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22.1 A FATHER'S DILEMMA
Jester dropped his mother off at the morgue a little after lunch the following day.
He would have preferred to observe as she examined Estacio’s body, but the Commander had apparently returned a day early, and she sent him an urgent message requesting his presence. He wondered if there had been any new leads on the Coven, or if the Commander had a new vision. He hoped that this really was an urgent matter and not one of her whims—she once sent him an urgent summons because she couldn’t get her new coffee machine to work properly.
“Let’s have dinner together later,” his mother told him right before he left. “Why don’t you ask Alisa to join us—”
“No.”
“Oh, where’s the harm? It would be nice to talk to her again—”
“Then you two can eat by yourselves. Leave me out of it.”
Jester left quickly after that, reminding Musa to keep an eye on his
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I Make My Own Happy Ending 22.2 A FATHER'S DILEMMA 2
I gaped.You know that expression people use when they learn something shocking, saying that it feels like their whole world was suddenly turned upside-down? I never really understood what that meant. Until now.I was literally at a loss for words. I just sat there, and stared at my father as if he had suddenly sprouted a second head or something. What Dad just said was something so beyond my expectations, I’d normally think he was joking. But I know he isn’t. I can tell that much with my Gift. And he would never joke about something like this.“What do you mean…you found Mom?”Two possibilities immediately crossed my mind: one, Dad found her remains (bones, maybe?) somewhere and that’s what he meant; or two, Mom was never dead in the first place, and saying he found her means indirectly admitting to the sin of deceiving his entire family.“Mom’s dead…Are…are you saying you found her&he
I Make My Own Happy Ending 23.1 BEFORE HE COULD THINK
She started by telling him about her mother.Alisa told him how her mother had disappeared—and had been presumed dead, though they never found the body—when she was five years old. She told him about the naiad and the island, how she survived, and how she came to think that maybe what happened to her mother was her fault.Alisa told him how she thought that she could have unconsciously been using her Gift and that she killed her.“Not that I like repeating myself, but that’s bullshit. And you know it,” Jester told her bluntly. “Your mother did what any mother would have done. You didn’t force her to risk her life.”“How would you know that?” she asked sharply. “How would anyone know that? You weren’t there, but I was. You don’t know how powerful my Gift can be if I don’t control it—”“Oh, I think everyone on this floor is aware of how powerful you
I Make My Own Happy Ending 23.2 VISIT TO HOUSE ZAGREB
“…Are you being serious right now?” demanded Jester.“If I am?”“That’s absurd!”“It is, isn’t it?” the old lady said. Then she cackled loudly, and Jester felt like an idiot for believing her, even if it was just for a moment.“It is quite a ridiculous notion. To think that the well-being of all three worlds would depend on the love between two people. It’s like a romance novel.”“It’s not a funny joke, Commander.”“Oh, let an old lady have her fun. In such troubled times, we can’t forget to have a laugh now and then.”Jester just sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Try not to drag other people into your jokes, please.” He glanced at the time, did some quick calculations in his mind. He decided it would be a good opportunity to excuse himself. “If there’s nothing urgent you want from me, C
I Make My Own Happy Ending 23.3 VISIT TO HOUSE ZAGREB 2
Freya couldn’t have been more shocked if I had taken out a laser gun and hit her between the eyes. Before she could comment though, I hurriedly explained.“Oh, don’t look so horrified. Think of it as an undercover operation,” I said, smiling winningly at her—it works on everyone, except Jester (believe me, I have tried). “Besides, you’re not the only one who’ll be there. It’s going to be fun!”She glared at me. “Who else is coming?”“Well, everyone. Except the doctor and Diane.”“…even the Vice-Commander? He’ll have to dress up all fancy, too?”My cheeks turned red as my imagination went into overdrive. A grin split my face as I saw an image in my head of Jester Lee with his hair swept back, wearing a black tuxedo, offering me his arm as my escort…“Oh, yes. Definitely. Absolutely,” I answered Freya. I will use any
I Make My Own Happy Ending 24.1 TO LOOK BUT NOT SEE
Traffic was bad for a weekday night. Alisa searched for a better route on the display on her dash, and she didn’t answer right away. Maybe she was gathering her thoughts, and Freya wondered if what she had asked was something a little too personal. Maybe she shouldn’t pry—“I think the answer to your question…isn’t just one thing. I had a pretty hard time growing up because of my Gift and my family. Don’t get me wrong—I am very much the spoiled little princess you think I am,” said Alisa with a small smile. “I grew up with plenty of love. I have a great relationship with my dad and siblings and even our extended family. But it wasn’t always like that. When my Gift was discovered, and the details were disclosed, people began to treat me…differently. Among the Vegas, there are quite a few of the Gifted. But I’m the only one who was ever included among the TWMO’s Most Dangerous, and that became
I Make My Own Happy Ending 24.2 TO LOOK BUT NOT SEE 2
Jester knew he said something very wrong before he even got the last word out. Alisa’s gaze turned hard, and her lips pressed together.“Are you telling me what to do?” she asked, in a tone that clearly indicated that the only correct answer would be ‘no’.So, Jester said, “No.” Then he added, “I’m just saying you should be more careful. Simply leaving the HQ puts you at risk. We don’t know who the spy is inside the AG, much less who could be a threat to you outside.”“I don’t see what the problem is. The Commander gave me permission, and Freya was with me.”“Still. If it’s not necessary for you to go out, then you shouldn’t. If there’s something you need that the HQ can’t provide, then have your PA bring it over, or send someone else to—"“It was necessary,” said Alisa. “I went to House Zagreb for my fitting&mda
I Make My Own Happy Ending 24.3 TO LOOK BUT NOT SEE 3
“What many people do not know,” Jester continued, and the way he spoke caught my attention, made me curious. He brought up a short video clip that had my mouth dropping to the floor. “Is that Anomalies are not naturally created. They are…manufactured. Well, the ones in Gaia, at the beginning, were.”The video was crisp and clear, and though there was no sound, it wasn’t hard to imagine the grisly noise accompanying those vicious claws and teeth. It was a horde of lizard-like Anomalies rampaging through something that looked like a city street (though it didn’t resemble any city I knew, but then, all the smoke and chaos made it difficult to be sure). They clashed against silver leopard-like creatures and huge black bears in an all-out brawl. One odd thing was that the Anomalies seemed to be wearing some sort of collar, and they had black patterns on their bodies that reminded me very much of the symbols of the Border System Grandpa Al
I Make My Own Happy Ending 25.1 HONEST FEELINGS
I like the sea.It was a place my mother loved, so I’ve always thought it was special.Dad told us they first met on a beach in the Wildlands. Something about a malfunctioning Portal and a mutated piglet that stole Mom’s clothes while she was bathing. Mom had mistaken Dad for the thief. “I thought I could face anything,” I remember Dad saying, smiling fondly and a little sadly at the memory, “until that moment. I didn’t know whether I should be glad she was aiming for my head and not…some other vital body part.”They managed to clear up the misunderstanding, though, and two years later they married each other on the very same shore where my mother almost killed him. Dad spent millions on that wedding—since the island is in the Wildlands, you can own it as long as you can sustain it. It’s more of a safety issue than anything, really. Aside from the fact that Breaches are fifty percent more likely to for
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