to rid you of the oath.¡± Father Christmas says. ¡°Please, you would be doing me a favor.¡± Viktor says. ¡°If your mother cast that spell, it will not easily be broken.¡± The least smelling woman interjects. ¡°Well, she''s dead isn''t she? If she was all bad and powerful, why isn''t she here?¡± He snaps peevishly. Father Christmas'' white hair strands stand up on end, eyebrows furrowing as an idea seemingly comes to him. Viktor rears back in alarm at how painful it looks. ¡°The huntsman who killed your mother.¡± Father Christmas finally grinds out, ¡°We could proposition him.¡± ¡°Fool!¡± Another speaks up, ¡±I want no part of starting a war with Alexandria Jordan.¡± With a flick of his good wrist, the heavy tome lands on the table in front of Viktor with a thud. The coven members gasp and angle their heads towards the book. ¡°Perhaps this could be of some assistance?¡± Chapter 5 ¡°Are you completely insane?!¡± ¡°Are you completely insane?¡± A smaller, purer voice echoes, followed by the cacophony of childish giggles. Alex glares at Chris, the heat in her eyes unable to combat the one she finds in Chris'' own. ¡°At least wait till we''re not in a vehicle with little ears.¡± She inclines her head at the giggling children opposite them. ¡°My ears are little because I''m 5!¡± Jo supplies helpfully. And Alex can''t help but melt at the declaration. ¡°And they''re the perfect size.¡± She says, with a kiss to the top of Jo''s head, which instigates another round of giggling. ¡°You''ve made some terrible decisions over the years, Alex. But this one has to be the stupidest of them all!¡± Chris whispers furiously through clenched teeth. His inability to properly yell, forcing him to find alternatives. ¡°I''m handling it.¡± Alex whispers back. ¡°Handle--¡± Chris glances at the girls, who thank goodness are currently distracted by the butterflies on Jo''s purple dress. ¡°Your plan is to K-I-L-L people for a solution that was handed to you on a platter in the first place!¡± Alex wants to run a hand through her hair in frustration, but it has been perfectly coiffed. She settles for dragging said hand down her face. ¡°It''s the principle of the matter, Chris.¡°¡± ¡°What principle?¡± ¡°Getting my revenge.¡± She says a little too loudly, eyes flitting to the still distracted children and then back to Chris. ¡°Reminding people that there are consequences when you mess with me.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Chris stares her down for a second too long, eyebrows climbing to his hairline inch by glacial inch. ¡°Your revenge?¡± Alex winces internally. ¡°Akio''s revenge, same difference.¡± ¡°You mean the Akio who would probably be here right now, if your head wasn''t firmly lodged in your own ass?¡± Chris says. ¡°Ass!¡± Ginger babbles, her little hands thrown up in the air in pure joy. Alex sighs in resignation, Chris rushing to purge the word from the child''s vocabulary. She takes a look around the limo, and feels claustrophobic. Clenches and unclenches her fist to push down her poorly dealt with irritation accumulated in three weeks and counting. A children''s benefit gala - her first outing since Akio''s ¡­ indisposition - was Chris'' solution to the distance that had grown between her and the girls. The upside to the ridiculous idea being no decent person would give into their inner demons in a gathering of adorable children. The car lurching to a halt pulls Alex from her reverie. The camera flashes from the overeager paparazzi outside doing their best to penetrate the tinted windows. A quick glance beside her shows Chris struggling to wrestle a shoe back on to Ginger''s stubby foot. She bats his hand away and takes over in a bid to hide her totally non-existent nervousness. Chris sniffs at her, before dusting imaginary lint from his jacket sleeves. ¡°So the official story is that Akio''s on sabbatical, yes?¡± ¡°I believe the term is ''Personal Retreat''. Sabbatical implies he''s getting paid during his ¡­ time off.¡± Alex says, tightening the shoe buckle on the 2 year old''s other foot for good measure. Chris halts mid peacocking. ¡°He is still getting paid, you know?¡± ¡°Balloons!¡± Jo points out the limo window, and Ginger squeals in delight. ¡°Alright, alright we''re going now.¡± Chris says, unbuckling Ginger from the car seat. ¡°Balloons! Balloons! Balloons!¡± The high pitched chorus fills the car. Leaning towards Alex, Chris says, ¡°You''re on Ginger duty tonight. This Jacket is very expensive.¡± He finishes in response to the look Alex is giving him. Alex shakes her head as the limo doors open. She thanks the ushers, and wrangles Ginger to her hip, plastering on a press smile for the cameras. Chapter 6 ¡°No comment.¡± Alex shoots neutral aggressive, at the man who has just slid in the seat in front of hers. A quick glance at the play pen puts Jo and Ginger at the same place they''ve been the past half hour. Good. Funny enough, the stranger is still sat unmoving in Chris'' seat. ¡°Usually that is your cue to go away.¡± she says again, eyes not straying from the children''s position. The man rears back in surprise. ¡°Oh, you were talking to me?¡± ¡°You''re only seating in Chris'' seat, which is directly in front of me.¡± She injects a healthy dose of sarcasm into the sentence, eyes still averted. ¡°Well don''t blame me, you are looking elsewhere. Also I''m not here for a comment, so.¡± Alex reluctantly tears her eyes away from the play pen to assess her guest. Chiseled features, muscles, cheap suit and cheap hair product. If he wasn''t one of the rundown tabloid journalists this place was currently crawling with, what did he want then? He slaps a hand to the table, lifting his palm to reveal a really nice vintage ring. And it is Alex''s turn to rear back in warranted alarm. What on Earth? ¡°Listen--¡± If her voice wavers a bit, one can''t exactly blame her. ¡°There is a bounty on your head.¡± Her synapses fire a mile a minute. Chris would definitely not appreciate a botched marriage proposal at this nice event and ... what was that about a bounty? ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°A bounty.¡± The man enunciates, as if the word is explanation enough. It is not, and he must see it on her face because he continues. ¡°A coven hired me to kill you.¡± ¡°Oh, thank God!¡± Alex breathes a sigh of relief. Eyes flicking to quickly catalog the position of the girls - they''re at the indoor bouncy thing now - before returning gratefully to her assumed fianc¨¦ gratefully turned bounty hunter. ¡°I''ve never had a reaction to assured certain death go like that.¡± The man says bemused. ¡°The ring.¡± She gestures to the bauble still situated on the table. ¡°I thought-- nevermind. So you''re here to kill me?¡± The man cocks his head to the side a bit, ¡°I''m thinking about it.¡± ¡°You probably shouldn''t have announced it before making your mind up then.¡± She gestures a waiter over and orders a drink, her companion declining politely when she inclines her head to him in question. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The waiter leaves and Alex stares at the man who looks painfully deep in thought, the ring is still on the table, and it is unnerving, Alex really can''t stop herself. ¡°I''m sorry,¡± she says, and the man snaps out of his daydream, ¡°Of what use is the ring exactly?¡± The man looks insulted, and Alex retraces her words to see if she has been accidentally rude somewhere. She hasn''t. ¡°I''m a hunter.¡± The man says. ¡°Good for you?¡± ¡°It''s been in my family for generations, the ring is our family crest?¡± He says, ¡°You''ve somehow managed to annoy a coven, who in turn hired my services. Surely you have met a hunter before?¡± ¡°Of course I have.¡± She says. ¡°Never had any of them slap their family jewels on the table before, though.¡± The man glares at her with exasperated amusement, his lips quivering. He finally loses the fight against his smile, when Alex laughs heartily at her joke. They sit in silence, Alex sipping at the juice box the waiter brings back for her, to the continued amusement of the man. ¡°So have you decided or not?¡± She says, her obnoxious sipping dialed up to a 10. The man sighs, scrutinizing Alex for a second longer, ¡°Not. I''m turning it down.¡± He frowns, ¡°Of course this means a refund.¡± Alex nods in sympathy, ¡°Was it the joke or the juice box?¡± ¡°It was the panic, from when you thought I was about to propose.¡± He says. Alex absolutely doesn''t flush. She thought she had recovered rather gracefully. ¡°Oh, you caught that didn''t you?¡± ¡°I wouldn''t be very good at my job if I didn''t.¡± The man responds, ¡°I try to not kill people I find ¡­ stimulating.¡± Alex scoffs, ¡°If it''s any consolation, you''d have failed anyway.¡± ¡°Hopefully we get to test that theory someday.¡± The man says, swiping his ring from the table and pocketing it. ¡°Looking forward to it.¡± Alex raises her juice box in toast. ¡°Do try to stay away from Viktor''s coven,¡± he warns, standing to button his jacket. ¡°Their offensive spells are mostly outdated, but they are very creepy.¡± he shudders to punctuate the sentence. ¡°I''ll try my best.¡± With a courteous bow, the man pivots on his heels, ¡°Until next time then Alexandria Jordan.¡± He throws over his shoulder before sashaying into the crowd. ¡°That was smooth as hell.¡± Alex jumps a little at the voice behind her, letting out a breath when it turns out to be Chris. ¡°Have you been back there all this time?¡± she queries. ¡°It''s not like I had a seat to wait in, now did I?¡± Chris gives the chair a little wiggle to emphasize his point, before sliding gracefully into it. Crossing his legs and staring Alex down. ¡°He seemed nice ¡­ suave ¡­ sexy.¡± ¡°He was here to kill me.¡± ¡°His suit was cheap as hell. What?¡± Alex grins at Chris, shaking the empty juice box at her ear with a childish pout. ¡°I''m sorry, kill you?¡± Chris leans in closer. ¡°Don''t worry, I talked him out of it. It''s Viktor we have to worry about now.¡± Alex tosses the empty juice box, perfectly slam dunking it in a trash can 6 feet away. Pity no one saw that. ¡°Alex.¡± Chris growls. ¡°I''ll talk to him.¡± She relents. ¡°Nicely.¡± She adds, when his scowl doesn''t lessen up. ¡°And no bloodshed for God''s sake, kids live in our house now!¡± He clench-whispers in that way only he knows how. ¡°You need to set your priorities straight.¡± He wags a reprimanding finger at her. Alex opens her mouth to retort, when Jo rams into her at what must be light speed, Alex barely keeping from tumbling from her chair in a bid to steady her. ¡°Alex, I need to use the bathroom!¡± She does a little adorable wiggle, face scrunched up in concentration. ¡°Of course.¡± Alex says, bounding to her feet. ¡°Chris, you''re on Ginger duty.¡± She inclines her head at where the two year old sits, hands mashed in a mixture of various colors of finger paint. Chris shudders at the sight, whining sadly at the thought of what is going to be the loss of yet another expensive outfit. ¡°Alex, nooooow.¡° Jo urges. Alex smirks at Chris smugly, before exiting with Jo, to the restrooms. Chapter 7 ¡°Voi helvetti!¡± Viktor flicks on the light switch in his penthouse and nearly dies of a heart attack. There Alex sits in the dark, - on his favorite chair, mind you - legs crossed like the cheesiest comic book supervillain ever. She takes a finger to her tongue, dampening it before turning the page on a magazine - One where he looks particularly exquisite on the cover, if he does say so himself - situated on her lap, ignoring him. ¡°Were you reading in the dark?¡± He hangs his jacket up on the coat rack. ¡°I have impeccable eyesight.¡± she replies, eyes still trained on the magazine. This is his house goddammit, and he was going to wrench control back if it killed him. Hands in his pockets, gait nonchalant, he strolls to the bar in the corner of the room, and pours himself a glass of high grade Vodka. He''d offer Alex some, but struggling to get the attention of the person you are in the middle of a power play against, does not a tycoon make. Instead he corks the bottle back and angles himself, so he has a vantage point of the entire living room. ¡°How did you get in?¡± ¡°The window.¡± she says, short and sweet. ¡°I was returning the favor.¡± For Christ''s sake, her head is still buried in that God forsaken magazine. ¡°We are 74 storeys up.¡± ¡°That,¡± She flips a page. Again. ¡°is honestly not my business. We need to talk.¡± Viktor waits an agonizing 5 minutes for her to start the proceedings. She has started to linger more on the pages now, holding a page mid-flip to read something that just so happens to catch her eyes at the last moment. He has thrown back two glasses of vodka already, any more and he might be a bit drunk - Yes, it was that potent - to properly deliberate with her, what is basically a life or death situation for him. He sets the cup down on the bar a bit aggressively, striding to where Alex is seated. He wrenches the magazine from her hands and tosses it. Where it ends up, he doesn''t care. She steeples her hands on her still crossed legs, and lets a patronizing smirk slip onto her face. ¡°Rude.