Extraordinary Mistakes II - Blood Ties

Hide behind nuances

Jade is in her room reading the latest speech that Jessica Miller sent her. She keeps shaking her head at every new sentence. Nothing but inflammatory nonsense. Asking for deviants to be more responsible, asking for the members of Congress to legalize the use of the bracelet nationwide, pleading all in an emotional tone. Wishing that Emily would come back safely. Promising that she'll be the one to kill the Angel of Death having the opportunity.

What's your angle here, Jessica?

Jade wants to kill her, sure. Maybe not kill her, but at least bring her to justice. But the speech itself seems to aim to anger humans against her kind. Shifting all the blame to deviants who don't stop the terrorists, as if they had the means. As if the regular folks could stand a chance, as if they supported the terrorists.

She knows it in her heart that this is nothing but another move carefully thought out from a playbook. That Jessica Miller wrote the speech with a purpose.

What's your goal? Just the bracelet?

Jessica Miller cares only about results and she's good at it. Her marketing campaigns are always heavily emotional. She's not a leader, but she gets things done. Jade has noticed it.

Jade gets up. No... Jessica is doing someone's bidding. She walks around the room, still with her tablet in hand, rereading it again.

She sits by the balcony, reads another sentence and puts the tablet away. Then who? If not Jessica... Madeleine? Jade shakes her head and laughs. Dumb, uber-rich, shallow Madeleine doesn't have the mental capacity. She's just a spoiled child with too much time on her hands. Madeleine has no plan of her own. She's following someone else's orders. But who?

Jade's phone rings. It's Jessica Miller. She looks at it and turns it face down. In 10 minutes, Madeleine will text her too. The dream team, Madeleine and Jessica.

Most likely the President... Jade knows that her stance on deviants is sugar-coated and coded. Always apologizing for misusing words. You never truly mean those derogatory terms. It's always everyone else that misinterprets you.

Jade grabs the phone again. Two missed calls from Jessica, a text from Madeleine. She scrolls through social media. There are already several posts downplaying the attacks on the students.

Whoever is behind this, I can't be a part of it. Can't be someone's puppet. Not if it costs lives. Being number one is a sham. I knew it, but it really has no value.

She puts down her phone and stares at the wall, only to pick it up again and call the president of the Kenyan institute.

***

Across town, Abigail and Ánh are in the living room. Abigail paces back and forth.

"Abigail..." Ánh tries to stop her.

"I'm not ready to see them, Ánh."

"Tell that to Rachel. You don't have to go. Not today."

Abigail sits on the couch and takes several short breaths in and out. "I can't keep postponing this. The children need to go home."

Alex and Rachel open the door and see Abigail shaking.

"Oh, dearest..." Alex shakes his head. "She's second guessing meeting her parents."

"Don't read her mind!" Rachel tells him.

"It's obvious, sis. I didn't have to."

"We don't have to go. We'll find some other solution." Rachel says and Ánh smiles at her.

Alex laughs, "we all make sacrifices. The children need to go home! Well, we don't need her. Let's go just us, Rachel. I'll order them to do as we say."