THE PRODIGIES

Chapter XXXVII

Coming back to reality doesn't mean waking up from a dream or being interrupted from a careless thought anymore. Recently it's been feeling like I'm coming back to life. It's almost like I'm being born again. My thoughts on life have shifted slightly. Whenever I come from the depths of a person's brain, I feel like parts of myself have disappeared. There's this empty feeling as soon as I cross that threshold between my reality and someone else's. Like my life has been paused and I'm not truly living until I come back to myself. And the more I use this power, the less I recognize myself and that's scarier than blindly wandering through someone's memories.

When the enormous room starts making its way back into my view, I have to tell myself to remain calm. I'm about to look Mr. Axel in his eyes and I just hope the fire that's burning inside of me stays contained long enough for me to tell him how I feel.

I wish I could've seen the moment he decided that he would give all of his loyalty to the SFA and abandon his humility. There had to be something that solidified his decision. If I were to know that, then maybe I could be more sympathetic because I would like to believe that he has a heart. But sometimes people are too far gone. Their motivations and desires can cloud their judgment so easily and for Mr. Axel, I know that he's too far gone. He's a meticulous and intelligent man. Everything that's happened so far was planned in advance. My dad's murder. Hunting us down in Hillcrest. Murdering Michael along with the rest of the Warner Valley workers. Using every single one of us and for what? What was it all for?

As soon as I'm able to clearly see, I stand up straight and watch as Chance makes his way to position himself behind his grandfather. But this Chance looks a tad bit more recognizable. Only for a split second. Then he changes back into a stranger again.

"Now do you understand? My assign-"

"I understand that you cling onto the SFA because that's all you know. It's pathetic. But as far as understanding why you killed my dad and why you dragged me and my sisters into this, no, I don't understand."

I interrupt him because I can't stand to listen to him validate his twisted choices.

I see Mr. Axel clinch his jaw before he replies.

"Well let me be blunt. I killed your dad because he was getting close to finding out the truth about your mom. He was looking into the SFA and got in contact with Zemmi Richardson."

I nod for him to continue.

"As for the reason you and your sisters became involved.... That's all because of your mom's 'death'. The SFA had been hunting down your mom and Dr. Richardson for years for two different reasons. Let me start with your mother first. So your mom still had lyxina running through her. She was the last piece of evidence that connects the SFA to Project PC. But after your mom was located in Hillcrest, we decided not to extract the lyxina. By then she had become Angel Lux and the extraction would only raise questions at that point, but we still always had her under surveillance until she went dark. She still managed to be Angel Lux while going undetected by the SFA up until her 'death'."

He keeps putting emphasis when he mentions my mom's death. He still doesn't think she's dead. I don't know what I think at this point.

"Still waiting for you to get to the part where me and my sisters come in." I sigh.

He holds his hand up, signally for me to wait.

"And as for Dr. Richardson, there were too many questions surrounding the first vaccine she brought to us. Plus, she owed us at least 100 more vials of that vaccine. We were never able to locate her until we started monitoring your dad. He led us to her but priorities changed and we lost her again. She's working for another country and she's using the vaccine she gave us to help them build soldiers so that they can start a war with the United States. The leader of that country wants to turn us into a communist country."