by Tessa Clare
“Ice cream,” Autumn repeated. “Preferably real ice cream. Monika keeps telling me about how much better ‘real’ ice cream is better than synthetic ice cream, but I heard it’s super expensive. So, I understand…”
“Hang on,” I said, confused. “Did you not hear anything I said? You know, about Mom being on the run…”
Autumn looked away. “I’m sad about it. I’ll miss her a lot. But I think being on the run is better than being dead.” She offered me a smile. “It’s better than what I thought would happen. And you said that I get to stay with you, right?”
I nod, still in shock.
“Whenever I’m having a bad day, Mom usually takes me out for ice cream,” Autumn says.
I roll my eyes. “She does not; don’t forget, I grew up with you for the last twelve years. But we can get ice cream anyways.”
In the last few weeks, Gideon signed off on a warrant for Macy’s arrest. An old picture of her is on every news feed, along with a promise of a five thousand sterling reward for information leading to her arrest. The next thing that needs to be figured out is where my sister and I will go. While I don’t need a legal guardian, I do have a meeting with Leonard today to go over the specifics in my mother’s will. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to regain access to my trust fund. I’m also hoping that Leonard will look past the fact that Dr. Gray is technically listed as mine and Autumn’s legal guardians.
The car is parking in the lot when my Mobiroid goes off.
ROMAN: Can you circle the block for a few minutes? My neighbors are outside – and they're way too camera-happy.
Seriously?
Shortly after the hearing, Roman broke the news that he wasn’t allowed to be seen in public with me. I can respect that. I’ve been in the public eye frequently lately – especially after the hearing – and it’s not a secret how I feel about the bureau. But Roman’s paranoia is threatening to test my patience. A week ago, we agreed to meet at the mansion for a night at home. He was an hour late, claiming to take a detour so that no one knew where he was going. A few days after that, we ordered take-out, and he refused to let me pick up the food – although the restaurant was literally on my way to his apartment.
“Where are we going?” Autumn asks as soon as she notices that we’ve changed course.
“We have to circle the block.”
“Why?”
“Roman’s neighbors,” I reply, irritated. “He’s worried that they’ll see him with me.”
“How come he doesn’t want to be seen with you?”
She could have worded that a little more tactfully. The question is innocent, but it does little to help my agitated mood. “It’s because Roman will lose his job if he’s seen with me.”
I expect Autumn to ask why Roman is choosing his job over our relationship – I’ve been asking myself the same question over and over again – but Autumn nods in understanding. “That reminds me of this book I’m reading.”
“Oh?” I ask, intrigued to know how a fictional book correlates with my life.
“Yeah. This vampire – Lukas is his name – is in love with a human girl named Marsha. He’s part of this elite vampire coven, who basically rules the entire supernatural underworld of vampires, werewolves, witches, etcetera. He can also do magic. Anyways, his coven tells him that they’re going to strip him of his magic and disown him if he continues to see this girl since they don’t want their bloodline tainted.”
The book is a bit too peculiar for my tastes, but I feign interest anyways. “So, what happens?”
Autumn shrugs nonchalantly. “His brother kills Marsha by sucking all her blood out.”
I nearly choke on my own saliva. I barely have a chance to recover by the time Roman sends me a message to let me know that it’s all clear. I reprogram the car to drive and park outside of Roman’s apartment building.
“You don’t need to walk me inside,” Autumn says when she notices that I’m putting on my face mask and stepping out of the car. “It’s apartment 514. I’m sure I can find it easily. It’s probably on the fifth floor.”
“You might want to wear a face mask,” I point out. “The amount of pollution in Roman’s neighborhood is ridiculous.”
Autumn gives me a sideways glance, but she pulls a pink mask out of her bag and sets it on her face. In spite of the mask covering half of her face, her eyebrows are furrowed in annoyance. I can tell that she doesn’t want me hovering over her. “I want to see Roman,” I insist. “It’s quite common for girls who have boyfriends. You would know if you’ve ever had one.”
