"Ria... what?" Oliver frowned at me, but I waved my hand in dismissal. Lily tugged at the sleeve of his shirt and they both went to sit down.
"I hope you have a plan," Adrian said through his teeth.
"Kiss me," I said quietly, and Adrian cocked his head at me. Seeing the set expression on my face, he pulled me in for a kiss. I heard gasps and angry mumbles from our audience, and someone even yelled a few insults. Stepping back from Adrian, I faced the crowd and prayed I had at least a tiny bit of my father's gift for speeches.
"Have you ever dreamed of being free to do whatever you wanted, including touching another magic disease carrier?" I said, positive that there were some people in here who had fallen in love with another magic disease carrier since they'd been spending a lot of time together. It was inevitable that a few people got closer, despite being loners who didn't trust anyone. Since I only got skeptical looks, I had to sweeten the offer and add something that might interest everyone, no matter how incredible it seemed. "Have you ever dreamed of living without the disease?"
"We could be looking for a cure if we had help from scientist all over the world. And you know they'll help us only if we are in charge. The sooner we achieve this, the sooner we might find a cure." And I'd be able to leave my brother to his evil agenda and live my own life, free of my father and everyone who wanted to use me.
"There's no cure!" someone shouted, but I couldn't tell who it was. "You're only looking for a way to expose us to your father."
"And why would I do that?" I said, the corners of my lips quirking up. "My father doesn't approve of who I'm with or what I am. I can only fool him once more, so you either act now or keep hiding and fearing for your lives."
"My sister won't wait for you to make up your mind, so decide quickly," Oliver interrupted. I shot him a glare, wondering whether I'd be truly free of him once this was over. He'd been tracking me before - that much I was sure of - so I doubted he'd stop popping up whenever he needed me, but I wanted at least a little break from him.
"My brother's right. I won't wait forever because I actually want to finish university and have a future with my boyfriend," I said, hoping I looked honest and confident enough for them to believe me. The truth was, I had no clue what I wanted. The whole 'let's bring down the Element Preservers' thing seemed like it was happening to someone else and not to me. Really, who in their right mind would include me in such an important mission? Only my crazy brother.
"Think about your own future," Adrian said, stepping forward. "Do you want to end up like lab rats? You know we can't hide forever. They always find us, no matter how far we run. If you prefer that someone else solves the problem for you, fine, stay at home and cower. But if we fail, it will be your fault."
The crowd started to get restless and many were fidgeting in their chairs. Good.
"How many of you have elements?" I asked, figuring that not all magic disease carriers could preserve elements like my brother and I could. Everyone in the audience raised their hand and a frown appeared on my brow. That was impossible. "How many have mostly pure element?" Only a few people raised their hand. I turned to glare at Lily, who had undoubtedly formed her team only of magic disease carriers who had an element or a sub-element.
"Carriers without an element aren't here because they represent a risk to our members with elements, like your friends, Michael and Paula," Lily said quickly.
"Do they get a vote too?"
"Yes," Lily said, but didn't sound too convincing. "Of course. Everyone has rights."
"Any murderers among them?" It was hard to lead a group of people who were so different. Lily was playing with fire all the time. We could be fighting for the rights of innocent people who got used and abused by the government, but those who had killed and would do it again... I wasn't so sure. The biggest problem were our small numbers in the overall population. Without the bad guys we might not stand a chance, but with them included in our ranks, the public would make it sound as if we were defending the criminals.
"No!" Lily said, her knuckles white as she gripped the armrest of her chair. The answer was probably yes. Aw, crap. Now I wanted Oliver's plan to be over as soon as possible. I didn't want to deal with moral issues and God knew what that would follow. Unfortunately, Oliver was too eager to get into power that we didn't even have enough time to properly think things through. Yeah, my brother was old for a magic disease carrier, but he'd been successfully avoiding being caught for years, so a year or two more wouldn't make a difference.... unless he knew something I didn't... which he probably did. Oh God. I was getting a headache.
