by W. J. May
* * *
And so it was that the next day, Samantha Neilson showed up at the mansion door to conduct her first round of interviews. It was a process—she’d said. Don’t expect me to get it all in one bite.
At first, the rest of the gang had been just as reluctant as Devon.
“But we don’t do interviews,” Julian had said with a frown. “Why would we—”
He was cut short when Molly shoved past him, holding up two identical dresses for Rae’s consideration. “Which one do you think I should wear for the interview? Go a little bit more Marilyn? Or a little more Jackie O?”
At this point, sensing that the battle had already been lost, both Luke and Julian headed upstairs to get changed. Kraigan and Beth had both taken the day for themselves, a rather fortuitous turn of events considering that Beth was almost as feared as her husband, and Kraigan had all the social grace of a rabid dog. The rest of the Guilder alumni had decided to give them some space by staying at the local inn. And Alicia was at the hospital—putting in notice to take extended leave.
Angel, having already been banished, was sulking somewhere up in the attic, still wearing her deplorable chef’s hat, as she had taken to doing whenever she was feeling particularly obstinate.
“Just let her come down,” Julian said with a sigh as the doorbell rang. “You know she’ll just crash around up there until she gets her way. Might as well give in already.”
The two of them had been having trouble since the fight with Kraigan after Simon’s arrest.
Julian was one of the best agents the Privy Council had ever seen. Gifted. Unshakable. Loyal to a fault. Able to keep a level head even under the most extreme conditions.
Over the last few years, he’d had to fight off death more times than he could count. Had to hold his own against weapons far worse than a blade. Had knives pulled on him countless times.
But never by a friend. That was a different thing entirely.
Not that Kraigan was exactly a friend, but they were living in the same house. Brushing their teeth in the same bathroom every night. Between that and the fact that his own girlfriend had then grabbed the knife and plunged it into his attacker?
It was something he was having a hard time shaking.
“Are you sure?” Devon asked softly, glancing towards the attic. The two of them had something akin to girl-code. When one of them wasn’t talking to Angel, the other followed suit.
Julian shifted uncomfortably in his collared shirt. “Yeah, she’ll like it. Either way, it’ll be good for her to feel…included.”
“Is someone going to get the damn door?!” a vengeful shout sounded from up above.
Devon pursed his lips as Julian rolled his eyes.
“Like I said, just let her down already.”
As Gabriel was sent to retrieve his sister, hat not included, the rest of them headed to the living room as Rae proceeded to get the door. Molly emerged last, of course, skittering down the stairs in a dress that would look far more at home at a royal ball than on a couch with her friends.
“Nice job, Molls,” Rae muttered as she twisted the handle. “Keeping things casual.”
She opened the door, and there was Samantha. Pen and paper in hand. Smiling so bright it almost lifted her off the ground.
“Hey,” Rae greeted her casually, pushing the door open wider. “I’m surprised you didn’t bring coffee. Even better than ink, right?”
It was an interesting tag line. One the young reporter had used every time.
The smile faltered for a split second, and Samantha’s eyes widened in dismay.
“Oh, shoot. I didn’t know I was supposed to.” Her head whipped back to the departing cab. “I could run out really quick and get some—”
“That was a joke, Samantha,” Rae interrupted quickly, easing her fears. “You’re fine.”
“Oh, right!” The girl beamed full force as she stepped inside, looking around with the same kind of awe that Ellie and her friends had the first time they’d seen it. “So, this is where you guys have all been staying?” The pencil lifted to the pad. “This place is incredible!”
“Yeah.” Rae glanced about distractedly, leading her to the living room. “We bought it together after the…well, you know.”
Samantha nodded solemnly, and Rae could almost hear her write: the battle to save the world.
“Anyway,” she steered her quickly into the room, where her friends were sitting in a loose circle on the couches, “this is everybody. Everybody, meet Samantha.”
They half-stood, gesturing to a seat and offering various forms of greetings. Molly, in particular, was especially grandiose with her introduction. Angel, meanwhile, was staring down the young girl, clearly wondering why she’d fought so hard to be included in such a boring activity.
For Samantha’s part, the girl looked a little overwhelmed. She, like the rest of the people in her generation, had long heard stories about the group of friends. No doubt she had even written about them numerous times before, when things were better, before the mess with Simon.
To be meeting them all in person now? She looked a little unsteady.
“Have a seat,” Julian said kindly, gesturing her down. He’d always had a soothing way about him, and it didn’t fail him now.
She sank down with the same look of wide-eyed wonder she’d had the first seconds she’d stepped into the house. Only now, it felt as though the house was staring back at her.
Even Devon was moved enough by her plight to soften his stiff demeanor. “You had some questions?” he prompted gently.
She jumped a mile, and stared down at her empty notepad.
Rae, in the meantime, had settled herself between Devon and Molly, and was beginning to fear this was a bad idea after all. “She’s so wound up,” she breathed to Molly. “I didn’t think she’d be so wound up.”
“You didn’t tell a joke, did you?” Molly whispered back. “You know those never work.”
Rae bit her lip and looked deliberately away. “I didn’t tell a joke.”