¡± ¡°I''ve read that magazine front to back fifteen times. It is not that intriguing.¡± He bites out. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°You sent an assassin after me.¡± She says apropos of nothing. Viktor blinks startled at the conversation change for a second, before schooling his face into something neutral. ¡°I have no idea what you''re talking about.¡± He lies convincingly. ¡°Oh, cut the crap.¡± Alex says, uncrossing her legs and lifting off the chair. She paces the length of the living room, stopping to swipe a finger the entire length of the bar, inspecting said finger with a frown. ¡°I had a really nice talk with him, intention to kill notwithstanding.¡± He had been caught out. Continuing to lie would not turn out well. ¡°Can you blame me?¡± He takes his favorite chair, the one she''s just vacated, trying not to wiggle too much in Alex''s periphery. ¡°You did threaten me.¡± ¡°For good reason, Mr Novik. For a damn good reason.¡± She growls. Point one for Viktor being able to elicit a reaction from her. He pats himself mentally on the back. ¡°If you''re here to kill me like you promised, you''re doing a rather poor job of it.¡± Alex scrunches her nose, ¡°I promised to kill your brother, not you.¡± ¡°You also promised unspeakable horrors to anyone who stood in your way.¡± He gestures to himself as if to say''which is exactly what I am''. ¡°As therapeutic as de-boning you would be,¡± Alex lets a wistful look settle on her face, ¡°I''m here for the scroll.¡± He starts to reply, but she holds up a single hand halting him efficiently, mid word. And he hates himself just a little bit. ¡°Just the scroll.¡± She says. He scans her face for a moment, finding nothing but earnestness. ¡°And my brother?¡± He asks to be sure. ¡°I promise I won''t go after him.¡± ¡°You promise?¡± He scoffs. ¡°I am insulted.¡± She lifts a hand to her heart, ¡°I have been known to keep my promises you know. Matter of fact, I''m currently keeping one, by having this discussion with you civilly.¡± ¡°This is supposed to mean something to me?¡± He asks. Alex rolls her eyes, stalking to stand imposingly in front of him. ¡°Fine, an exchange. You seem to be more at ease when a barter is in place, I take the scroll and owe you a favor.¡± she says. Viktor rolls the idea about in his mind. His mother was probably rolling over in her grave watching him consider a transaction with Alex Jordan. But having said Jordan owe you a favor was never a bad idea. He nods to himself. ¡°Deal.¡± With a poof of black smoke, the scroll appears in his outstretched hand. Alex rolls her eyes once more, before taking it from him, unimpressed. ¡°You just can''t help yourself can you?¡± She slips the rolled up scroll into her jacket. ¡°I''m a warlock. We''re meant to be ostentatious.¡± ¡°Akio wasn''t-- isn''t.¡± she counters. ¡°Akio has no idea what he''s missing out on, then.¡± He lifts from his seat, strides to the bar and retrieves a second glass to accompany his already in position. Pours a fine helping of vodka for himself, then Alex. Alex grabs her glass, and he proposes a toast. ¡°To returning brothers. Even those of us that absolutely hate theirs.¡± Alex snorts and they both throw back the spirit, Alex wincing a little at the taste. She deposits her cup back on the bar with a tiny nod, and strides towards the door. Stopping by the framed cover of him as the GQ Man of the Year, taking up about two-thirds of his wall. ¡°The narcissism thing is so not sexy.¡± She admonishes with a prim frown, before exiting his home. Chapter 8 Akio has a little bit of trouble prying his eyes open the first time around. However with a little amount of effort, he succeeds. The pale grey design of his room ceiling stares back at him, and he takes a deep breath. His body feels weird, stiff. Like it hasn''t been in use for a while. His senses are all over the place, lungs contracting and expanding to accommodate quantities of air that shouldn''t necessarily be a problem for him. A soft sigh by his side draws his attention, and he forces his stiff neck to roll towards the sound. Towards Alex, seated on a chair, head planted on his bed, - hands pillowing her head - in deep slumber. The tiny puddle of drool that has accumulated by her open mouth is a testament to how deep the sleep is. He cracks a smile - swears he can actually hear cracking sounds as his muscles contort - and closes his eyes, letting Alex''s deep breaths lure him back to sleep. When he opens his eyes again there are beeping sounds coming from all around him. His body seems to have regained some of its fluidity, his ability to - with minimal struggle - crane his head down and inspect the electrodes on his bare chest proving it. A glance to his right inner elbow, places the IV pumping nutrients into his tired body. Another glance to the door shows Alex talking to a Man. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. His hearing not a perfect 50-50 yet, he can only guess from how animated Alex''s hand gestures are, that the news is not all good. ¡°Can a guy get a glass of water?¡± he tries to drawl, but it comes out more of a drunken slur, the lead feel of his tongue not having been anticipated. Their heads both snap towards him in surprise, the man (who turns out to be a doctor) of course recovering quicker, and striding to his bedside with purpose. Alex is stood outside his room, by the threshold of the door, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed in intense concentration. Her eyes cataloging every movement of the doctor. After the necessary poking and prodding - and being a doctor himself and understanding the necessity of the checkups doesn''t make it any easier to endure - he is permitted ice chips, and placed on a soup diet, the last of which gets the doctor a particularly dirty eye roll. The doctor exits the room, stopping by Alex for a moment with strict instructions for his care before finally taking his leave. He and Alex stare awkwardly at each other for a couple of minutes. And Akio thinks with some dejection that it has never been this strained between them before, not even when they met for the first time. He remembers how thirsty he is and his eyes flit to the ice chips on the table beside him, and back to Alex. Alex clocks the movement and quickly spurs into action, grabbing the plastic cup and sitting on the chair beside his bed. She feeds him dutifully, eyes suddenly stuck on the cup in her hand when he signals he''s had enough. Turns out he''s also had enough of the uncomfortable silence. ¡°So. What have you done, that you can''t meet my eyes?¡± Chapter 9 ¡°Ow, ow, ow, ow.¡± ¡°Not to diminish your good spirits Akio, but that is annoying as hell.¡± Akio shoots Chris a heatless glare, and he squeezes Chris'' hand clenched in his a bit tighter in retaliation. ¡°Ow, ow, ow!¡± Chris winces. He clocks Akio''s smug eyebrow and rolls his eyes. ¡°Yes fine, I get it now.¡± He huffs. Chris'' arm around his waist tightens a bit as they slowly make the steep turn at the end of the upstairs corridor where Akio has been practicing his mobility. Rigor mortis apparently more difficult to shake off than muscle atrophy. He completes the frankly difficult turn with only a bead of sweat on his brow this time, and assigns himself a gold star. It''s just been the corridor they''ve been trailing this week. The mere thought of the stairs enough to send him - back? - into a coma. ¡°I''m tired.¡± He says, his knees have been aching for the last 30 minutes. Chris peers at his watch, ¡°It''s only been 20 minutes.¡± That can''t be right. ¡°Yea, well my knees say otherwise.¡± He extricates himself from Chris'' hold and leans on the wall. Sliding gently till he''s sat on the floor, legs stretched in front of him. Chris'' groans, his knees protesting as he joins him on the floor. ¡°I feel like you all deliberately forget I''m arthritic.¡± He huffs in response, head resting on the wall and eyes drooping shut. That''s another thing he hates about this, his inability to control when he falls asleep. The last time almost had him face planting in a bowl of bland soup. He shakes his head and draws his knees to his chest, the twinge of pain from the action snapping him into a state of alertness. ¡°Where''s Alex?¡± He asks. ¡°Took the kids out, again.¡± Chris says. ¡°Figures. I complain about her not spending anytime with the kids, and she proceeds to spend every waking moment with them, boycotting other essential parts of life.¡± ¡°She''s avoiding me.¡± Chris snorts. ¡°Was it ever unclear?¡± A beat. ¡°I think I''m thirsty.¡± Akio whines. Chris sighs as he struggles to his feet. ¡°I''ll get you a glass.¡± Akio pauses for a moment, watching Chris stretch and coerce his back into a vertical state once more. ¡°What if wanted to get it myself?¡± He blurts. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Chris pauses in a complicated twist, and then shuffles - kind of like a penguin - to turn and face him. ¡°I''d ask if you could wait for an Amazon Express delivery stair chair lift.¡± Akio scowls. ¡°That''s not funny.¡± Chris lets go of the pose with a satisfied groan. ¡°I''m not laughing. I let you face plant on those stairs in an attempt to use them, and I''m next in line to be bed ridden.¡± ¡°I could, you know.¡± He gestures vaguely, Chris'' eyes following every movement of his hand. ¡°Hell no.¡± ¡°Chris.¡± ¡°Your cardio is shot, your endurance is shot, your focus is shot, your muscles are shot ¡­¡± He lists off. Akio grits his teeth, ¡°I get it.¡± ¡°Do you? Are you sure?¡± He says. ¡°I just don''t get why she blames herself for me getting shot.¡± He notices Chris whiplash from the sudden change in discussion. ¡°It''s not like she could have predicted we were going to get robbed.¡± ¡°I''m adding ''concentration'' to your list of things that are shot.¡± Akio starts to protest, and Chris talks over him, ¡°Have you tried telling her all this?¡± ¡°I usually can''t get her in place long enough.¡± Akio is interrupted by a shrill shriek, the pounding of little feet thudding up the stairs. Jo sights Akio on the floor and barrels towards him, she is thankfully intercepted at the last second by Chris scooping her up and tickling her. ¡°Stop it Bubba!¡± She squeals in delight at the onslaught of tickles. Alex slips up the stairs with Ginger in her arms balancing a dangerous three scoop ice cream cone in her little hands. Chris'' eyes land on the confectionery, and he glowers at a smirking Alex. ¡°Are you doing this on purpose?¡± He gestures to the 2 year old who is on the floor now, attention divided between balancing the teetering ice cream in both hands and taking shaky steps towards Chris. ¡°Chris,¡± Alex coos, all false sincerity. ¡°I have no idea what you''re talking about.¡± ¡°She can''t eat all that, or she''ll be up through the week.¡± Akio says, and he stretches out an arm which Chris grabs with his own not holding Josephine, and lugs him into an upright position. Akio bends over, hands resting on his knees, as he struggles to catch his breath. He looks up just in time to see the brief flash of guilt on Alex''s face, before she schools it back into casual nonchalance. Ginger finally reaches and clings to Chris'' trousers, the pink, green and yellow blobs of ice cream - surprisingly still in her other hand and not the floor - smudging on a pant leg. He sighs resignedly and sets Jo down, - who shimmies over to Akio''s side and grabs his hand - picking Ginger up instead. Prying the Ice Cream away from her, he sets off down the stairs, passing by a smug Alex on the way. ¡°Alex got you a huge tub of Ice cream.¡± Jo informs Akio, the demonstration of how huge the Ice cream is, tugging on his arm. His fingers snuggly ensconced in her little ones. ¡°Wanna go see?¡± She asks, looking up at him with wide innocent eyes. His heart aches a little. ¡°How about you go bring it up here, with two spoons?¡± he compromises. She wrinkles her nose in irritation and gestures for Akio to lean in, he does. ¡°I already had three scoops. Alex says I can''t have anymore.¡± she whispers. ¡°Alex doesn''t need to know. As long as you promise to drink a lot of water afterwards.¡± He whispers back, suddenly remembering the water he hadn''t had yet. Jo glances at Alex - who is still stood by the stairs - for a second, then turns to Akio with a nod. ¡°Deal.¡± She declares before bolting back down to the kitchen where the Ice Cream Akio suspects, is. ¡°I take it I''m supposed to pretend I didn''t hear that transaction.¡± Alex says, as she strides to where he''s perched. ¡°Why Alex,¡± he lilts, in imitation of her response earlier. ¡°I have no idea what you''re talking about.¡± Alex laughs, stopping beside him to throw his arm over her shoulder. ¡°Where do you wanna go?¡± ¡°Downstairs?