I also want to kick Roman in the nuts for making me drive around his crime-ridden neighborhood to avoid his neighbors seeing me. The object of my annoyance is waiting for us in the doorway of his apartment. As soon as I step into the apartment, I remove the mask – a huge mistake, as I haven’t taken any allergy medications. My eyes are watering, and the cat dander feels as though it’s invading my lungs. Autumn, on the other hand, is quick to find the cat lounging on Roman’s futon and darts over to pet him.
With Autumn’s attention captured, Roman pulls me into the kitchen area and wraps his arms around me. “I missed you.”
Just like that, my irritation has vanished from my system. I close my eyes, willing myself to find the words to express my annoyance with Roman; but when I thought about it, I realized that it’s not his fault. He needs his job, and he needs to take precautions. But he also cherishes me enough to keep seeing me in spite of this.
“I shouldn’t be gone for too long,” I say. “I promise that as soon as this meeting is over, I’ll take allergy medication, and we’ll spend the rest of the day together.” I glance at Autumn, who has taken to stroking the cat’s belly. “We’ll probably have company.”
“That’s fine,” Roman says, before planting a chaste kiss on my lips. “I suppose I’ll have to get used to it being the three of us.”
I shift my feet. “Yeah, I guess so.”
I realize how strange the situation is. Roman and Autumn haven’t spent a lot of time together, other than a few dinners at the mansion.
“Autumn is low-maintenance,” I blurt out. “She’ll probably play with the cat for an hour – but after that, all you need to do is throw on a movie and call it good. I’m not sure if she likes science fiction as much as you do, but she loves fantasy novels…”
Roman cuts me off by planting another kiss on my lips. “I think we’ll be fine.”
I find Leonard’s office – a small office in District 209, located just a few blocks away from a run-down baseball stadium. It takes an hour and a half of traffic, but I manage to snag a parking spot just a few blocks away. His office is on the seventh floor of a modest-sized tower, noticeable only by the metal plaque with his name on it. When I push the door open, I find myself standing in a sparsely decorated waiting room. I assume he’s hiding behind the door on the other side of the waiting area, so I approach it and raise my hand up to knock – until I hear voices from the other side.
“Twenty-five? Why did you make me seven years younger than I was when I stopped aging?”
“It’ll last longer. The younger you are, the less likely anyone will be to ask questions.”
“And I can still get to the Iceland’s with this?”
“Yes. I’ve made sure to include a visa. Getting back into the Confederal Districts, however, will be another story.”
The Iceland’s.
The Iceland’s is north of the Confederal Districts. My father took me there once when I was twelve years old. It was after my mother found out about one of his affairs – that time, it was remarkably scandalous since the media found out that he had allegedly paid a prostitute – and she needed space to decide if she was going to stay with him. I later learned out that the trip also doubled as a business trip. My father, Nolan Fitz, and several other high-ranking MP’s were there in hopes that the Iceland’s would join the Confederal Districts. From what I remember, my father had to pull strings to allow me to come with hi
m. It’s rare for anyone in the Confederal Districts to have a passport, as it’s reserved for high-ranking government officials and the occasional business person. It doesn’t surprise me that one would need a lawyer, as Leonard is. But from what I knew about my mother’s disappearance (“It was Leonard’s suggestion to make sure that they’re not able to track me,” she had said), a part of me wondered if there was more to the transaction happening before me.
“Do you need anything else?” Leonard asks, his baritone voice carrying through the doorway. “I’ve got an appointment with a client in about five minutes.”
A door opens – the one that I had entered the office from. Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, I move to one of the waiting room chairs. My eyes dart towards the front door, where Darcy Gray is walking in. She’s donned in black high heels, a pencil skirt, and a silk blazer. Glancing down at my t-shirt and nylon pants, I suddenly feel severely underdressed.
“What are you doing here?” I ask. I was under the impression that I was scheduled to have a one-on-one meeting with Leonard.
“You’re challenging my rights as yours and Autumn’s legal guardian,” Darcy states, matter-of-fact.