“Ahem,” Samantha cleared her throat in a way she obviously took to be confident, but in reality made her sound like she was coming down with a bit of a cold. “Yes, so, you’ve all known each other for a very long time. Years in fact.”
The gang nodded, trying to look as non-threatening and relatable as possible.
“Mr. Fodder, you were—”
“It’s Luke. Please.” He gave her a twinkling smile. “Mr. Fodder is my father.”
“Luke, of course.” She relaxed just a bit, tentatively returning the smile. “So, you were the first addition into the original four.”
Original four. Like she’d coined the term or something. Rae fought back a smile.
“Uh…yeah.” He ran a hand back through his disheveled hair. “I guess I was.”
“And you originally worked for the Xavier Knights, is that correct? I mean, your father was the commander after all.”
“I still work for the Xavier Knights,” Luke replied slowly. “And he’s still the commander.”
“And yet you spent all your time cavorting with members of the Privy Council. And this was back before the inter-agency cooperation. Tell me, Luke, how did your father feel about that?”
The room went dead quiet. Pen and paper were at the ready.
“Cavorting?” Luke repeated, looking stunned. “I don’t…I mean…” He shot a quick look at Rae, who sank an inch or two lower in her chair.
“Great job, Rae,” Molly muttered, staring at the girl like she was some viper. “Let’s just invite one of them into our home…”
“Hey! It gave you an excuse to get all dressed up, didn’t it?” Rae shot back. “Just let him answer the question. We have nothing to hide.”
But under the confidence, she was nervous. The truth was, if they were getting down to cold hard facts, the gang had quite a bit to hide. There weren’t many rules they hadn’t broken over the course of the last few years. And while they might have been
a shining example of ‘the ends justify the means,’ who was to say whether Samantha’s readers would take it that way?
“I guess he didn’t know a lot about it at the time,” Luke finally admitted. The smile was gone and he, too, was looking at Samantha like he’d rather she’d stayed outside. “My affiliations with these people were personal, social. The lines never blurred. My job had nothing to do with it.”
Again, not really true.
Samantha let it go. At least, she seemed to. Until she turned her eager eyes to Molly, staring with obvious excitement at the swirls of silk covering her flat stomach. “Well, how does the Commander feel now that he’s soon to be a grandfather? You do realize that your baby is going to be the first concrete connection between the Council and Knights.”
A hushed gasp filtered through the room as half a dozen pairs of eyes looked at each other in dismay. None more so than Molly.
“How did you find out about that?” she demanded. “My own parents don’t even know.”
Samantha backtracked in a hurry.
Rae leaned forward, not yielding an inch to protect her best friend. “That doesn’t get printed,” she commanded, jabbing a finger down at the notepad. “You ask any more questions like that, you’re back outside. You print even a single word and we deny you were ever here. Got it?”
Not exactly the full-transparency they’d promised, but Samantha would have to make do.
To be fair, she certainly seemed willing to. Her eyes widened to the size of small saucers, and she couldn’t seem to nod her head fast enough.
“Of course, not a single word.” The page was very deliberately torn from her notepad and left on the floor. “I’m sorry, it’s just that people are so interested in the dynamics between the seven of you. No one really knows the full story of how you all got together, and yet, here you are. A small group of friends who went on to save our entire world. That’s the story I came here to write.”
That sounds kind of perfect. With one or two small conditions.
“Just leave my baby out of it,” Molly demanded. “Not a single word.”
“And if you could try to make it sound like my dad doesn’t completely hate me, that would be great,” Luke muttered, still smarting from the sudden assault.
“Of course,” Samantha said graciously. She took a second to get back on track before pulling up a little straighter in her chair. “You used to work for Cromfield, isn’t that right?”
Much to everyone’s great anxiety, her eyes travelled right over Gabriel and landed squarely on Angel. In a way, it wasn’t that big a surprise. Of the seven of them gathered, the world didn’t know a thing about Angel. Gabriel had at least fabricated enough of an identity and employment history to get hired on by the Privy Council. But Angel? She was a ghost.
Her sapphire eyes flickered first to Julian, resting there for a moment before returning to the girl, having found no help. Samantha didn’t miss a thing. “It’s a good thing, too,” she said softly, “otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to contribute.”
“Contribute?” Samantha repeated with a frown.
“Contribute information critical to saving your life,” Angel said stiffly. “And the lives of everyone you hold dear.”
Samantha nodded quickly, picking up speed, but Julian headed her off at the pass.
“If it weren’t for the information Angel gave us, none of us would have made it out of that factory alive. She is an indispensable part of our team. One who deserves thanks, not explanation.”
The rest of the room turned to look at him, profoundly moved by the sincerity ringing in his voice. None so much as his girlfriend. He glanced around, looking worried he’d said too much.
“And Gabriel,” he added quickly. But at that point, it hardly mattered. Somewhere between the lines an answer had been given.
Samantha nodded slowly, scribbling something on her notepad that none of them could see.
Then, with a bit of a flourish, she turned to Rae. “You and Devon were the ones who originally found Simon Kerrigan in the factory cell.”