¡± He tries. Alex shoots him an unimpressed look. ¡°Fine, take me back to my prison-- sorry, room.¡± he finishes sweetly. Alex grunts and herds him in the direction of his room. ¡°And, we''re going to talk.¡± He adds mid journey, after making sure she can''t flee the inevitable. Chapter 10 Alex pads down the stairs barefoot, headed for a midnight snack, a nightly routine to combat her insomnia for the past 3 and a half months. She heads to the kitchen and peers into the fridge, head snapping back out when Jo suddenly appears at the entrance to the kitchen barefoot as well, clad in her Wreck-it-Ralph pajamas. ¡°Oi! You should be asleep, young lady.¡± Alex scolds softly. Alex strides to the bleary eyed child and scoops her up. ¡°I''m hungry.¡± Jo declares, half asleep on Alex''s shoulder. ¡°A glass of milk then bed, deal?¡± Alex asks, and the child nods in agreement. Alex and Jo are reclined on the sofa, some nonsense children''s show playing on the TV in mute. Alex pops a cookie into her mouth and turns to her companion, who has succumbed to sleep, neck craned uncomfortably. She removes the nearly empty cup of milk from Jo''s sleepy grasp before it can spill, - Jo insisting on the grown up cup, instead of the sippy one - and drinks what is left of it, washing down the dry biscuits. After tidying up the detritus of their midnight sojourn, and wiping down the sink, she heads back into the living room to turn the TV off and scoop up the child. Barely reaching the stairs when the front door is suddenly ripped off it''s hinges. Jo rouses with a jolt, eyes alert as she takes in their levitating intruder, hair standing on end like a character out of a Harry Potter movie. The witch - for lack of better term - points a crooked stick - seriously? Harry Potter! - at them, and Alex is thrown backwards into the opposite wall, body angled mid air to take the brunt and cushion Jo. The witch starts chanting and Alex has had enough. Making sure Josephine is safely tucked behind a chair, she lurches at their attacker. Grabbing her by her hair, Alex slams her into a glass table, the witch howling at the prickling glass shards embedded in her skin. She says something and a glowing red whip encircles Alex''s left arm. Her right fist going up to quickly grip the witch by the throat before she can capture the other arm. The chokehold halts her chants, and the first whip vanishes. Jo bolts from her hiding place and clings to Alex, the action distracting her just enough for the witch to break free, and dive for her - wand? - stick again. A short recitation and the stick transforms into a rather sharp dagger that is quickly coming down on Alex, she grabs at the child clinging to her and hauls her around, so her back is to the woman, and closes her eyes. The stab of the knife never comes and her eyes open, eyes widening at the surprisingly motionless woman before darting to-- Akio at the top of the stairs, hands alight in a purple glow. ¡°Sometime today, Alex!¡± He strains with the effort. Alex plucks the dagger from her frozen hand, and launches her into the wall. The dagger following right after, embedding itself in her abdomen and effectively pinning her in place, feet dangling uselessly. The witch cries out a second before Alex paces forward and knocks her out cold. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Again! Again! Again!¡± Jo bounces happily and Alex quickly drops to check her for injuries. Akio and Chris bolt down the stairs. Akio mostly ambling as fast as he physically can, with Chris surprisingly spry for a man his age, and with a barely awake 2-year-old in hand. ¡°Oh my God!¡± Chris exclaims. Handing a dozing Ginger to Alex before kneeling to check Jo himself, ¡°Are you alright?¡± He asks cradling her little face in his hands. ¡°Bubba did you see! Alex made her fly!¡± Jo screeches in elation, and Chris can''t help but cringe at the pitch. Akio finally joins them, squatting to give Jo his own once over. Chris stands, eyes darting about the living room, eyebrows furrowed furiously, he walks up to the unconscious woman pinned to the wall and frowns, before undauntedly turning to Alex, face red. ¡°What did I do?!¡± Alex protests. Chris moves quickly, stopping in front of her. He looks like he''s about to pull his hair or something equally plebeian, before deciding against it and letting the frustration out through his nose. ¡°I don''t know. But she''s currently unavailable for me to yell at.¡± He gestures to the woman on their wall. ¡°Akio! Akio!" Jo tugs on Akio''s pajama pants, ¡°I wanna learn to Airbend like Alex!¡± Akio turns to look at them in exhausted resignation, while Chris'' eyes narrow into angry slits. ¡°Took some work, but I finally got her to sleep. Wouldn''t shut up about an Avatar.¡± Chris announces on his way down the stairs. The front door has been haphazardly welded to it''s hinges sometime since the attack, Alex currently sweeping the glass shards of what was once an antique table. ¡°The.¡± Akio corrects from his languorous sprawl on the only couch not currently sporting tiny glass shards. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Avatar, master of all four elements? There''s only one at a time.¡± Alex peeks up from her sweeping ¡°This is a real thing?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Akio says, ¡°It''s a cartoon.¡± Alex huffs and returns to sweeping. Chris shoves Akio''s feet off the couch before taking a seat. ¡°So, what are we going to do about that?¡± he gestures to the still unconscious woman by the corner, now painfully tied up with twisted metal rods, duct tape over her mouth. ¡°We could go to sleep and pick this up tomorrow.¡± Alex offers. ¡°Sleep?¡± Chris spits incredulously, ¡°With Bellatrix Lestrange right under the same roof?¡± Alex snaps her fingers. ¡°Exactly! As soon as she twirled that stick at me, I went Harry Potter.¡± ¡°The Victorian goth aesthetic doesn''t help her case.¡± Chris adds. ¡°How is it that you both have seen Harry Potter, but not The Last Airbender?¡± Akio asks. ¡°How have you not seen Harry Potter?¡± Alex abandons her broom, and joins them on the couch. ¡°It should fit right in with your whole magic motif.¡± ¡°That is not magick.¡± Akio sniffs, ¡°That is the offensive ramblings of an author who has no idea what they''re talking about. There are no invisibility cloaks, or dancing trees. Real magick doesn''t perform that way.¡± ¡°So you have seen Harry Potter.¡± Chris says. ¡°But be honest Akio, there are tiny similarities between--¡± ¡°It is not the same thing.¡± Akio interrupts. A beat. ¡°I mean there was a stick.¡± Alex says. ¡°And some chanting.¡± Chris adds. ¡°We were taking suggestions on what to do with the uninvited guest?¡± Akio prompts testily, and that is definitely cue to change the conversation. ¡°Right.¡± Alex lifts off the couch again to grab the broom, ¡°You can toss her in the garage. Those rods will hold her until morning. Till the year runs out if you want.¡± She grabs the dustpan filled with the swept up glass shards and heads into the kitchen. ¡°I am honestly surprised Ginger wasn''t spooked.¡± Akio says. ¡°You know, even with all the racket, she was still asleep when I got to her room. In fact, I think picking her up was what woke her.¡± Chris muses. ¡°And then there''s Jo--¡± ¡°God help us all.¡± Alex returns from the kitchen, neck angling left then right, sighing satisfactorily at the cricks being loosened. "Go to bed.¡± She instructs, before levitating the witch with a flick of her wrist. ¡°I''ll stash Glinda somewhere secure, and turn in for the night as well.¡± She stalks back towards the kitchen, the unconscious body floating after her. Chris takes a look around. ¡°I need to call renovation." ¡°It''s 3 am.¡± Akio notes. ¡°Well it''s day time in some country somewhere.¡° Chris says, already halfway up the stairs. He peeks down at Akio. ¡°You coming?¡± ¡°I cannot begin to fathom climbing up those stairs right now.¡± Akio rearranges himself on the full length of the couch. ¡°Just leave me here, fingers crossed another witch doesn''t attack while I sleep.¡± ¡°Just don''t forget to ''Expelliarmus'' if someone else does break in.¡± He says before rushing up the stairs, dodging the throw pillow Akio hurls at his head. Chapter 11 ¡°Viktor.¡± Viktor nearly has a heart attack for the second time in one month. He turns with a scowl to see Alex, the object of his aversion, a face he''d much rather go without seeing for a while. She is stood in the center of the room, - his office chair spared this time - hands folded, face set in stern anger, and Viktor misses the smug smiles and sinister smirks, not that he''d tell her. ¡°What can I help you with this time?¡± He can''t keep the exasperation from his voice, he doesn''t even try. ¡°Oh nothing really, just returning a lost parcel.¡± Alex bites, and with that rotates the office chair - so much for it being spared - to reveal, a coven member? Abigail or something else that starts with an ''A''. Metal rods encircling her from shoulders to torso, some of them so tightly wrung, they cut skin, and a piece of duct tape, taping her mouth shut. Oh, this would not do at all. ¡°Are you insane?! This is my office!¡± He yells, stalking towards the window to draw the blinds shut. They are on the 50th floor, but he''d rather not take chances. ¡°You should have thought about that before you sent her to my home! Where my family lay asleep!¡± Alex yells back. What? ¡°What?¡± Alex studies him for a moment, eyebrows doing some complicated things, ¡°If you tell me you have no control over your minions, I swear to God, Viktor--¡± ¡°I control my Coven just fine thank you very much.¡± He sniffs. ¡°Then explain her.¡± Alex rips the duct tape off Alissa''s mouth, which is frightfully red and raw. ¡°I was trying to help--¡± Amanda begins. ¡°Oh Jesus.¡± Viktor cries, hands mussing up his neat hair, ¡°I said to forget it!¡± ¡°I had a child,¡± Alex says, ¡°in my arms when she blew up my front door. She tried to kill me, without any regard for her.¡± Viktor starts to say something, but Alex interrupts him. ¡°No, no, I''m still talking!¡± She says, voice dangerous. ¡°The only reason she isn''t dead yet, was because I thought you had something to do with it.¡± Alex is taking slow menacing steps towards him now and Viktor finds himself shuffling back in turn. ¡°Now that your incompetence has been fabulously exposed, I realize I''m going to have to handle things a bit differently.¡± His back hits the wall, and she stops right in front of him, eyes and angry red. ¡°Her,¡± she points at Amaya, ¡°I''m not taking any excuses, she dies by my hand.¡± Viktor follows her pointer finger to the scared woman at the end of it. Pity, he thought she smelled nicer than the rest of the other vapid decrepits he had the unfortunate honor of calling coven members. He would have to find someone new to occupy the seat beside him now. ¡°Done.¡± He agrees quickly. And Alex inhales deeply. Her anger seeming to fade away as she exhales. ¡°Now, we have to come up with some acceptable terms--¡± His office door flies open, and in steps Erik. ¡°Viktor we have a problem-- oh fuck.¡± Erik halts as soon as he sees Alex. He glances at the woman tied up on his chair, and then back at the door behind him, probably weighing his options. Alex makes a decision for him by walking up to the door and shutting it. ¡°Hello Erik.¡± She says all faux-smiles. Erik makes a high pitched noise. ¡°Viktor, you told tome lady, my name?¡± He whispers. Except he doesn''t actually whisper because Alex hears him, and her eyebrows furrow in calculated thought. And didn''t the universe just love Viktor today? ¡°Erik, if you would please shut up for one second--¡± Viktor pleads. ¡°What tome?¡± Alex asks. She stares at them in turn, Alicia somehow not exempted, and Viktor just can''t get his lies to work. ¡°Well?¡± Alex prompts again. ¡°The tome I took from your house, when I shot your brother, which - I don''t know if Viktor has said - but, I am really sorry for. I got spooked and my hand hit the trigger, and I honestly had no idea who you were at the time--¡± Erik rambles. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. And boy did he choose the wrong time to be honest and considerate. Viktor was eyeing the shuttered window, considering just hauling himself out of it - the upside being Erik would die too - when an obnoxious song, cut Erik off. Alex fishes her phone out of her pocket and answers, doesn''t even bother looking at the caller. ¡°Now, is not a good time.¡± She says. ¡°Where the hell are you, you never came home last night!¡± Akio screeches, and Alex has to move the phone away from her ears. ¡°Akio.¡± She breathes, ¡°I''m a bit busy at the moment, tying up a few loose ends.¡± ¡°Well wrap it up, Jo''s headmistress called, she wants to meet with us right now.¡± Akio says. ¡°Uhhhh.¡± Alex replies eloquently. ¡°Alex.¡± Akio says, somehow managing to draw her name out into 6 syllables. ¡°Can you convince her to postpone, tomorrow perhaps?