"Ok, everyone. You have a week to decide." With a smile, I sauntered off the stage and out of the room.
"Can you see this cell?" Paula pushed her microscope toward me. Oliver, Adrian and Michael were busy preparing and persuading people to join them, so Paula thought it was a great time to show me what she'd been researching. The lab she was working in wasn't bigger than a usual room, but it had all sorts of equipment and a big table in the middle.
"No." I shook my head, staring through the glass at some strangely shaped see-through mass.
"Ok, whatever." Paula sighed. "But many scientists here believe this cell is responsible for missing elements. It's a small part of a gene, which..."
"Don't. I'm too stupid to understand all of that." I shrugged. "But tell me this; are you any closer to finding the cure?"
"Umm, yes and no." Paula's face fell, her eyes looking weary. "We think we are on to something, but we can't exactly piece it all together into a bigger picture."
"Maybe one day you will." I patted her on the shoulder and she looked up at me, smiling. As each day passed, I was less and less confident we'd ever find a cure. I believed in Paula and others who were working hard every day to help magic disease carriers, but I doubted we could find a cure in the near future. Maybe we were truly doomed in God of Magic's eyes.
"Do you think your father will hand over the presidency?" she suddenly asked.
"I don't think so. My brother and my father..." I ran my hand through my hair. "It's just... I don't think any of them will give up easily. And I know it sounds pathetic, but I don't want anything to happen to either of them. Yes, when they set their eyes on something, they're blind to everyone else's feelings, but..."
"They're your family," Paula finished for me. "You know, I've always wanted to have a sister and you were my substitute. And I don't want anything to happen to you. So, I'd ask you to think once again before you do this for your brother."
"Hey, I'm never reckless and impulsive." I laughed.
Paula rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."
"Nothing will happen to me. The press might think I'm missing already, but my father knows Adrian would find a way to report what happened if he did something to me." I wasn't too thrilled with seeing my father face to face again, but a small part of me longed to see his reaction.
"I hope you're right," Paula said solemnly. "I called my mom yesterday and she freaked out. She wants to see me and keeps asking what kind of university I'm going to. Oliver faked some files, which I sent to her, but she's suspicious. She thinks I'm doing drugs!"
I burst out laughing and ended up coughing, tears in my eyes. "You should visit her."
Paula raised an eyebrow at me.
"What?" I said, my face serious. "If I'm going to the city, you can go too. Besides, it's better if you stayed somewhere else until this is all over. Things can always go wrong and if my father's agents discover this place, I don't want them to encounter you here."
"That's not a bad idea." Paula tossed her blond curls over her shoulder. "But it will slow down my research."
"Bah, who cares?" I picked up a test tube with a yellow liquid in it, lifting it so it was on the level of my eyes. "These shiny thingies can wait."
"Careful with that!" Paula jumped off her chair, taking the test tube from my hand. "It's a really potent acid. It could make a hole in your jeans."
"Oh." I scooted ba
ck as if I'd been burned. "I'll stay away from your toys then."
"Adrian really likes the idea of magic disease carriers' upraising," Paula said, placing the test tube in the rack.
"Uprising? Whoa, that's too strong a word. We're just going to talk to my father and, umm, encourage him to resign." At least I hoped it would be like that. The last thing I needed was to be seen as a rebel who stopped at nothing to reach the desired goal.
Paula gave me a deadpan look. "Yeah, and he's simply going to say, 'Oh, take it, it's yours!'"
"Adrian wants a war," I said uncertainly. "He wants revenge and he wants to change things."
"I wouldn't say a war exactly, but he has a lot of anger in him." Paula toyed with her silver bracelet, twisting the beads.
"I know." I sat down on the chair in the corner of the room, resting my elbows on the table. "I'll talk to him about it if I have to. I won't let him put his life in danger. He's one of the rare magic disease carriers people know about. My father can send his team after him whenever he wishes."