Rae nodded carefully, unwilling to answer anything unless it was a direct question.
“You thought he was dead, and then, all of a sudden, there he was—alive.”
Another nod. Followed by silent breath.
Just ask the question, Samantha. Get it over with…
The pencil stopped moving, and the room held its breath. “How do you feel about that?”
There it is.
Rae had been waiting for it from the moment Samantha stepped into the house. From the moment she’d shown up at the halfway house, offering Rae that first cup of coffee. It was the only real question she wanted to know. The question the entire world wanted to know.
They didn’t seem to realize that the answer couldn’t have mattered less.
“Do you have a father, Samantha?” she asked softly.
For a split second, the girl’s bright face contorted into something truly terrible. Then, as quickly as it had, it cleared. “I used to. He died a few years ago. Car crash.”
Rae shook her head, her eyes softening sympathetically. “Samantha, what if I told you that you could have one more day with your father? You could have one more chance to see him alive… would you do it?”
“Of course I would,” the girl snapped.
Rae nodded slowly, keeping things as calm and steady as she could. “What if he had done terrible things?” she continued quietly. “Things as terrible as what my father had done. Would you still want to see him alive?”
Samantha gripped her pencil so hard it threatened to break. Her little shoulders rose up and down with quick, uneven breaths as she glared back across the room. “My father would never have done the things your father did.” She jutted up her chin, eyes flashing with a kind of vengeful pride. “Not even with a gun to his head.”
I’m not going to get anywhere with this. She can’t see past the hate.
Rae stifled as sigh, moving on as best she could. “I wasn’t thrilled to see my father, if that’s what you want to know.” Her eyes flickered to the notepad, and Samantha stared writing. “I didn’t feel a stab of joy the second I opened the door to the cell…but that doesn’t mean that some small part of me wasn’t moved to see him alive.” Strange as it was, it helped to say that bit aloud. Even if it was to a reporter. Even if it was in front of all her friends.
Then a single word echoed through her head.
Everything. Everything you’ve heard is true.
A belated shiver of rage ran through her skin, and she raised her voice a little louder.
“But that doesn’t change a thing. My father did terrible things. He’s going to be punished accordingly. In fact, I recently agreed to testify against him at his trial.”
This made an impact. And with more people than just Samantha.
“You did?” Devon asked softly, taking her hand without thinking. “Are you sure? That had to have been a hell of a visit.”
Behind him Gabriel was nodding with a distinct note of pride, and Molly and Julian flashed identical looks of worry.
But none were so moved by the news as Samantha.
“Is that a fact? I can quote you on that?” The pencil hovered tensely over the paper, like she was dying to bring them together. “You’re going to testify against him at trial?”
A paternal smile flashed through Rae’s head, but she put it away with that single word.
Everything.
“Looks like you’ve got your next headline.”
Chapter 11
Samantha left shortly after that pivotal moment, most likely sensing that the interview had essentially peaked. Before leaving, she directed a few basic questions at Gabriel, none of which received an answer. Followed by some highly personal questions to Devon, which were also unanswered, before packing up her things to leave.
“Don’t go looking ahead now to the future,” she said teasingly, turning her eyes to Julian as she slipped out the door. “
I want it to be a surprise.”
He hesitated a moment, then nodded curtly. “Whatever you want.”
The whole gang froze with a collective smile as the door swung slowly shut behind her. The second it actually closed, those smiles were quick to disappear.
“Well, that was a disaster,” Luke muttered, heading to the kitchen where he was presumably going to drink for the rest of the evening. Gabriel followed tight on his heels. Whatever budding friendship they’d started seemed to be sticking.
Molly gazed after them, then shrugged as she headed back up the stairs. “I think my dress was a huge success.”
Devon and Julian were not so easy to appease.
“Come on, guys,” Rae began diplomatically, “it wasn’t that bad.”
“Seriously?” Julian lifted his eyebrows. “That’s what you’re going with?”
“Rae, it wasn’t about the things we’ve actually done at all,” Devon retorted. “If anything, it was about our relationships. It was just gossip basically. Like an episode from Coronation Street.” He made a good point, but the interview had accomplished other things as well.
“Well, there’s nothing wrong with our relationships,” Rae replied. “And we got out the sound bite on my dad that we needed. Besides, if anything’s going to go wrong, Julian’ll see it coming. Right, Jules?”
Julian’s face clouded, but before he had a chance to reply Angel stepped forward.
“I’m actually glad she came,” she interjected softly. “Believe it or not, that’s the most anyone’s talked to me in days.” Before the others could say a word, she lifted her keys off the ring by the door and headed outside. “I’m going for a drive. I’ll be back later tonight if anyone needs me.”
Julian stared outside for a long moment, watching her white hair catch the last glints of the afternoon sun, before he headed out after her. “Angel,” he called, pausing uncertainly on the top of the steps, “mind if I come?”
She froze mid-step, but even with her face turned the opposite direction Rae could still see her smile.
When Angel turned around, however, she was as indifferent as ever. “If you like,” she answered with a shrug.