¡± ¡°Where are you?¡± Alex pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration, this was officially the longest day of her life. ¡°Norway.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Another ear damaging screech. ¡°I''m headed back today, this moment, as we speak.¡± She eyes the people in the room with her, as if daring them to disagree. ¡°If you could just move the meeting to tomorrow--¡± Akio cuts her off. ¡°I can''t do that! She''ll have to report back to Vivian, who''ll have to come over to the house--¡± ¡°Akio--¡± ¡°--to check on why we couldn''t make the meeting! And do you really want CPS in our house considering the state it''s in?!¡± He finishes his rant, and Alex can hear him gasping for air. ¡°Akio! Breathe.¡± She coerces, and doesn''t continue till she hears him inhale and exhale. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°The School car park.¡± Her eyebrows scrunch, ¡°Did you drive? You know you''re not meant to drive until--¡± ¡°Ezra drove me. Alex focus! The meeting!¡± He growls, and he really needed to stop stressing himself. ¡°I''ll be there.¡± ¡°How?!¡± Akio cries. ¡°Did you grow a pair of wings I don''t know about?¡± ¡°I said I''ll be there.¡± Alex repeats. ¡°Alexandria Jordan--¡± Alex ends the call. He was about to go on another tirade and she didn''t particularly care for that. She shakes present thoughts into her mind. ¡°I need to go home.¡± She declares. ¡°By all means. You''ve just about overstayed your welcome.¡± Viktor says, and honestly the nerve on the guy! ¡°Oh, this¡± she gestures around her, ¡°isn''t over. I''ve got more important things to do at the moment, but I''ll be back.¡± She says with a pointed look at Erik, who shrinks in on himself. ¡°And when I get back, I want Glinda as is; some very detailed explanations; oh, and the Tome that started this mess in the first place.¡± It is Viktor''s instinct to fight for control over the situation and he has to smother the urge. She made some pretty decent arguments with the kid thing, and frankly this whole thing was proving to be more trouble than it was worth. He had found a grey hair in his luscious black locks last night and nearly broke down. ¡°You have my word.¡± Viktor concedes. Alex relaxes. ¡°Now, I need something quick, like a portal or teleportation spell.¡± Viktor stares at her. Alex rolls her eyes impatiently. ¡°You''re a warlock, I''ve seen you Alakazam useless things with a poof, they had to come from somewhere. Ergo, you can get me home.¡± Apparently Alex was insane. That certainly explained some of her behavior. ¡°I think the fuck not!¡± ¡°You misunderstand me, it is not a request.¡± She says. ¡°You misunderstand me, it cannot be done.¡± ¡°The scroll--¡± ¡°Is an object.¡± He finishes ¡°You don''t just prestidigitate people, humans, they''re living things!¡± Alex frowns ¡°What happens when you do it with people?¡± ¡°I don''t know, because it has never been done!¡± And you have lost your mind! He doesn''t say that part out loud. Alex turns to Abigail - and was she still here? - for confirmation. She shakes her head, reaffirming his point. ¡°An experiment then. My favorite form of learning.¡± Alex grins without substance. She starts rolling up her jacket sleeves for some reason. ¡°Alex, I am not in support of this, there is a lot involved in setting up experiments, a controlled environment, thorough observation, consent for one--¡± ¡°I consent.¡± She interrupts, ¡°Proceed." This wasn''t working. ¡°I have no idea where it is you want to go--¡± ¡°Will a photo do?¡± ¡°Yes, but that''s not the point--¡± Alex whips out her phone and shoves it in his face. The photo of two adorable girls in school uniforms, the parking lot in the background obviously her focus point. ¡°Photo.¡± She says, ¡°The school''s parking lot. Chop-chop.¡± Viktor has to admit to the sheer honor and distinction of being the one to attempt this, but ¡°Alex, again this is a really bad idea.¡± ¡°I consented. You''ve got CCTV in here don''t you?¡± She whirls around to the supposed to be invisible camera at the edge of the ceiling. ¡°I consent.¡± She exaggerates the words. ¡°There. You can show that to a lip reader if there''s no audio.¡± She did consent. ¡°If you die--¡± She snorts dismissively, then furrows her eyebrows in thought as if considering the fact for a moment. ¡°Show my family the video.¡± She says finally. ¡°It''s not going to be an issue, this is actually very on par for me.¡± ¡°Viktor you idiot.¡± He mumbles to himself, then cricks his neck and rolls up his sleeves. ¡°Well, here goes nothing.¡± It takes more energy than he is willing to admit to expending, but Alex does disappear in a poof of black smoke, leaving no limbs or extremities behind. Erik pads carefully to the spot where Alex was stood, as if expecting something to manifest from below the ground. Nothing does and he relaxes a bit. ¡°You don''t think she''s dead, do you?¡± He asks genuinely. Alex appears in a poof of smoke at the parking lot of the school. She lands unsteadily, pride mostly keeping her from collapsing in a heap on the ground. Instead propping herself up with an arm on a parked Rolls Royce and dry heaving her intestines. Thankfully there is nobody in the parking lot. She sights a CCTV camera by a wall, and prays whoever is on duty is asleep, or really really drunk. ¡°Alex?! Holy shit!¡± Akio rushes to her side, and the contact of his hand on her skin hurts like hell, but she can''t find the words to complain. ¡°What the hell? Did you really grow wings?¡± ¡°A second.¡± She grits out, before dry heaving nothing again. ¡°Are you alright?¡± He thankfully lets go of her to bend and inspect her face. ¡°What is going on? How did you get here so fast?¡± Alex lifts from her stoop, and angles her head to the sky, inhaling fresh air. ¡°Questions later. Meeting first. Urgent.¡± Akio eyes her suspiciously. ¡°You are capable of forming more than two word sentences aren''t you?¡± She drops her head to position and can''t stop the shudder that wrecks through her, ¡°Hope so. Inside now.¡± She starts towards the entrance, Akio pacing to catch up to her. ¡°Jesus Christ, Alex. This better wear off.¡± He grabs her firmly by the arm when the world starts falling ¡±You''re tilting.¡± Chapter 12 ¡°You sure you''re alright?¡± Akio asks leaning in, worry lining his face. ¡°The good news is I now feel up for more than two word sentences at a time.¡° Alex replies, shoving Akio''s face back when it gets too close. He teeters dangerously, and Alex has to reach for his seat to steady it. A kindness that is rewarded graciously with a scowl. The door opens behind them, and Jo''s headmistress walks in. A burly middle aged lady whose imposing figure could cower mere men. Lucky neither Alex nor Akio were mere. They lift up to greet her, and she gestures them back in their seats. ¡°Mr and Mrs Jordan.¡± she greets. Akio and Alex immediately voicing their thoughts on the platitudes. ¡°--Alex, I beg of you.¡± ¡°--She is my sister--¡± ¡°Also, Mr Jordan is Chris.¡± They both finish simultaneously. And anyone would think their little fluke rehearsed, if not for the way they glower in irritation at each other at the end. ¡°My name is Virginia Collymore. You can call me Mrs Collymore.¡± She chuckles softly. Siblings of course, how could she have missed it? ¡°Mrs Collymore.¡± Akio starts, ¡°You uh, wanted to see us?¡± ¡°You are Josephine Jordan''s legal guardians?¡± she asks. Alex shifts a little in her seat, looking like she was nursing the world''s worst hangover. ¡°There''s Chris.¡± ¡°Our adopted Dad. He''s currently preoccupied.¡± Akio supplies helpfully. ¡°So It''s sort of a shared title.¡± she gestures vaguely with her hands. ¡°Me and Akio are adopted, obviously. So we''re paying it forward.¡± ¡°As siblings.¡± Akio stresses, and the woman gets the feeling that they''ve been mistaken for a couple more times than they care for. She turns to Alex, ¡°Are you alright? You look a bit pale.¡± If she was nonfunctional due to some sort of alcohol intake, she was going to have a long talk with Josephine''s agent. ¡°Not really. Food poisoning.¡± her face rumples. ¡°Bad sushi restaurant.¡± Akio lets out a breath as the headmistress visibly calms. ¡°I asked for you both today in regards to some of the behavior Josephine has been exhibiting.¡± She pulls her chair forward and relaxes into it. ¡°Namely her particular inclination towards starting fights.¡° Alex and Akio turn and stare at each other fiercely, some sort of silent rapid fire conversation passing through them in the couple of seconds involved. And if Virginia wasn''t a woman of science, she might have suspected telepathy. ¡°The Last Avatar.¡± Alex says, turning to her finally. ¡°Airbender.¡± Akio corrects immediately. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Virginia is taken aback. ¡°She''s been infatuated with this particular cartoon with a master of all the elements or something.¡± Alex frowns as she recalls. ¡°I''m well aware, Alex. I have kids myself.¡± She chuckles. ¡°Expressed sudden interest in learning ''Airbending'' one night. Convincing her there was no such thing was not an easy task.¡± Akio shakes his head as if remembering a particularly harrowing event. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Chris suggested registering her for karate or something, but I said to wait and see. I mean we all had infatuations at that age. Right?¡± Alex turns to her in question, and Virginia finds herself nodding from the sheer intensity of the gaze. ¡°There.¡± Alex says, and relaxes back in her seat. ¡°Um.¡± Virginia swallows. And what the hell was wrong with her train of thought? ¡°But Ginger-- sorry Giselle, she''s fine?¡± Akio changes the subject with expert fluidity. ¡°Other than a particular fondness for finger painting the teacher''s clothes, she''s doing splendidly.¡± Alex smiles wistfully at that particular piece of information, Akio simply rolling his eyes. ¡°Is that it then?¡± Alex prompts. And Virginia could have sworn she had more input on the subject. Didn''t she write some suggestions down somewhere? ¡°I think so?¡± ¡°Splendid.¡± Alex exclaims as she rises, Akio joining her. Virginia has no choice herself but to rise as well, arms outstretched for a handshake that only Akio responds to. ¡°We can grab them on our way out, yes?¡± Akio asks, glancing briefly at his watch. ¡°Of course.¡± Virginia replies, smoothing down her outfit to buy herself some time to better regain control of the conversation. ¡°I''ll have the Teacher''s Assistant meet you with them at the car park.¡±
Akio paces the short path between their car and another, Alex following with her eyes. She leans wearily on their car, trying recover some semblance of well-being. ¡°She''s started fighting, Alex.¡± Akio says, reaching the end of his path and pivoting. The repeated movement causing Alex vertigo. ¡°She better have won, or she''ll be in a lot of trouble.¡± Akio shoots her a stink eye mid pace, not slowing down in the slightest. Alex has never thrown up in her life before, if this is what the prelude to hurling feels like, she''d gladly go a thousand more years without experiencing it. ¡°Akio, for the love of God, sit.¡± She scrunches her eyes closed and takes deep breaths. ¡°What exactly is wrong with you?¡± She opens her eyes to see he has stopped pacing, thank God, and is now crouched in front of her. ¡°You look like someone turned your insides out, beat you with a stick, and then put you back the right way.¡± He diagnoses. And he might not actually be far off, she thinks. He motions for Ezra to pass him a bottle of water, which he in turn hands to her, and orders her to finish the bottle. She has just done that, when Jo sprints at them--and when will she learn to not run everywhere?--TA and Ginger behind her. She barrels into Akio, thank God who lifts her up and swings her around a bit, his strength much better than before. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asks. ¡°Your headmistress called us. Said something about you starting fights?¡± Akio asks and she frowns. ¡°It''s not my fault! Dennis Kaplan called me a liar!¡± she says. ¡°Did you lie?¡± Alex asks. ¡°No.¡± She answers sincerely, as if it was something she never even considered. ¡°All I said was that Airbending was real.¡± ¡°Jo--¡± Akio starts, and Alex can feel a Talk? coming on. Alex nods amenably and says, ¡°Dennis Kaplan got what he had coming to him, then.¡± ¡°Alex!¡± Akio scolds, while Jo giggles. The TAbfinally arrives, and hands a suspiciously damp 2 year old over. She had gotten into the finger paint again. Akio bundles all four of them into the car, making sure to secure Ginger in her car seat before Ezra moves. ¡°Can we please stop for Ice Cream?¡± Jo presses her little hands together in plea, and Alex can''t help it. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°No.