Amanita: Poison Shot

Chapter 87: It's the How, Not the What

"We've told Agape everything," Sigi replied whispering.

Then, he checked on my father from the corner of his eyes just in case. I did so too. I didn't want him to overhear anything, but I had nothing to worry about. He was fully concentrated on watching the news.

"Everything that's happened," he went on. "Just as you wanted, I've let Gabi talk and they've all listened. It's appalling, what Apollo's done and what he plans to do." His serious demeanour mixed with his sadness just like water and soap, making his concerns bubble up on his face. "Agape agrees to get ready for an imminent attack from a group of beasts, whatever they might be, but she's royally pissed at you, Daphne."

"Saw that one coming from a mile away anyway." My reply was cynical, like the good old me before my nanochip got hacked. I went on washing the dishes just because I badly needed something to give me some sense of normalcy.

"She's angry at Taro, too." I turned my face to him instinctively. I hadn't seen that coming.

"Really?"

"He shouldn't have said and done all that," he added while rinsing the next dish. "Agape wants him to apologise to you... but..."

"But?" He was killing me with that hesitation of his.

"You have to swear your loyalty to Agape... in front of everyone in the group. She wants you to stop saying nonsense, she's said, and acting as if you didn't respect her."

Those sentences hit me like a tsunami. I could feel Agape's cold and threatening waters assaulting my whole body and soul with those fateful words. I felt dizzy, but I managed to calm myself down by grabbing the counter with both my soap-covered hands.

"No, I'm not doing it." I saw how my assertiveness left Sigi thunderstruck. His eyes were heavily fixed on mine; his mouth, partly open. The tap water kept on flowing down the drain while the TV presenter went on with the news, filling the silence between us.

"She won't tolerate any more defiance from you. I'm scared that..." He was finding it hard to go on. He had left the dish on the rack and was already clenching his fists badly. "I don't want her to get any ideas that she should actually get rid of you. Just say the words even though you might not mean them, just to make her happy, please." He seemed in physical pain when he said that last bit.

"No, I'm not doing it." I felt a wildfire vividly burning inside my brain. "No one should do it. Her ideas and methods are too dangerous."

I was so engrossed in our whispered conversation that I almost didn't hear my father singing to the TV. He was doing so at a very low volume. Sigi noticed it too. Both of us had our heads turned to him, then.

I couldn't make out the words, though.

I closed the tap. Still nothing.

The strange part was, though, that there was no music on TV at that moment. It was just the news. Old, boring news on an old, boring TV. Sigi was frowning slightly at that just as I was.

We went back to washing the dishes.

"You think her ideas and methods are too dangerous?" he went on, whispering darkly. "You've got no idea how bad she is, Daphne. You don't know half the story."

The iceberg that got the Titanic sunk wasn't as cold as the blood running through my veins at that moment. I stared at Sigi in disbelief.

"Our main goal." His burning eyes were searing the back of my eyes while he talked. His brown bangs kept getting in the way of his eyes. "It's worse than you might imagine."