"But if you say to him you and Adrian broke up..." Paula panicked, her eyes wide. "He'll immediately send someone to kill him."
"We'll have to deal with that as it comes. No one knows our whereabouts. I hope my father won't have time to contact anyone because he'll be busy with me and then with the attack."
"Fine, but at least send me a message so I know you're alright." Paula pointed a warning finger at me.
"Sure thing," I said, getting up. "Hey, once this is over, we're soooo going shopping."
"Deal!" Paula giggled, her blue-green eyes sparkling. As I went for the door, I couldn't help but wonder whether Paula would have been happier if she'd had a real sister instead of me.
Chapter 07
"You know what you have to do," Oliver said, squeezing lightly my shoulder before I was about to leave the van, which was only a couple of blocks away from my father's offices. I nodded, trying to stop the tremble in my hands. Anxiety was threatening to eat me alive and I briefly considered taking a sedative, but my horrible experience with pills prevented me from rash decisions.
"We're here if you need anything. You know which buttons to press," Oliver added, his dark eyes hard and piercing. If I chickened out now, he'd kill me. We'd managed to get a little bit over a hundred people to join us, and they were crawling through the city like ants, popping up from various places near the EP's building. My father's security wouldn't even know what hit them, but everything depended on me and my ability to enter the main office.
"No, I have no clue about the buttons. You only explained it a thousand of times. I think I need to hear it once more." I palmed the round, silver device in my pocket, getting a good feel of the buttons. I knew them so well I could press them right without looking.
"Don't be sarcastic," Oliver scowled. "Everything is in your hands now."
Ah, my poor brother. He hated to depend on someone else, but then again, so did I. "You owe me."
"I'll buy you a million dollar necklace when you're done." He flashed me a wry smile.
I rolled my eyes. "A necklace? No way. You're buying me the whole set. You know, matching earrings, bracelet, ring,..."
"Ok, ok! You'll give me the shopping list later," he snapped. "Just get going already before our father decides to leave work early."
"Fine." I took a deep breath as one of Oliver's men slid the door of the van open for me. It was getting dark outside and the alley in front of me smelled like garbage and dampness. The streetlights were already starting to flicker and I pressed myself closer to the walls and shadows. What I loved most about the big cities was that everyone went about their business and didn't even spare a glance at me. If someone recognized me, things would get complicated. I hunched lower in my long black coat, hurrying down the street.
I stopped in front of one shop and feigned interest in the fancy high heels. No matter how much I reasoned with myself that I was only trying to look inconspicuous, the truth was that I was stalling because I was afraid. I couldn't even remember when was the last time I felt like tons of tiny spiders were rushing across my skin.
My heart was in my throat when I crossed the street and found myself in front of my father's 7 stories high building in the shape of a bullet, completely enveloped in dark blue glass. Now I realized why my father preferred to have his headquarters in the city rather than in Rosentown. I wasn't sure when he'd transferred, but it was a good move on his part.
A guard was standing near the door, a gun tucked in his belt, but he was the usual security and didn't search bags or check IDs since businesspeople went in and out all the time. I was trying so hard not to look suspicious that I probably looked like the most suspicious person in the world. Oh well. The guard clearly didn't pick up on that or he was too tired after a long day, so his eyes glazed over me and he returned to staring in front of him.
It was too early to feel relieved, but a tiny inch of me relaxed. Oliver and I had gone through various relaxing techniques that I could use because my nervousness could trigger my elements and ruin our mission. The funny thing was that I couldn't remember a single one of those techniques. It was a wonder I could remember my own name.
Two people in black business suits chatted in the lobby, their fire elements a light pulsation inside of them. I slipped past them into the main hall with a reception desk. A woman with a short dark red hair sat behind a computer, her fingers going swiftly over the keyboard. She lifted her green eyes toward me as I approached, and her mouth formed a little O, which meant she knew perfectly well who I was.
