The rational side of Phoenix had already gotten over the shocking news. That was the side that believed there was nothing he could do about this, because even though he now knew he had two siblings, what else did he know? Nothing. He didn't know why his parents never told him, he didn't know what happened to Jack and Eleanor, he didn't know where they were, and he didn't know if he would ever find out. With all these unknowns, he should accept defeat and move on like nothing changed.
But the rational side of him was nothing compared to the overwhelming sadness he felt.
Instead of moving on, he was sitting on the floor and flipping through old family photo albums. He'd brought them along when he moved here, but they'd sat in the closet collecting dust. Now, he turned the pages carefully, not wanting to miss anything.
"Phoenix?"
He jumped out of his skin. Tara was standing in the kitchen, awkwardly rubbing her elbow. His eyes instinctively dropped to her feet to check for tracker boots, but she wasn't wearing any. Even if she was, it wouldn't matter—they weren't after him anymore. He was still getting used to that.
"How did you get in?" he asked when his heart rate dropped back to normal.
"Your window was open." She pointed at it. "I thought I'd come and see how you were doing."
He had a guess as to why. "Did Kate tell you?"
"Yeah. We're a tight group, news gets out." She paused. "I'm sorry if you didn't want anyone to know. I can leave if you want."
"No, it's alright. I don't mind."
Tara was silent for a moment. Then she asked, "Are you looking for them?"
Phoenix nodded. He was searching for any sign of Jack and Eleanor, but there was nothing. Not even a single photo that seemed like it could be them. He wasn't expecting to find much, but it was still disheartening to know that no trace of them existed aside from those birth certificates.
"Can I look?" she asked, sitting on the couch and reaching for an album.
He nodded again, and she flipped through a few pages before turning it over to show him.
"Is this your sister?" she asked, tapping a photo. It was of a cherry blossom tree, and in front of it stood a girl with brown hair dyed hot pink at the ends and a wide grin that was borderline demonic.
He smiled. "That's her."
"Did she have powers, too?"
"No," he replied. Their powers weren't hereditary. It was a rare coincidence that both he and their mom were superhumans; Alexa and their dad were normal.
When Tara was done looking, she closed the album and gently brushed the dust off the cover. She was acting the same way Kate had at the early morning meeting: delicate, careful, and stalling with silence.
"Do you think they're dead?" she asked finally.
The question was cautious, and it didn't need to be. He was ready with an answer. "Yeah," he said calmly. "I mean, I don't know for sure, but...I don't think they made it past infancy. There's no other explanation as to why I never met them, and why my parents never mentioned them. Maybe it was just too painful."
Tara mumbled something under her breath.
"What was that?" he asked.
She hesitated, but ultimately she leaned forward and whispered, "They don't have to be dead."
He leaned forward, too. "Why are we whispering?"
She laughed a little. "Serious moments mean serious tones."
YOU ARE READING
The League
Science Fiction{Original Story} Phoenix Anderson wants nothing to do with the League of Superheroes. He's not sure why he's avoiding the good guys, but then again, there's a lot he doesn't know. Like the fact that his family history is a lot stranger than it seem...