¡± The funeater interrupts, eyebrows scrunched together like one of the evil school masters in those 70s shows he so loved to rewatch. He turns to Alex, ¡°First of all, that''s too much sugar in one week. Secondly, you realize she has to be punished for the fighting yes?¡° ¡°Nonsense.¡± Alex says, ¡°She didn''t do anything wrong but defend herself from slander.¡± ¡°Alex, Airbending isn''t real.¡± ¡°So is magic, yet here you are.¡± Alex counters. Akio grits his teeth in annoyance, wits firing for another counter. It appears he finds one. ¡°She''s not supposed to think these things are real.¡± He says. ¡°And how is it her fault she does? We did adopt her after all.¡± She fires back. And his mouth snaps shut, eyebrows furrowing again in thought. Jo tugs on her sleeves, ¡°Am I in trouble?¡± she asks genuinely distressed. And Alex''s heart melts for the umpteenth time in the presence of the child, an overwhelming urge to protect her, and methodically hurt anything or anyone that would ever turn her pretty smile upside down, Dennis Kaplan included. ¡°Not at all.¡± She replies with a smile. ¡°Tell you what, I''ll teach you how to fight like I do.¡± Akio rouses from his impromptu hibernation with a distressed noise, and Alex silences him with a hand. ¡°Only,¡± she continues, eyes still trained on the child beside her, ¡°if you promise to use your powers¡± she whispers that part, and Jo giggles eagerly, ¡°in case of an emergency. And not on civilians like Danny Kaplan, because he would actually wet himself from the sheer force of your awesomeness.¡± ¡°Dennis Kaplan.¡± She giggles again. ¡°So, what do you say, are we in agreement?¡± She leans in towards Jo. ¡°Yea!¡± She exclaims. Akio rolls his eyes and relaxes back into the seats. A glance at the car seat at the far end shows Ginger studiously asleep. ¡°Now in order for this agreement to be binding, we do need to set some ground rules.¡± Alex says, and Jo nods solemnly, eyes wide in rapt attention. ¡°Rule number 1¡± Alex lists ¡°You do not talk about Fight Club ¡­¡± Chapter 13 ¡°Alex!¡± Akio thunders from somewhere downstairs, jolting Alex from her doze. Deciphering the voice for a split second, she realizes it was in fact his ''I''m in dire need of help'' tone and bolts out of her room, descending the steps three at a time. She rounds into the Living room, poised for a fight, halting instead when she sees; ¡°Viktor?¡± The man is a funny sight, cowering at the far end of the wall in a three piece suit, hands raised up high in surrender. Akio stood in front of him, fists alight with energy and ready to blast. ¡°Please tell your brother, I''m here peacefully.¡± Viktor implores. ¡°You know this clown?¡± Akio asks, eyes not wavering from his target. ¡°I actually do.¡± Alex says, lowering her hackles. ¡°His brother shot you.¡± Viktor''s raised hands slump to massage the side of his head in silent vexation, while Akio suddenly looks positively murderous. All in all, it was shaping up to be a rather entertaining day. Alex glances from Akio--seated on the farthest end of the couch she''s on, back rigid and face set in stony anger-- to Viktor--seated across from them in a tiny chair that cannot at all be comfortable, and wishing with everything that he were anywhere else but here--with an amused smile in place. Her annoyance at being woken up abruptly long since disappeared. The atmosphere is getting too frosty for her liking, so she breaks the silence. ¡°Take your time.¡± She addresses them both, ¡°You only woke me up from sleep. Something I''m hardly able to do.¡± she finishes, crosses her legs. Viktor exhales audibly. ¡°I thought to check up on you, seeing as the last time we saw each other you were defying the laws of ¡­ everything.¡± She shrugs, ¡°Tiny bout of nausea that passed soon after. Nothing more.¡± Akio''s head whips to face her, ¡°That was him? Are you kidding me? You were with him?¡± The volume of his voice is increasing with every question. ¡°In my defense, his coven member tried to kill us, and I had to go find out--¡± ¡°What?¡± Akio''s voice is dangerously low now, Viktor shrinking in on himself, and Alex tries to backtrack in search of what exactly-- Oh. Oh dear. ¡°He was not trying to kill me that time.¡± Alex placates, and Akio''s eyes are seconds away from causing something to combust. She cringes. ¡°The coven member was simply following outdated orders.¡± Words were hard. Empathy it seemed was even worse. Anytime she opened her mouth, she seemed to dig a deeper pit for Viktor. Why she was concerned for Viktor, she couldn''t say. Perhaps the concern was instead for Akio. Yea, definitely Akio. She would try her very best to preserve his untainted--fine, semi-untainted, which was still leagues better than hers--soul. Which apparently involved standing between some poor idiot and an energy blast that would probably have vaporized said idiot, if the state of her now smoking face and shirt are to be believed. She winces a bit, as the skin on the side of her face dutifully stitches back together. Charred flesh transforming into third degree burns; third degree burns healing into unblemished skin at the speed of light. Viktor stares mouth agape, while Akio looks to be gearing up for round two. ¡°Okay, time out.¡± She declares as soon as her her sinews have reformed, and her jaw can properly clamp shut once again. She points a finger at Viktor, ordering him to sit still, before marching a still seething Akio upstairs, by the shoulders. The click of her room door closing shut seems to snap Akio out of whatever trance he slipped into. Because he''s reaching for the door knob, once again. ¡°Akio, if you touch that door, I will suspend you from the ceiling by your pant zipper.¡± Alex warns. And how did she even know? Her head is buried deep inside her closet, rifling for a new shirt. ¡°I''m sorry, what are you in love with the guy? Because that would explain the stupid stunt you pulled downstairs.¡± Akio slashes, intending to fully offend. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Don''t be exhausting.¡± It doesn''t sound like it worked, though her head is still in the closet. ¡°It was for your own good.¡° ¡°My good?¡± he spits. And she finally emerges from the closet victorious, with a shirt. ¡°Yes. Since when do you vaporize first and ask questions later?¡± She inspects the shirt in the light. ¡°Usually you tend to analyze, and understand, and whatever other pacifist crap I swear you mostly make up on the spot.¡± She steps into the adjoining bathroom, making sure the door doesn''t shut all the way. ¡°I don''t know. Must have been after I died from a botched mugging!¡± he snarls. The bathroom door swings open, and out steps Alex, face soot free and sporting a new shirt. She squints at him, before crossing her arms. ¡°I''m just asking you to think for a moment. He''s seated in our living room right now, and you are attempting to kill him. Do you not find it odd?¡± she asks. ¡°Alex, I don''t have time for riddles right now.¡± ¡°In an ideal world, he''d already be dead. Long ago, the first time he stepped foot in this house--¡± ¡°He''s been here before?!¡± Akio asks incredulously. What the fuck else was he missing?! ¡°He gave me the spell I used to bring you back.¡± she says. Akio works his jaw. ¡°Only because his brother killed me in the first place.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± she concedes, ¡°So, why did he bother to rectify the problem? He didn''t do it, it wasn''t his blunder, he might as well have let his brother face the consequences.¡± Alex asks. Akio watches her, and she watches him in turn, if she was waiting for an answer from him-- ¡°I don''t know.¡± he sighs, ¡°Why did he do it?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Alex says, eyebrows knitting together. ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°Clearly he hates the boy, with a burning passion.¡± Alex recollects, ¡°Why go through this amount of trouble for someone you absolutely despise?¡± Akio scrubs a hand down his face. ¡°Because they''re still brothers at the end of the day?¡± he tries. Alex''s eyes gleam. ¡°That ¡­¡± she starts, ¡°is utter horse crap. Have you never read the story of Cain and Abel?¡± She shakes her head in utter disappointment, before opening the door and striding out. Leaving Akio more confused than angry. When he gathers his composure and gets downstairs a couple of minutes later, Viktor has a cup in his hand. Alex looking particularly smug for reasons unknown. ¡°I made him soothing tea.¡± she says with an air of competence. ¡°Poor thing was on the verge of passing out when I got back downstairs. Had to rectify the problem.¡± ¡°Watching you reconstruct your face ligament by ligament will do that to a person.¡± Akio says, taking his seat by Alex. ¡°I-I thought¡± Viktor stutters. ¡°I''ve heard stories, but I never quite understood ¡­¡± He stops, makes the decision to sip on his tea. Akio stares with an unimpressed air, while Alex wracks her brain for a non-irritating Akioesque way of solving the issue on ground. ¡°A trade. You love bartering.¡± she addresses Viktor, and he nods like a spooked child. ¡°You ask whatever it is you want to know about me, and I''ll answer sincerely.¡± Viktor nods quickly, opening his mouth to fire. ¡°Ah, ah, ah. If you answer my question first.¡± she finishes. Viktor pauses, seems to will some small level of professionalism into himself, then sets down the teacup. ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Alright. Why exactly can''t you let your brother die?¡± Alex asks, straightforward, mail on the head, the Alex way. Viktor sighs. Akio watches the gears turn in his head, clocks about three different times when the man considers lying, eventually deciding on the truth with a pained cringe. Suddenly he takes off his jacket, and starts unbuttoning his shirt. ¡°What is happening?¡± Akio can''t stop himself from asking. ¡°If you''re hot, you could have said some ¡­ thing.¡± The words die in Alex''s mouth the moment the gnarly scar is exposed. Even Akio can''t help but lean in to inspect. Shockingly, it looks like ¡­ ¡°A binding spell.¡± Akio says, everything adding up neatly in his head. ¡°That''s why you stole the Tome.¡± Alex turns to look at him, Viktor makes a sound in his throat. ¡°Ironically, even the oldest Warlocks in my Coven can''t seem to translate the texts.¡± Viktor muses in defeat. ¡°That''s because it''s not yours.¡± Akio scolds. ¡°Only members of my bloodline are able to access the secrets of that book. Do you have any members of my bloodline in your coven?¡± he adds sarcastically. ¡°That would have been a helpful piece of information to know before the attempt to steal the book.¡± Viktor shrugs his shirt back on and reaches for his tea. ¡°I know, it''s almost like stealing is wrong or something.¡± Akio retorts. ¡°Be honest, if I had walked up to you and asked for your help, would you have entertained me?¡± Viktor asks in irritation. And where did he get off being irritated? ¡°I do know killing me worsened your chances.¡± ¡°That''s quite enough of that.¡± Alex interjects. And the room is plunged into silence. She grabs Akio''s wrist, peering at his watch for a moment. ¡°Chris will be back soon with the kids, and I''d rather they don''t meet you here.¡± she gestures to Viktor. ¡°My questions--¡± ¡°You will ask, and I will answer. I gave you my word, rest assured I will deliver.¡± she says, then turns to Akio, ¡°You on the other hand have to decide whether you want to help him or not.¡± ¡°Help him? Have you lost your mind?¡± ¡°Or don''t help him. I don''t care.¡± Alex shrugs and stands, and Viktor looks chagrined. ¡°I owe him an answer, and he owes me a witch. Once our transactions are over, my hands are clean of this mess.¡± She mimes washing her hands for effect. ¡°You owe me a favor.¡± Viktor says rising to his feet. ¡°I do.¡± Alex agrees, crossing her hands behind her back. ¡°Is this honestly what you want to cash it in on?¡± she angles her head at Akio. ¡°Again, I do not care. You say the word, and I''ll spend the rest of the day, or week if I have to, wearing Akio down into helping you.¡± she continues, ¡°But he is right here.¡± Viktor stands considering for a second, Akio the only person in the room still seated, Alex swaying diabolically on the balls of her feet, waiting for a decision. Viktor perks up suddenly, bending to whip out a pen and tiny notepad from his Jacket. He scribbles something down and slides it across the--brand new--table to Akio, who peers down at it. ¡°Meet me at this location at 6 pm, tomorrow.¡± he says, and Akio laughs. ¡°You must be deluded, if you think I''m inclined to do anything for you.¡± ¡°My brother will be there.