“You aren’t anyone’s legal guardian,” I spit back. “Not mine, and after today, you sure as hell won’t be Autumn’s!”
Darcy stares at me. I’m guessing she’s thinking about all the therapy sessions that I’ve missed in the last few months. “I don’t understand why you feel so much animosity towards me.”
“You don’t understand?” I hiss back. “For the last year, you made me think I was crazy! You prescribed medicine after medicine, giving me all these lectures about how we all need help, blah blah blah. But I was right the whole time!” I cross my arms pointedly. “There is no way in hell that I’m letting you put Autumn through that!”
“I never intended on making you feel that way.”
“Of course not! You and my mother just wanted a quick fix instead of listening to what I had to say!”
Before Darcy could say anything more, the door to Leonard’s office opens. Given everything that I know, I’m curious as to who his client is. I meet his eyes – and gasp.
“I know you!” I exclaim.
The man’s eyes widen. He glances around the room in a panic, but the fear subsides when he takes another look at me. “I’m sorry, miss. But I don’t recall meeting you.”
“No, you probably don’t,” I clarify. I’ve never met the man either, but I’ve seen his face. “You were in a movie – or, rather, a series of movies. Isn’t your name Neal O’Donnell?”
The room falls silent.
Neal O’Donnell had been elected a few quarters ago. I had attended a protest for his election, which was where I ran into Roman. The words of the protest ring in my ears: “Hey, ho! The Divinity Bureau has got to go!” At the time, I was more concerned with the message than the person whose election I was protesting for; but seeing him in front of me, it becomes apparent. His hair looks remarkably different – it’s grown to his shoulders now. He also has a beard. But I’ve seen those eyes on too many posters not to recognize them.
“I’m sorry, miss,” the man says apologetically. “But you have the wrong person.”
“Yeah, April,” Darcy chimes. “Neal O’Donnell is dead. Didn’t you hear the bureau denied his appeal?”
But he isn’t dead. He’s standing right in front of me. Everything is making sense now.
My mother had used Leonard’s services to get a new identity.
“Sorry, my bad,” I apologize, brushing it off. “It’s been a long day.”
Darcy gives me a wary look as Neal O’Donnell brushes past us and exits the waiting area. As soon as he’s gone, I notice Leonard let out a relieved sigh. It only lasts for a second, though, before he ushers Darcy and me into his office.
“Now…” he begins, but I quickly cut him off.
“What is she doing here?” I ask, pointing to Darcy.
“I thought we had already established this,” Darcy responds in a huff.
“Miss Gray is–”
“Doctor Gray,” Darcy corrects with narrow eyes.
“Dr. Gray is listed in your mother’s will as the legal guardian of you and your sister,” Leonard clarifies. “Obviously, we have a unique situation at hand. You see, we don’t typically go over the details of someone’s will unless they’re deceased –”
‘I’d hardly call it unique,’ I think with a huff. Neal O’Donnell’s image is still fresh in my mind.
“Yet given your mother’s status,” Leonard continues. “We deemed it necessary so that we can ensure that you and Autumn are properly taken care of.”
I raise an eyebrow. “We?”
“Dr. Gray is not only named as the legal guardian, but she is also named as the benefactor of your family’s fortune,” Leonard explains slowly. “As your fortune is to be divided equally between you and Autumn, you will have control of your half by the end of the day today.”
That is what I hoped. I’ve been waiting for this for almost two years. Gone are the days of stressing about finding another job. If I play my cards right, I’ll never need to work again. Except – I don’t like the tone that Leonard is using like he’s about to tell me something that he knows I won’t like.
“Autumn’s half will be under the control of Dr. Gray until she turns eighteen,” Leonard goes on. He stops. I know he’s waiting for my reaction.
“Are you telling me…?” I begin, but I can’t finish.
I can see a mixture of emotions on Dr. Gray’s face. The surprise is the most dominant one, but there’s no hiding the tell-tale smile of her face. Custody of Autumn will ensure that she won’t need to work for a long time.
