Codi slams her hands onto the table, her body crackling with energy. “Why the fuck are you riding my ass so hard?! Everything turned out fine didn’t it?!”
“‘Everything turned out fine didn’t it?!’ By whose power? After how abysmally everything went, you really want to pretend it was within your power to bring out the ‘fine’ result? That is the most selfish shit I have ever heard anyone say. I’m no Phavian, but it is shit like that, which makes people hate Air and Water affinities. What you just said was the embodiment of unbridled, systemic privilege. You can’t even perceive the consequences your actions have on others because you have never needed to. You are the most dangerous amongst affinity supremacists.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are?! Now I’m one of those affinity elitist shitbags?! Look at how much I support the Seeds! My fucking best friend is the leader!”
“There it is. There is no way you could be problematic, because you go to a few meetings and you are friends with a lowly Fire Affinity who happens to be the leader of a group fighting for equality. That is what makes you so dangerous. You genuinely believe yourself to be a paragon of good in the swirling mire of evil, when in actuality, you are worse because people place their trust in you, only for you to reinforce the very things you believe you fight against.”
“Fuck you for thinking you are always right! How dare you think you have the right to judge me! You are an international terrorist that has killed thousands of people in an instant and you want to lecture me on being reckless, selfish, and oppressive?! Eat shit and fucking die!”
They both sat silently thinking over what the other had said. Though she did not know it, Codi ripped off the scab on a wound Anaar was certain would take decades to fully heal. Not a day went by where he did not agonize over what he had done in his life, but it had come to consume less and less of his time. This was the first instance someone else had brought up the Cuba incident and fully vilified him for it.
Codi tried her best to hide behind her façade of toughness, but despite her best efforts, there was no hiding from herself. Anaar’s comments about the mission and her selfishness had come to her through her own reflection, but to hear them spoken aloud by someone else invoked a different feeling. What startled her was his accusation of her devotion to the cause of equality. The deeper she thought about it however, the rose colored glasses she wore became clearer and clearer, providing a better look at her ideals and actions that truly influenced the cause. Anaar was the first to speak, as his was an ongoing battle he had extensive practice in recovering from.
“Considering very few people know about that, there is no question where you heard it from… You might imagine I am not pleased about his loose lips.”
Codi had completely forgotten how deeply buried that information was, and as a result immediately broken Phavian’s trust. “No! Wait… Please don’t be mad at him. We can’t all be like you and just lock away things so easily. It wasn’t like we were just walking to class and it came up in casual conversation. I haven’t seen Phave break down that bad… well ever, to be honest. He has really been struggling with it, and it rips him apart. I can’t blame him. It’s fucked me up too.”
Anaar was sure he never had experienced words knocking him to the floor emotionally. He now knew if nothing else, he was only impervious to things that affected his physical body. Gathering himself up, he probed Codi regarding her own feelings.
“What do you mean by that? What does it have to do with you?”
“You can’t be serious. I guess it doesn’t register to you because you are the monster in question, but knowledge that one person did that is beyond crippling. It is almost impossible to fathom such a monster could exist. It is utterly terrifying to think one person wields power on that scale. Like what can you do in the face of that? Where could you hide? What if you accidentally piss them off? Then you realize just how much of a heartless fuck they must be to kill all those people like nothing. I haven’t been able to look at you without some twinge of fear since I found out.”
“Then I know exactly when you learned about it. Suddenly you stopped coming around as much when I was there. I haven’t shocked by you even once since then. Actually, I have seen you want to shock me, and then shock someone else in my stead.”
“Fuck! You’ve noticed that?! I mean what was I supposed to do?! I knew you were a walking bomb, but knowing a little spark could literally and figuratively wipe us off the map was some shit I couldn’t risk, nor have on my conscience. I mean who could I talk to about it? I’d only be fucking with Phave’s head even more, so I just had to deal. I figured if Phave knew, so did Maggie, but I didn’t want to risk it, and end up fucking up yet another person. That shit is heavy.”
Anaar’s face fell, his head ever so slightly nodding. “I know. I never wanted to bring anyone into it, but it was already too late. I had never killed anyone intentionally before then, but living with the burden of taking any life as a child my age changes you. I already knew I had no problem taking a life, I have deliberately taken many since. The thing is, I always felt like I had some sort of code you know? People who deserved it. People who threaten those I care about. People on a contract. Something inside me still can’t bring myself to kill someone who I deem completely innocent or unrelated.”
“So that’s why you saved all those people. Confused the fuck out of them, but the alternative was them being vaporized. If I am being honest, in that moment, you threw all my feelings into disarray. You opened up the box by coming to rescue us. I started to wonder then if maybe you were not as evil as I thought. But when I saw you remotely trigger portals for everyone in that building, that cloying sense of impending doom grabbed me by the throat again because I was able to bear witness to that power I was so afraid of, even if it wasn’t destructive. At the same time though, you were doing it to save all those people, so you could help me finish my mission that I should have never taken in the first place! What the fuck am I supposed to think?!”