¡± Viktor says, and Akio''s eyes darken. Chapter 14 A sleek, black Porsche pulls to a halt opposite an apartment complex. Akio looks out at it through the car window, shuddering internally at how creepy it looks. The neighborhood as a matter of fact reminded him of some of his more impoverished years, once before Alex and the other during their huge fight. Speaking of Alex, he turns to eye her in the passenger seat, but she is too busy talking up a goddamn storm. He leans over to grab a duffle bag from the backseat, racking his brain for information on when Alex became a chatterbox. Must have been sometime during his passing, he thinks and can''t stop the full body shudder that wrecks through him at the thought of his death. Alex finally registers the shudder turning to him, and that is his cue to exit the car. ¡°Cold?¡± She asks with controlled neutrality, slamming her door shut, and falling into step beside him as they enter the building. ¡°I still don''t understand why you''re here.¡± is his very unrelated reply. Alex quirks an eyebrow at it. ¡°I''m here to see Viktor.¡± She says, gesturing to the stairs in the corner when the elevator unsurprisingly turns out to be broken. Translation: ''I''m here to keep an eye on you''. Because Viktor never asked for her. ¡°He didn''t ask for you.¡± ¡°I''m here anyway.¡± She shrugs. Akio wrenches open the door to 4c, forgoing all acts of decency. They did kill him after all. Viktor is stood by a decrepit table. Looking superbly out of place in the dingy house. Now Akio would rather rip his heart out than admit this to anyone, but the man did possess an elegance that indicated his status. Tailored suits that probably cost more than some people earned in a year, the perfect posture of someone who was bred in preparation for his position of extreme importance, just all round distinction. Something Akio had nearly forgotten about, being around Alex and Chris, two of the most lackluster people he had the pleasure of living with. Which brought him to the lackluster boy sat fidgeting on the dusty couch. Akio lets his gaze slide down the entirety of the child who is dressed in--in delicate terms--an outfit similar to a hobo''s. The man is in torn jeans--and Akio refuses to refer to them as ''ripped'' because this was no such thing--his dirty blonde hair peeking out from under a tattered beanie. If this was the brother who shot him, then maybe it served him right. ¡°Alex,¡± Viktor perks up as they enter. ¡°I didn''t realize you would be joining us.¡± The brother flies up from his seat at their arrival, looks around for a moment without meeting their eyes, before settling on wringing his fingers together. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Viktor takes this with the grace of one who has been dealing with situations like these a significant portion of his life. ¡°My brother, Erik.¡± he gestures. Alex takes a very brief glance at Erik, before her eyes flit back to Viktor. ¡°Akio insisted.¡± She conversation leapfrogs, and it takes Viktor a moment to recall their former conversation. ¡°Did he?¡± he asks, eyes landing on Akio. ¡°You forced your way into the car.¡± Akio says in response. Alex smiles and waves a dismissive hand about. ¡°Semantics.¡± There is an awkward silence after that. One where Erik starts to say something multiple times before deciding against it, guilt strewn all over a face that Akio might have considered attractive if not for the circumstances involved. His guilt had been eating him up then. Good. ¡°So, do we start?¡± Akio shatters the uncomfortable air. Viktor looks grateful for the fact, ¡°Where do you want me?¡± He asks, divesting himself of his jacket, before proceeding quickly to the shirt buttons. Akio eyes the two wooden chairs, tucked in under the table and gestures for Viktor to station himself on one. ¡°You too.¡± he says to Erik, without even bothering to look at him. Erik jolts out of some daydream, ¡°Look, I just want to say --¡± he starts, and Akio would level this building to the foundations if one more person apologized to him. ¡°Save it.¡± Alex cuts the boy short. She must have interpreted the twitch in his eyes. Akio gestures to the other seat beside Viktor, and Erik takes it obediently, after tugging off his sweatshirt. Ugh. Now that the conduit was nearby, Akio could see the scars on both men''s shoulders pulsing a bright red. Alex rears back in alarm at the sight. ¡°Whoever did this was a pro.¡± he says. Credit where credit is due. ¡°My mother.¡± Viktor spits. ¡°I''ve never had one of those before, but I''m certain this,¡± Alex wiggles a finger between the brothers, ¡°isn''t standard.¡° ¡°It was a way to ensure Erik didn''t perish.¡± Viktor turns his head to his brother-- the source of all his problems. Akio unzips the duffle, busying himself with retrieving several containers of things, having been prepared for the occasion. ¡°He''s sick?¡° Alex asks. ¡°No. He''s a 29 year old trouble magnet and ungifted.¡± Alex narrows her eyes. ¡°Don''t get me wrong, I have no problem with him being ¡­ regular. I do however, have some concerns about sharing my life with someone as reckless as him.¡± Viktor says. The snap of a latex glove causing everyone to jerk. ¡°Mm.¡± Akio intones as he slips on the other hand of the surgical glove. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± he finishes with a pointed look at Alex, who rolls her eyes. ¡°One, we do not share a life force.¡± she says, ¡°And two, is it really recklessness when you can''t die?¡± ¡°Funny thing to say seeing as you have managed to infact die, more times than I care to remember.¡± Akio remarks, before retrieving two syringes full of God knows what. ¡°And yet, here I still am.¡± Alex says, finishing with a little bow. ¡°I''m sorry, what is that for?¡± Viktor interrupts, eyes glued to the syringes, he misses Alex''s murderous glare. ¡°Propofol.¡± Akio says, brandishing the syringe like a weapon. And frankly, why wouldn''t the man look wary? ¡°What we''re about to do will hurt like hell.¡± he concludes. ¡°I''d rather have my wits about me, if you don''t mind.¡± Viktor says, arms outstretched in a placating gesture. ¡°I''ll take the shot.¡± Erik pipes up from somewhere, shrinking in on himself, when all eyes land on him. ¡°Please.¡± he adds sheepishly. Akio obliges. And if he jabs the needle into him with more force than necessary, no one says anything. Erik lolls unconscious almost immediately. Chapter 15 Alex cringes at the long line of spittle connecting from Erik''s open mouth to his bare torso. Akio had tied him firmly to the seat, insisting it was for his own good, not that she even remotely gave a shit. Victor had gotten the one hand with the sigil carved on tied to the armrest, the other hand unrestrained. The whole thing was looking a bit too ''torture chamber'' for Alex''s comfort. The fowl smell of the green paste Akio was currently coating the scars in, not doing the smell of the flat any good. ¡°There''s grounded cow testicles in it, of course it smells horrible.¡± Akio had said, when she pointed out the odor. The explanation, her current reason for standing back as far as possible from the scene in front of her. Viktor winces at the feel of the paste on his skin, eyes scrunching shut in pain. Perhaps a distraction is in order. ¡°So, exactly how old are you?¡± Alex asks. Viktor''s eyes fly open in question at her. Alex shoots him an eyebrow that she hopes says ''who else would I be talking to?'' ¡°208.¡± he replies, and Akio snorts. ¡°What?¡± Akio says in response to the twin looks he receives. ¡°He''s practically a baby.¡± He reseals the container housing the smelling paste and returns it to its position meticulously. ¡°How are you a warlock and he''s ¡­ 29?¡± Alex asks, gesturing to Erik. ¡°My mother had a phase in the 90s.¡± Viktor replies, short and sweet. Alex can''t help but huff an amused breath. ¡°And you? How old are you?¡± he adds in response to the look Alex is giving him. ¡°Well, the official age is 2,512.¡± she says, crossing her arms. ¡°Official?¡± Viktor can''t help but parrot, perturbed. ¡°Mm-hm. On account of no one knowing when or where exactly I was born.¡± ¡°Come on. You can''t have fallen from the sky.¡± he jeers, and Akio halts. Viktor''s eyes move from Akio to settle on Alex who looks preoccupied with her fingernails all of a sudden. His heart starts beating frantically. ¡°Did you fall from the sky?¡± ¡°Into the laps of Alexander the Great himself.¡± Alex says. ¡°Alexandria.¡± Viktor emphasizes, some bit of information slotting in place for him. He recoils as Akio drops another mixture on his shoulder, this one--by some small mercy--odorless. ¡°And you''ve just, been around since then?¡± Viktor asks, and Alex shrugs in response, watching Akio repeat the exact same process on Erik''s shoulder. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°I didn''t particularly have a choice.¡± she says finally. ¡°As Akio pointed out earlier, and from the impromptu demonstration yesterday, I can''t actually die.¡± ¡°Which makes you not human?¡± ¡°Debates have been held on the issue.¡± Alex sniffs, ¡°However a conclusion was reached during theunearthly fiasco that rocked the world a couple of years ago.¡± ¡°That was you?¡± Viktor''s eyebrows tangle in his hairline. ¡°Again, not officially it wasn''t.¡± Alex shoots him a wink. ¡°What about magic?¡± Alex wrinkles her nose. ¡°Do you possess the ability?¡± ¡°I try to avoid magic however much I can.¡± She says with the conviction of a thousand years. ¡°Other than the spell you gave me for ...¡± vague hand gesture, ¡°I eschew the art. Too many terrible experiences.¡± she adds Viktor stares intrigued, eyes trained on something beyond Alex, and the apartment around them. He looks to be restructuring his entire mindset, adding and subtracting varying levels of information. ¡°Alright then.¡± Akio stands, cracking his neck in preparation for the task at hand. He does a quick breathing exercise, stretching his arms and rolling his wrists to ensure fluidity. What even was this spell? ¡°No matter what happens, please do not stop.¡± Viktor says, eyes pleading with Akio. Akio observes him with a blank look. ¡°I don''t intend to.¡± And his hands glow purple. Viktor is laid out on the dingy couch, Erik on the floor beside him. A part of Alex weeps for the former pristine white shirt--now sullied with blood, sweat and grime--that is rolled up as a makeshift pillow under Erik''s head. She watches Akio pack up his things in the duffle, legs crossed in the lotus position on her perch on the table. Things had gotten a bit touch and go, for a moment there, with Viktor nearly dying halfway through, but Akio had done it, the mark was gone. It also stands to mention how apathetic and detached Akio looked when it seemed like Viktor might pass, very nearly forgoing a resuscitation. On one hand there was the argument that, these people had killed Akio, he didn''t owe them a shred of kindness. But on the other hand, the Hippocratic oath and impeccable morals loomed over Akio. Matter of fact Akio had been making some questionable moral decisions ever since he learned about Viktor, and Alex truly wanted to believe it was due to the fact that they were responsible for his death. She was going to need more time to properly study the problem, and devise a solution. ¡°We done?¡± She shakes herself out of her reverie, stretching her arms over her head. The table creaks dangerously. Akio eyes the table. ¡°You will fall if you don''t get down from there.¡± ¡°Make me.¡± Alex responds, but gets down anyway. ¡°Viktor still owes me a witch.¡± she says. ¡°What witch?¡± ¡°The one that attacked us a couple of weeks ago.¡± Alex stalks over to Erik on the ground, and nudges him with her foot, he shifts. ¡°Do you think I should kill him now, or wait till he gets better?¡° The coldness with which Akio asks the question causes Alex to whip towards him, noticing the same frigidity in his eyes. Okay maybe this was a problem. ¡°Not to take sides but, you know it was an accident.¡± she starts cautiously. Akio laughs, a humorless thing. ¡°You cannot be trying to dissuade me, not when you''re about to skin a person for crossing you, as well.¡± ¡°No, no. Hers was a conscious decision.¡± Alex points a finger at him. ¡°She set out to kill me, the buffoon however wanted a book.¡± ¡°I don''t give a shit, what was or wasn''t supposed to happen, something did happen and someone is going to pay.¡± Akio seethes, zipping up his bag, with a forceful tug. ¡°Fine. We''ll compromise I won''t kill the witch.¡± ¡°That''s your business Alex, not mine.¡± He slings the bag over his shoulder and walks out. Choosing to let him recover first, it seems. Alex hurries after him. That solution was going to be needed fast. A short yawn reminds her of her need to lie down and close her eyes for a while. Watching warlocks do their thing was exhausting as hell. ¡°We can discuss this later. Right now, I need a giant latte.¡± she declares sliding into the car. Akio starts to scowl at her but thinks better of it, resignedly starting the ignition. Chapter 16 Erik is shoved to his knees forcefully with a grunt. He looks up, eyes wide in plea at his brother, coincidentally the same person who manhandled him. He looks like he''s been crying, dried tear tracks on his face and clothes disheveled, like he was quite literally dragged down here. The dank of the warehouse is irritating to Akio''s nose, he tries not to pay it much mind, he didn''t plan to be here for too long. ¡°As promised.