“It’s your mother’s wish that Darcy Gray has custody of your sister,” Leonard says nervously. A layer of sweat forms on his brow.
If a reaction is what he’s anticipating, I sure as hell am about to give him one.
“Are you freaking kidding me?” I exclaim, jumping out of my chair. “This woman – my family’s psychiatrist?” I brush my hand through my hair. “Do you have any idea how difficult my life has been because of her?”
“April –” Leonard begins, but he’s caught off by a humorless laugh from Darcy.
“I didn’t make you get arrested,” Darcy says, bemused. “And if going through therapy once a week is hard, then you clearly have no concept of what the real world is really like!”
I stop, rendered speechless by her words.
“Do you really think Autumn needs someone like you right now?” Darcy continues. “Someone that loses her temper just because she hears something that she doesn’t like?”
I feel as though the air has been forced from my lungs. My voice is weak, barely breaking the silence: “What?”
“I understand you’re upset,” Darcy says, her voice sympathetic. “I lost both of my parents to the Divinity Bureau. But Autumn is hurting just as badly as you are. And I think you still have a lot of growing up to do before you can take her on full-time.”
I close my eyes. “You… you don’t understand. For the past few weeks, I’ve watched her cry herself to sleep every night…”
But did I do anything about it?
I haven’t done much other than hovering in Autumn’s doorway for minutes at a time. I’ve always figured that she’d want space – much like the way I grieve. But we’re opposites. While I grieve by asking for space, Autumn probably needs someone to tell her that everything is going to be alright.
I can’t breathe.
“You’re twenty years old, April,” Darcy says. “You’re still trying to figure yourself out. How do you expect to know what an eleven-year-old girl needs?”
My chest hurts. Air enters my lungs in short puffs, but it feels like oxygen is out of my reach. I collapse to the floor. I wrap myself in a ball as I struggle to find air. Leonard and Darcy are at my side in an instant.
“Are you okay?” Leonard asks, brushing a lock of hair away
from my face.
I’m not okay. My body is breaking out into a sweat. It’s at this moment that I realize that the Divinity Bureau isn’t the only thing dangerous to my health. If I’m to die, it could very well be at my own hands.
“She’s having a panic attack!” Darcy exclaims.
“What do we do?”
“Do you have a bag?”
“A – what!?”
“A bag!” Darcy repeats, growing frustrated. She brushes a hand through my hair. “Can you find me one?”
Leonard scrambles out of the room without a second thought. I feel Darcy’s hands – small with elongated fingers – on my back. She rolls me so that I’m lying on my side. I close my eyes. Under the weight of the world, I feel as though I’m being crushed to death.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ROMAN
“P repare to die, little girl,” I growl.
Autumn isn’t about to let me get my way. She quips back, “Not a chance!”
A moment later, our match begins. Autumn starts with the first punch. I take a hit, but I find my weapon and strike her in the chest. I jump in the air and attempt another blow, but she blocks me. Then, without warning, my foot collides with the end of a table. Real pain – not the simulated pain of the VR system represented by a health bar on the corner of my vision – shoots through me. The distraction is all Autumn needs to strike a few more blows until a voice bold proclaims, “Player Two Wins!”
I pull the headset off my head so that I can nurse my throbbing foot.
We’ve been playing VR games all afternoon, which caused Neville to spend the last few hours hiding under the futon. At first, I suggested something that was more kid-friendly; but the only kid-friendly game I have is a digital version of chess. I beat her in three rounds with minimal effort, which caused her to whine about being bored. That’s when she found my fighting game collection. I ended up moving my furniture around so that we can simulate a battle between our avatars without hurting each other. I was planning on going easy on her. Thanks to years of playing VR games, I know almost every motion combo by heart. Autumn, on the other hand, had never owned a VR system. Still, she managed to flail her arms around and kick my ass. When I told her that swinging her arms around without a strategy was cheating, she called me a sore loser. That was when war was declared.