“I never realized people were so affected by me simply existing. Your main concern was the concentration of power in hands you found too dangerous and unstable. Now you seem to have come to a different conclusion about me though it seems.”
“Yeah… To be honest I called you here to thank you for saving me and to give you your share.”
“Keep it. I don’t need it, and realistically, neither do you. Why did you do this in the first place?”
“I guess Phave can keep some secrets after all. I’m trying to make myself independent from my family. I’ve gotten word they might be up to some sneaky shit. I’m trying to make it so I can fully tell them to fuck off if something goes to shit.”
Anaar nods in understanding. “I see. And you didn’t think this mission was the doing of your family?”
It was clear Codi had never considered this from the way her eyes bulged. “Where would you get an idea like that?!”
“You are the one who just implicated them in deeds that might not have your best interest at heart. Don’t you find everything to be too convenient? The planning was meticulous and targeted directly at you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it. Of all the missions you could take, how was this one in any way suited for someone who is essentially a rookie? They gave you minimal support and left all the logistics up to you for the most part which is bizarre. Most missions leave room to improvise based on variables, but they are pretty well mapped out. Did the person you work with try to talk you out of it using things that would only serve to incite you more?”
Codi bit her lip so hard it drew blood as she thought about her exchange with the woman she did not care for. “That bitch… She totally knew telling me I was going to fail was only going to make me more determined to take it!”
“As I thought. It wouldn’t do any good to set a trap without any way to properly corral you into it. Now let’s look at the op itself. No support, and objectives inside of objectives. Also, how realis
tic is it that the target you went to kill would be an Electrokinetic like you? There are probably only about 150 of you total on the planet. Those odds seemed way too extreme. I can only presume they felt using a Titan was not a sure enough plan. Not to mention why would there be so many people in the security squad that were resistant to yours and in this case, his powers? Who wants to be countered by their own security force?”
“There were way too many of those fuckers to be a coincidence…”
“Exactly. Of course they likely factored in Peter, but did not consider him much of a threat. Hence me finding him seconds away from dying. If I had agreed to go from the start, I would not be surprised to have seen measures against the skills they know I have. I haven’t been on a missions since coming out as a True Fire Quintessence, but I can imagine there would have been some targeted resistance.”
“So you are saying the whole thing was to kill me?”
“Yes and no. If I had to guess, it was something that would benefit them if you did manage to succeed. The expectation was that you would die, but if you made it through, it would have a positive effect, creating positive a situation regardless of the outcome. From what I have been able to dig up, that woman you rescued will be of immense value to your parents’ company.”
Codi trembled as the thought of her parents actively trying to kill her fully took form. They were manipulative, controlling, ignorant to her desires, and overall deplorable excuses for human beings, but she never once felt anything from them that would lead them to plot her death. She had been away for many years however, and she knew she could not put it past them.
“Thanks again for saving me and Petey’s asses. How in the fuck did you know just when to show up in the first place?”
“I had been monitoring the situation. I expected it to be doomed, but you would still push on. In that way you are very predictable.”
Codi squints her eyes and pouts. “Fucker. Still, I would be dead if it were not for you. Also, seeing the lengths you go for us, and how you don’t just kill people indiscriminately makes me feel a lot better. All that power is still scary as fuck, but it is at least comforting to know it is on my side. Can’t believe I let something with a dick make me feel so helpless…”
Anaar shook his head as he stood from the table to take his leave. “Sometimes I think you are hopeless. Oh, give Peter a bigger cut. That is the least you can do for almost ending his short life.”
Codi claps her hands and points at him as he is walking out. “Short! I see what you did there! Anaar making a funny!”
Anaar ignored her as he left the building, taking some time to simply enjoy the fresh air. On his walk back to his room, basking in the sunlight, he received a message from Codi. Opening it he could not help but chuckle as he read it.
“BTW. Fuck you for acing that Orgo exam. It was hard as shit, you inhuman fucker!”
By the time he had made it back to his room, he saw through the group chat that consisted of himself, Stefani, Maggie and Dan, the three of them had all agreed to have dinner together. It was so rare all of them ate together now that Anaar almost accepted, but he informed them that he had other plans. A flood of insults streamed through in response, but he had ignored them and set his Vizer to prevent disturbances.
He opened the door to his room, walking through until he came to the Entertainment Room. There he found Phavian, furiously pressing buttons and screaming into his headset. He was so engrossed in his game that he did not notice Anaar come in and sit down heavily next to him. When he turned and saw the look on Anaar’s face he immediately prepared himself for defense.
Anaar grabbed Phavian’s head, pulling it to his chest and running his fingers to his tight curls. “I’m sorry for being so self-absorbed that I refused to see just how much of a burden I had been putting on you. I realized that it was not only unbearable, but I forced you into a situation where there was no one to share the weight because of the need for secrecy and your desire to protect me. I know you are strong, but let me take back some of my weight off your shoulders.”