My heels clicked on the black and white tiles as I strode over to her before she could alert someone. I wasn't sure how much my father had said about me to his people. Oliver believed our father hadn't spread any news about me, not even to people who were closest to him, for fear they'd leak the info to the press. I actually counted on my father's paranoia. How cute was that?
"Miss Milanez!" the woman said, her lips spreading into a nervous smile. Hearing my surname felt strange, especially since everyone usually called me by my name.
"I want to see my father. Is he here?" Slipping into my usual spoiled, rich daughter act, I went past the woman's desk toward the door.
"Mr. Milanez is here. Please, let me announce..." she stuttered, fumbling with the black phone in an attempt to call my father.
"Right." I turned on my heels, clutching my purse and looking highly annoyed. "Well, hurry!"
"Yes, Miss." The woman finally managed to dial the number, and my father's voice cracked through the receiver. "Who is it?"
"Daddy!" I let out a high-pitched cry. Something tumbled to the floor with a loud bang, resonating through the speakers. "Ria?"
"Your daughter is here to see you, sir," the woman said, "Should I send her over?"
"I'll be right there."
Aw, crap. My father was coming to greet me. Was that a good or a bad thing? The device I was still carrying in the pocket of my coat suddenly felt heavy, weighing me down. Who was I kidding? I couldn't do this. Before I could bolt, my father appeared at the end of the hall. His black hair was more sprinkled with grays than I remembered, his dark brown eyes tired and surrounded by wrinkles. His black suit was impeccable as always, but his gait was slightly hunched over. What kind of problems my father had to deal with, aside from a rebellious daughter and a hostile son?
He hesitated when his eyes met mine, so I started running toward him as planned, my eyes getting teary. I thought of all that good moments we'd spent together, like those times when he'd return from a trip and bring me sweets, clothes and toys. It became much easier to cry, and a sob rocked my body as I stopped at a safe distance from my father.
"Daddy, I'm so sorry. God, I'm so sorry." I hiccuped. "I just... I was wrong. I..."
"Ria." He looked dumbstruck, and probably had no idea what to say to me. At least I knew I'd surprised the hell out of him, which meant he was clueless about his son's plans.
"I know you hate me, but..." I star
ted to say, but he stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. Pressing myself tightly against his chest, I cried even harder.
"Shh, honey. Let's talk." He seemed to be looking over my shoulder and shaking his head slightly. His secretary was probably gawking at us. Oh goodie. Of course he hadn't said anything to anyone. Family secrets were a dangerous thing when so many people wanted to take you down. My father put his arm around my shoulders and led me down the hall while I tried to stop crying.
When we reached the big black door at the end of the hall, instead of unlocking it, my father steered me toward the other room across the hall. Well, fuck. He didn't trust his repentant daughter so easily, did he? The room we entered was a storage room with steel walls, and it was full of old files and folders. A brown wooden desk with two chairs stood in the corner, two empty glasses and a bottle of water on the shelf next to it.
I sat down in one of the hard chairs, wiping off my eyes with the sleeve of my coat. My make-up must have smeared all over my face. Ugh. My father pulled up a chair as if he were going to sit down too, but instead he turned his back on me and a shudder went through him.
"That monster dumped you, didn't he?" My father said as he turned to face me. I responded with a choked sob.
"Did he knock you up too?"
My head snapped up at that and I glared at my father. Of course he'd think of such a thing. Why else would I come back crying? "No!"
"Well, excuse me if I'll need a proof of that." His merciless eyes ripped through me like a knife. "Crumple a piece of paper and burn it in one of the glasses."
"I don't have the disease, I swear." My look didn't waver, my voice steady, but I grabbed the glass nevertheless and set the paper I'd ripped from a file on fire. I reveled in watching it burn, a dark part inside of me wishing I could burn down the whole building. I'd missed my father, but his accusations tore through me like a knife coated in poison.
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