Capes 1: Charge

Chapter 35

"Lockey, I want you to stay here for now. Your Auntie Amora is coming, okay?" Greta held her son's shoulder, making him understand that he would be safe inside the house and with his aunt. Looking terribly scared, her seven-year-old kid doesn't seem to understand what is happening, especially the root of these events. "Tell me, what are you going to do?"

"Stay. . . Here. . ." stuttering, trying to find the words, the young kid tried composing himself, but he was just a kid. I haven't had a harsh grasp of the cruelty that has been happening. 

"Okay, okay. Good boy. . . Don't move, okay? Don't go anywhere else until your Aunt Amora comes here."

Lockey nodded even though confusion was all over his head.

"I'm gonna go now. . . I'll be back. . ."

He watched his mother go out of the front door. As he was told to stay where he was, he didn't leave his position after an hour, his aunt came to their house rushing to the kid who just turned seven today. It was supposed to be a day of celebration, but things didn't go as it supposed to.

"How are you, kiddo?" Amora asked. Hindi naman sumagot si Lockey kung hindi ay tiningnan lamang nito. "Okay, you'll be fine. . . Babalik din si Mommy mo. . . Do you want something else to do?"

Napakibit balikat naman si Lockey. "Where's papa?"

Amora was left astounded by his question. Hindi naman niya alam kung anong gagawin niya at anong sasabihin sa pamangkin. She was clearly out of words as she knew what happened to Ozzie. It was basically all over the news and the whole world knows that Ozzie was the Flicker. Now that the people in Summit City have discovered his true identity, it is highly probable that the government will come to their family.

"I know what to do!" Amora said, trying to set the mood light and lively. That was the only thing she had in mind to accompany her sister's kid as if this would make something up against what was happening, but she was hoping this would lessen the problem. "Why don't we just open your gifts? That would be lovely, right? Come on, let's go get those gifts!"

Amora grabbed his hand and brought him into his room. She let him stay there while she grabbed the gifts in the backyard. She was still devastated to see the outcome of what happened. She was at Lockey's birthday party and saw how it all unfolded. She was so scared that she thought she would die. She just ran away not knowing what would happen to her sister and everyone at the party.

It was chaotic.

She took a deep breath and tried to forget the mess they made. She just started picking up all the gifts that were all over the floor. Some were already broken. She just took all the gifts that Lockey could still open by himself. Amora had a few runs going back and forth to have all the gifts to Lockey and when she got it all, she let Lockey unwrapped it. At that moment, she watched the kid peel off the gift wrappers with excitement in his eyes. Amora tried not to cry, but her chest was filled with a lot of emotions.

"Did you like it?" she asked, and tears just flowed out of her eyes. She quickly wiped them for Lockey not see them. "You've got lovely gifts!"

While Amora was busy accompanying Lockey, back to the CAPES academy, the people there just started learning about the capture of Ozzie. 

"What can we do?" Erling asked, but no one was able to answer his question. "This is fuck. We should go to Summit City and save Ozzie. This wasn't fair. What about his family?"

"His wife and their child are safe," a faculty staff answered. "I understand what you are feeling right now. We're too devastated to learn this graveling news, but we can't just go to Summit City and let them know we are saving them because we just can't stop them. . . We might have an ability that normal people can't do, but they also have the power to stop us."

Erling was disappointed knowing that the CAPES wouldn't do such a thing to save his best friend.

"I'll do it alone," Erling said, standing up on his feet, but before he could even leave the room, he was stopped by the faculty who even threatened him to be locked in the cell room if he would do such a thing against their order.

"We have to wait for the headmaster's word," the faculty staff said. "We can't just leave for now. . ."

They were left in despair. Erling sat back on his chair knowing that his best friend could be killed by the government now.

Later in the day, Amora was still waiting for her sister to come home. Lockey fell asleep in the bedroom. She stayed with the kid whom she was sorry for. She tried calling Greta, but she wasn't picking up her calls. Even for a few times, it just all went through voicemail.

Nine in the evening, out of the Mayor's office, Greta was found waiting for Mayor Nicholson. As soon as she found him coming out of the premises, she started calling him and all the security started moving her away, but the mayor soon realized that it was the wife of the abomination that was caught today, he whispered something to one his security leading to talk to her.

"You're coming with me. . ." 

"Why? Why should I come with you?"

"The Mayor wanted to talk to you. . ."

"We can talk here. . ."

"I'm afraid that is not going to happen. . ."

Napabitaw nang malalim na hininga si Greta. "Fine. . ."

Hinawakan ng security guard sa braso si Greta at ipinasok ito sa loob ng sasakyan kung nasaan lulan si Mayor Nicholson. kahit na hindi niya alam kung anong gagawin niya, she knew that at the point, she had to do it for the sake of her husband.

The moment Greta got in the Mayor's car, she never came back home and Lockey waited forever hoping to see Mother once again. But never did. Not a word.

***