Phavian had dropped the controller to the floor, the headset askew, now hanging around his neck. Anaar could hear multiple people yelling at Phavian for being inactive and losing them the game. Neither Anaar, nor Phavian paid any attention to the annoyed screams as Anaar continued gently stroking Phavian’s head as he cradled it. The dam Phavian had erected to hold all the feelings in had burst as if Anaar himself had obliterated it with his might. With no thought given to eating, sleeping, or anything else, Anaar spent the rest of the night holding Phavian, allowing him the much needed vulnerability and succor that had been long overdue.
22
The kitchen was a delicious symphony of aromas as Anaar scurried around preparing snacks. Using his meeting as an excuse to force Harston to take a much needed vacation, he happily continued his preparations. Now that he actually had the abilities of a Fire affinity, he found it much easier to thwart Phavian’s attempts to steal food throughout the process. He sensed one such moment when Phavian slinked sweetly into the kitchen, kissing him on the neck as he cooked. Much to Phavian’s dismay, he was pushed hard enough that he went sprawling onto the floor in the hallway.
“Ouch! Why do you have to be so rough?! All I wanted was a little taste! Why do you go through all this trouble when Stef comes over anyway?”
Anaar continues his work, responding absently as he roasted peppers with flames from his hand. “This isn’t just a social call. This is setting in stone the upcoming concert. You know how Stefani is during this time period. She becomes hyperaggressive, and there is a chance we would not be taking a break, so it is best to have food prepared ahead of time. This will make her happy and make sure we don’t waste away in the process.”
Phavian stands from the floor, rubbing his backside as he inched his way back into the kitchen. “You have really taken to these new powers of yours. Why do you even bother with appliances anymore?”
“The same reason why I walk anywhere, or take showers… Just because I have other means, doesn’t make doing things in a normal fashion obsolete. It isn’t like I have thrown out the freezer and made you take its place.”
“That’s because it wouldn’t make any sense. Only you have such absurd control over your powers that it would even be feasible. Don’t pull me into your impossible expectations and nonsense.”
Anaar grumbles under his breath whilst continuing his work. Phavian decided to try his luck on something that was already prepared and sitting on the island, when he felt something dragging him out of the kitchen. A startled glance showed a water construct similar in make to the paper figure Dan utilized.
“When did you even make this thing?!”
Anaar continued to ignore Phavian’s complaints and struggles as his voice moved farther into the Living Room. Something caught Anaar’s attention as he was finishing up his cooking. Before he had a chance to investigate, the door chimed and Phavian rushed to answer it, anxious for the proceedings to begin so he would gain access to all the tasty treats he had been denied. When he opened the door, he was instead treated to a surprise.
“Stef! I’m so glad you are finally… Deakin! What… are you doing here?”
Stefani pushed past a starry-eyed Deakin to give Phavian a quick hug before entering completely. She then reached back and dragged Deakin inside, a practice that looked as if it were performed far too often. Phavian did not keep up with the orbital relationships of his friends very much, with him only knowing so much about Pryshka because of Codi’s penchant for oversharing. He knew of Deakin, but he did not think it was serious enough for Stefani to bring him along. Smiling as he closed the door, he heard a squeal behind him.
Stefani ran up to Anaar, hanging from his neck in excitement. “I have so many things I know you will love! I have been up all night preparing for this! I only had four shots of expresso! Please forgive me if I seem a bit sluggish!”
Anaar grinned as Stefani released his neck. He then ey
ed Deakin, the additional person he was sensing being who he expected. Though they had only recently become official, Deakin chose to follow Stefani around wherever she went. If she had the strength and a bag large enough, Anaar was sure she would be carrying him around in her purse like a teacup poodle.
Though he was not surprised to see Deakin, it appeared Phavian did not share his feelings. Anaar also wondered why he was there, as Deakin’s primary reason for constantly being in Stefani’s presence was because he was deathly afraid one of her other admirers would steal her while he was not looking. It seemed odd that he would feel the need to accompany her to see him, considering he made Anaar swear to help protect Stefani’s honor. Anaar remembered how awkward the exchange was, and how he was positive it was Deakin’s honor, not Stefani’s that was in jeopardy, but in the spirit of being accepting, he had wordlessly agreed.
Awakening from his stupor, Deakin spins around gleefully. “This place is amazing! As to be expected from the undisputed king of the school!”
Anaar notices the twitch in Phavian’s eye and immediately clasps Deakin on the shoulder, guiding him away. “Why don’t I show you around since it is your first time here.”
Phavian follows the two with his eyes as they depart, his stone-faced gaze only softening once Anaar shot him a knowing look. The unspoken ‘play nice’ rumbled around in his brain until he finally gave up, turning to Stefani with a sigh. She grabbed his arm and sat him down on one of the sofas.
“Do you know why I wanted to meet here?!”
Phavian looked at Stefani confused, surprised by the vicegrip on his arm and overflowing enthusiasm. “Because you wanted to get rid of your… boyfriend… but failed?”
Revelations (Song of Sophangence Book 4) Page 40