¡± Viktor gestures to his frazzled brother. Akio hums in response, hands unsheathing a spectacular bayonet knife from behind him. He could have shot the kid, spared him the slow demise, a part of him that he shoves back down thinks. But he wanted to savor it, wanted the boy to ponder on the errors of his ways as his life slowly bled out. Erik stares at him, and whatever he sees makes him sob. ¡°Please.¡± He turns teary eyes to his brother, ¡°Viktor I swear, I''ll go straight, I''ve learned my lesson.¡± He clasps his hands together, begging. Viktor looks like he wants to say something to Akio, perhaps appeal to him for mercy. Instead his eyebrows furrow in thought. The weight of his word¡ª his promise, against his brother''s tears. Akio grasps the sobbing boy by the hair, exposing his neck. He twirls the knife in show-and wasn''t he just a right asshole for that--before angling the knife at his jugular. The pitter patter of what sound like small feet, causes him to wrench the knife from his prey''s neck and tuck it behind his shirt. Just in time for Jo to round the corner and barrel towards him in delight. What the actual fuck? He catches her in a hug, just as Alex emerges the corner herself, Ginger in her arms. Akio''s eyes narrow when she sets Ginger down, encouraging her to toddle to him. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± he asks Jo, because if he looked at Alex, he didn''t know if he could stop himself from hurling the knife at her. ¡°We were headed out to get something important,¡± she turns to Alex who nods a job well done, before continuing. ¡°when we saw your car.¡± Akio grits his teeth. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yep, Alex said it would be rude not to stop and say hello.¡± Akio finally turns to Alex. ¡°Etiquette and all that nonsense you insist on.¡± she waves a dismissive hand. He bypasses the children by his feet and stalks towards Alex, a glance at the other people show that Erik is no longer on his knees, he seethes. ¡°Alex, I don''t have time for this, get them out of here.¡± Alex ignores him for Jo. ¡°This is my friend Viktor and his brother Erik.¡± she introduces. And Jo stretches out a tiny hand. ¡°Hi, I''m Josephine!¡± Viktor to his credit looks confused as he accepts the handshake. ¡°Hello Josephine. It is very wonderful to meet you.¡± ¡°The shy one over there is Giselle.¡± Alex angles a thumb at the little girl behind her clutching on Akio''s leg for dear life. ¡°We call her Ginger, cause her hair used to be really red when she was littler.¡± Jo adds helpfully. ¡°Now that we''ve all introduced ourselves,¡± Akio coerces Ginger to tug instead on Alex''s leg, ¡°why don''t you and Ginger go wait in the car, and I''ll be right out?¡± he smiles an empty thing at Jo. ¡°I was thinking ... Ice cream.¡± Alex interrupts. Again. ¡°For everyone, Viktor and Erik included.¡± ¡°Can we? Please Akio, I haven''t had any all week?¡± Jo clasps her hands together in plea. Kind of like Erik a couple of minutes ago. Akio is snarling now. ¡°We''ll definitely get some Ice Cream once I''m done, and they''re on their way.¡± he gestures to the brothers. ¡°Viktor and Erik look like they need some sugar as well.¡± Alex says, and Akio whirls to face her. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°They''re lactose intolerant.¡± ¡°Vegan Ice Cream is a thing.¡± ¡°Alex, I''m not playing, get out.¡± They were in a proper stand off now, no muted barbs, or manipulative words. Just pure undiluted anger. From Akio at least. ¡°Or what?¡± Alex says, her effortless calm flaring Akio''s fire. ¡°Alex.¡± Josephine''s scared voice breaches the tension. ¡°Can we go now?¡± Alex glances at Akio, his eyes are still burning. Matter of fact he doesn''t seem to have registered the child''s appeal. ¡°Viktor, do you mind taking them to the car?¡± She tosses Viktor her keys. ¡°I''ll be out in a minute.¡± He obliges, and quickly shepherds the children out of the warehouse, pacifying them with soft assurances. Alex''s eyes snap to Erik, who is full on shivering at the moment, looking like he was a hair''s breath from bolting. ¡°Go.¡± She instructs. And he does bolt. Akio starting to follow when Alex grabs him by the arm. ¡°Let go of me.¡± he grits. ¡°You''re not well, Akio. If you would calm down for one second--¡± ¡°You tell me to calm down again, and I will put this knife through your eye.¡± Akio wrenches his arm from her grasp. ¡°Let''s see how long it takes you to regenerate that.¡± The last thing Alex wanted was to fight Akio. She could heal instantly, he healed faster than others did, but not fast enough for it to not be a problem. However the dark look in his eyes was promising that a beat down was going to be inevitable. Well, she was nothing if not adaptable. He shoulders past her towards the exit, not getting far before Alex wrenches him back by his shirt collar, which apparently is the last straw for him. ¡°Are they going to be out soon?¡± Josephine asks, worry evident in her eyes. Viktor hadn''t conversed with a child in 29 years, how did one put this delicately? ¡°Your siblings are having an adult talk. They''ll be out in a little while.¡± he finally settles on. Though the state either would be in after said ''talk'' he couldn''t say. ¡°Akio looked really mad.¡± the child says, fiddling with the buckle on the baby''s car seat. She had been the one to strap her sister in, with Viktor not understanding the mechanics of the contraption. ¡°Yes, that''s what they''re talking about.¡± he replies and hope she doesn''t pepper him with more difficult questions. She doesn''t. Alex wrenches out the knife buried in her chest with a grunt. She fingers the hole in her jacket with an annoyed frown at Akio, who is wiping blood from his nose in his corner. ¡°Let me guess,¡± he says, looking absolutely maniacal with a bloody shirt and crazed look in his eyes. ¡°It was your favorite jacket.¡± he mocks. ¡°No, you gave me this for my birthday, you monumental twat!¡± she responds. His fists light up, ¡°Wonder what I was thinking.¡± ¡°Don''t you dare--¡± The blast smacks her into the wall head first, and she barely has a moment to regain her footing, before she''s being hit with what feels like 500 million volts of lightning. She screams in pain, pressure causing her eardrums to push inwards and temporarily lose her hearing. She slides to the ground in a tired heap, heaving in slowly abating pain as her body repairs itself. Her ears pop open in time to hear the tail end of Akio''s ¡­ monologuing? ¡°-- you do it, but when I do it, all of a sudden it''s wrong!¡± he seems to be whining. And this exact situation should go on the list of things that Alex does not care for. ¡°Akio, don''t make me hit you.¡± Alex tries again, picking herself from the ground. Akio merely snorts in response, and suddenly he''s chanting, eyes rolling to the back of his head. Okay, since when did he do that! The building is vibrating now, pillars groaning at the disturbance to their stagnant sentry, and Alex can barely stand steady. ¡°Oh Lord. Akio!¡± she growls. And he is levitating now, exactly like the witch that broke into their home that one time. The air in the building picks up a tornado like quality, the beginnings of an air funnel starting to form. Alex marches towards the dilapidated tractor in the corner and casts it at her brother. Barely summoning the strength to halt it to a still hover, when the air funnel rebounds it back towards her. Akio has levitated so high, Alex has to crane her head to look up at him now. He looks just about ready to tear through the ceiling and unleash his fury on the world outside. Where Jo and Ginger sat waiting. She clenches her fist and crumbles the still hovering tractor into a massive ball, noting the rapid speed at which Akio is chanting now. And with a clap of her hands sends the thing hurling--this time too fast to stop--at Akio. It whacks him square in the face, and sends him flying. But not before an uncontrolled blast of energy escapes him, smashing every window in the place before leveling the building. Viktor feels the energy before he sees it coming. Josephine had been restless since the building started to shake. Some very outrageous explanations he had pulled from thin air, the only thing that had kept the child from bolting after her siblings. The pulsating force coming their way felt different, angry, tainted. That was never the prelude to a good story. ¡°Look!¡± Josephine screeches, finger trailed on the blue-black ripple that was pulsating rapidly towards them. ¡°Sit still.¡± He instructs, ensuring she is seated back down before he exits the car. He barely conjures the shield in time, before the ripple sends him barrelling into the vehicle. The force of the expulsion shattering the windows of the car. The building in front of them crumbling violently. When he finally gets his hearing back he can hear wailing. Struggling to his feet, he peers into the vehicle to ensure the children''s safety, and breathes a sigh of relief. Giselle is wailing, eyes scrunched painfully shut, mucus leaking down her nose. Josephine looks to be trying her very best to pacify her, however the look on her face shows that she''s not fat off from joining her sister. They''re both alright. Shaken, but physically fine. He quickly pries open the car door, and cradles a still crying Giselle to his chest. Josephine clings to him like he''s her last hope. She looks up at him with wide eyes, tears threatening to spill and asks, ¡°Are Alex and Akio alright?¡± Chapter 17 Alex''s eyes blink open to a white ceiling. She feels hands on her body, turning to her side to actually confirm the fact that people were touching her. She reaches for the oxygen mask on her face and someone slaps her hand away. Honestly! She bats at the hand and finally pulls the thing off her face, breathing in fresh air. Her attempt to sit up is thwarted with more severity than the oxygen mask fiasco, and it''s then she notices the piece of rebar sticking out her chest. ¡°--still, there''s a rod through your heart.¡± she slips back from her subconscious just as the black paramedic is saying. Paramedic. Ambulance. Hospital. Oh, she couldn''t have that. Alex raises to a seating position and yanks the rod out so quickly, her eyes swim. She groans loud and long in pain, feeling the hole in her chest knit back together. Shaking sanity back into her head afterwards only to realize the two women in the van with her are each pressed into different corners of the ambulance wall away from her, mouths slacked in twin gapes. ¡°Wrong side.¡± she informs them of the location of her heart. And if they don''t understand what she''s referring to, that''s their concern. Next order of business, Kids then Akio. Phone. ¡°Where''s my phone?¡± she asks. Repeating the question a bit louder, when she doesn''t get a response immediately. ¡°Th-there wasn''t any wh-when we found you.¡± the other nurse speaks for the first time. ¡°Was I the only one pulled out?¡± Alex asks again, this time dreading the answer. ¡°No. Male, early 20s, he had to go in the other van.¡± the black paramedic answers. Akio headed to the hospital wouldn''t be as scandalous as her headed there. She could detour, check on the kids, grab Chris and then head over to the hospital to see Akio. Crisis averted. She lifts off the little bed, inching towards the van door. ¡°Where are you going?¡± one of them asks, still pressed into her corner like a frightened rodent. ¡°Checking out. I think I feel much better now.¡± with a wink at them, she tumbles out the van, landing gracefully on the ground, before rolling to a crouch. She stands to watch the van drive away, the early evening breeze a welcome feeling, before turning on her heels and heading towards her home. Chris curses softly as he swipes his car keys off the kitchen table. He''d like to curse up a storm, perhaps relieve himself of some of the frustration threatening to spill, but the kids are right there. A sleeping Ginger clung tightly to Novik''s throat, and a frantic Jo who refuses to do anything at all until she sees Alex and Akio. ¡°What hospital were they taken to exactly?¡± he asks Viktor. He shrugs, ¡°I just called 911, and left with the children.¡± Chris wants to retort with something particularly scathing, but decides against it. The man had watched over the children and called an ambulance, he was already leagues beyond the regular Good Samaritan. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. He instead struggles his phone from out his jeans pocket. He''d make a call to people who could find out, and then things would be back on track. He''s just about to dial the number when the front door swings open and a dusty Alex stalks in. Jo bless heart, rushes over to engulf her in a hug that is returned halfheartedly. Alex shooting Jo a small smile before starting up the stairs. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he can''t help but ask. ¡°Satisfactory. Clothes are a mess though.¡± she throws over her shoulder before disappearing upstairs, the slam of a door signalling the end of the conversation. Chris chances a look at Viktor, who looks completely out of his element, and a small need to put an end to the man''s confusion, arises in him. ¡°Believe it or not, this is a regular Tuesday in the Jordan household.¡± he says, smiling at the gawking look Viktor turns on him. Now he had a call to make. The ride to the hospital is mostly silent, with some terse explanations thrown in here and there. Akio had been acting weird, Alex had tried to ''talk'' to Akio, Akio had collapsed the warehouse on the both of them. They had taken an SUV this time--Viktor in the passenger seat, Alex snuggled between the kids in the back and Chris at the wheel--That way if Akio would be coming back home with them tonight, it wouldn''t be much of an issue. Chris lets out a silent prayer in thanks as soon as they pull up to the hospital. If he had to hear another sigh from Viktor again, he was going to puncture his own eardrums with a pen. Alex gets out before he can finish parking, Jo slipping her tiny hands into Alex''s to ensure she isn''t left behind. They catch up to them after Viktor grabs Ginger--the sudden attachment was throwing Chris for a loop--the sliding hospital doors opening dutifully for them. Alex halts in her step as soon as she clocks the receptionist, eyes drifting shut in what is either regret or constipation. Chris was going with regret. The receptionist takes Alex in much more cheerfully than her counterpart, a small smile flitting onto her face as she sizes Alex up fondly. ¡°As I live and breathe. If it isn''t the Alien General!¡± she says. In some sort of funny greeting. Alex covers the remaining distance to the front desk. ¡°I''m not a General.¡± she replies. The receptionist quirks a brow. ¡°But you are an alien.¡± Chris stares Alex down pointedly, eyes flicking to and fro in question. Who the hell was this lady, and why was she in on their business?! Alex sighs in exhaustion. ¡°Is this really the place to discuss this?¡± ¡°I''d suggest over coffee, but I wouldn''t want you to disappear for another 5 years.¡± the receptionist remarks, and Alex''s exhaustion gives way to remorse. ¡°I had to go away for a little while.¡± she says, fingers drumming on the desk. ¡°I am sorry I didn''t reach out when I returned.¡± she finishes. The receptionist studies her for a moment before returning to her computer. ¡°Jordan, yes?¡± Alex nods. ¡°No gum this time?¡± she asks. And the receptionist laughs. ¡°They were nicotine. I was trying to quit.¡± ¡°Did you?¡± ¡°I actually did.¡± she lets her eyes dart to Jo beside Alex and the dozing child on Viktor''s shoulder. ¡°Husband, kids?¡± she inquires. Alex shudders at the query. ¡°Not Applicable.¡± she responds, the receptionist laughs again. ¡°402. You''re upstairs this time.¡± she says with a smile. Akio heaves a sigh of relief as his family troop into the room, Jo scrambling to join him on the bed, Ginger with Alex. Chris grabs his chin to inspect his bruises, frowning as he focuses specifically on his reset nose and the stitches across his forehead. The black eye had cleared up, most of his other injuries superficial. ¡°Are you still feeling murderous?¡± he asks, and Akio can''t help but let his gaze shift to Alex at the question. She was stood sentry by the door, mouth and eyebrows a straight line, with Ginger in her arms. ¡°My head is clear now, thank you very much.¡± he replies Chris, who relaxes. ¡°Are you coming home with us?¡± Jo asks from beside him, pushing through the yawn threatening to over take her. Akio pushes the button by his bed. ¡°Let''s see if we can''t talk the doctor into a quick discharge.¡± He says. Viktor sat out in the waiting area, piece of paper clutched tight in his hands. He''d made the decision to wait outside and not impede on a family moment. They had been through a lot and deserved-- whatever it was loving families did in their free time. He relaxes back in his seat when Alex drops into the chair beside him, eyes scanning and not seeing anyone else other than her, he asks. ¡°Shouldn''t you be celebrating?¡± Alex huffs out a breath. ¡°Bit hard to be celebrating with my current temper.¡± He makes an affirming noise in his throat, the paper in his hands crinkling when he shifts. Alex''s eyes dart to it, and she inclines her head in question. ¡°A letter.¡± he answers, ¡°From Erik. Seems I am finally rid of him after 29 years.¡± Alex studies him for a moment, noting the pensive look on his face, ¡°Shouldn''t you be celebrating?¡± she finally asks. Chapter 18 Things had been awkward. Chris ponders as he feeds Ginger the last spoon of oatmeal in her bowl. You could cut the tension in the house with a butter knife these last couple of weeks. Other than The Huge Fight?, Chris had never seen Alex and Akio this resentful towards each other. They had gotten into some pretty gnarly fights over the years--85% of them ending in bloodshed--but come dinnertime, they were right back in form, bouncing barbs and cheap shots off each other. Akio and Alex hadn''t consciously been in the same room together, at the same time since they had left the hospital. Viktor had probably foreseen how dire the situation would get, and opted for a hotel, instead of the numerous guest rooms they possessed. One exiting the room as soon as the other walked in, or even completely avoiding the room all together, if they were in there before hand. Speaking of exiting ¡­ ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t realize you were all here.¡± Alex says from the kitchen door. Akio''s head whips up from where he and Jo are mixing cookie batter from the kitchen sink, eyes set on a retreating Alex. ¡°I''ll come back later.¡± she concludes and prepares to hightail it out of the kitchen. ¡°Alex.¡± Chris calls. And she pivots a clean arch back to face him. Akio buries his head back in the cookie bowl. ¡°Yep?¡± she responds. And Chris has to rear back in shock. When had Miss ''Not British'' added such a pedestrian response to her repertoire? Unless she was nervous. It was common knowledge Alex didn''t know what to do with emotions that weren''t happiness or anger. ¡°Chris.¡± she jolts him from his trance, head inclined in question as soon as his eyes snap to hers. Operation: Bull in China Shop was going to have to make a comeback. ¡°How long is this going to continue?¡± he asks, a hand gesturing the space between Alex and Akio. He sees Akio clench his jaw from his peripheral, Alex instead choosing to cross her arms and narrow her eyes at him. ¡°The foundation is beginning to groan from all the tension in this damn house.¡± he finishes with a little tap on the ground with his foot. ¡°I could move out.¡± Alex says, and Akio drops something loudly in the sink, Jo scolding him before scrambling to rectify the blunder. Ginger hurls her spoon at Alex, the spoon stopping short from where she stands. ¡°Even Ginger can call your bluff.¡± he pats her on the head a job well done, and she babbles something in thanks. ¡°I don''t have time for this.¡± Alex responds and pivots on her heels again, Ginger''s plate hitting her at the back of her head causing her to violently whirl back. ¡°Ginger didn''t do it that time.¡± she growls at Chris, and she was infact entitled to her own opinion. ¡°You need to fix this.¡± he says instead. ¡°Why exactly are you bothering me instead of Akio?¡± she growls again. She was easier to talk to, what with her affinity for rudeness. It was much easier to drag actuality to attention when one didn''t have to spend time considering polite grammatical structure. ¡°Because you''re older.¡± he says instead. ¡°Real mature.¡± She turns to leave again, halted this time by the slam of the kitchen door. Apparently Akio had decided to join in the chat. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Open the door.¡± Alex grits out, back still towards them. ¡°It seems like you''ve got things to get off your chest,¡± Akio leans against the sink and crosses his ¡­ everything, ¡°now''s the time.¡± The metal sink groans in response and Akio quickly jerks away from it, the metal bowl that used to house the cookie batter rolling to the floor with a loud clatter. Chris chances a look around the kitchen, to see pots and cutlery trembling. It seemed their metalware was starting to rebel against them. Ginger whines a little in complaint. ¡°Alex!¡± Chris scolds, and the clattering immediately halts. Alex inhaling deeply to calm herself. ¡°I''m not going to do this with the children here.¡± she finally says. ¡°You didn''t seem to have a problem with it when they weren''t aimed at you.¡± Akio fires at her. ¡°You know, you''re right.¡± Alex whirls to face them, ¡°Of the events that took place that day, that is the only thing I absolutely regret. That and not ripping your ungrateful tongue from out your mouth.¡± Alex taunts, and Akio''s face crumbles in pain. ¡°Hey now--¡± Chris starts. ¡°I might not have been in the right headspace that day, but the sentiment still stands. You are by far the most selfish, egotistical prick I have ever known--¡± Akio says ¡°You''re calling me selfish? After everything, centuries together, you think I''m selfish?!¡± Alex snaps, and Jo slips gently to Chris side. ¡°That is exactly your biggest problem, Alex. The fact that you think you can demand acknowledgement for shit that any decent human being would give out for free.¡± Akio inches closer to Alex, ¡°I never begged you for anything, never asked for your help. I. Owe. You. Nothing!¡± he shoves her, and she smacks against the kitchen door. Perhaps this was a terrible idea, Chris realizes belatedly. Alex lunges forward with fire in her eyes, fist pulled back to deliver a punch. ¡°Stop!¡± Jo screams, and lightning crackles, striking Alex in the chest. She flies out the kitchen, splintering the--very expensive African blackwood--door. ¡°Jesus!¡± Chris grabs a wailing Ginger from the kitchen counter and bolts out to check on a currently unmoving Alex at the far end of the living room, while Akio rushes to calm a frightened Jo. Chris stops by Alex''s unconscious body, torn between pacifying Ginger and inspecting Alex. He settles on rocking Ginger in a bid to settle her. If all went well, Alex would pop back up in three ¡­ two ¡­ one ¡­ Alex raises back up with a gasp, a hand flying to the right side of her chest, over her heart. She blinks the brief death haze out of her eyes and turns wide eyes from Akio and Jo in the kitchen to Chris in question. ¡°Please tell me that was a malfunctioning blender.¡± she pleads. Viktor deliberates as a harried Chris opens the door. The man had sounded troubled on the phone, yet even that couldn''t have prepared him for the sight before him. Akio is pacing a hole into the floor, eyes lingering to Josephine whenever he passes her sleeping form on the sofa. Alex--he sees from a hole where parts of a kitchen door should be--is consuming copious amounts of some kind of spirit straight from the bottle. Was she capable of getting drunk? He''d have to ask sometime. ¡°I do hope you didn''t call me to help fix your door.¡± he quips. Alex and Akio''s heads snap to him, only just realizing his presence. Alex starts out the kitchen, while Akio hauls him forward by his shirt. ¡°The Tome, where is it?¡± he asks impatiently. Alex wrenches him away from Akio''s grasp once she''s at their side, she and Akio exchanging looks that could only be interpreted as malicious. With a flick of his wrist, the book lands with a thud, on the table by the sofa. Akio ducks to peruse it, Alex leading him away by the arm. ¡°That thing in the warehouse,¡± she starts, ¡°did it hit the kids?¡± Was she referring to the ripple? ¡°If you''re referring to the expulsion, I shielded them from it.¡± and by God he had. Alex rubs a hand down her face. ¡°You''re absolutely sure?¡± ¡°Alexandria what is going on?¡± he asks, his penchant for the bizarre reaching its very bountiful limit. Josephine starts to whimper in her sleep. Perhaps experiencing a nightmare, he determines, as a long time recipient himself. He isn''t however prepared for the fizzing of lightbulbs and electrical sparks that overwhelm the house. Akio abandons the book and rushes to the sleeping child, gently shushing her and easing her back into undisturbed sleep. The buzzing ceases as soon as he is successful. Chris strolls out with a glass of whatever Alex was necking in the kitchen. ¡°She shot Alex through the door with actual lightning from her fingers.¡± Chris says. ¡°And no, she was not capable of that last month.¡± he concludes, draining his glass after the fact. Viktor closes his slacked mouth, eyes screwing shut in resignation. It was official, this family was by far the most unpredictable phenomenon in his 208 years of existence.