Telestic (The Transcendent File_002)

24. Let's talk business

"Fight to live another day or live another day to fight? Two choices. What's it going to be?"

- Transcendent Book of Life

Without a care in the world, I stroll through the freshly-painted hunter green front door. On one arm, I notice my Cinderella blue coach bag. In the other arm, I have a stack of lengthy books to read. Add that to my list of things to do on top of not dying. Plopping my keys down on the granite side table, I look up to see faces charging at me. Without a moment to settle down, I am attacked with a series of questions. "What the bloody hell, Em?" screeches Nikki as she scuttles over and begins examining me.

Let the doctoring begin. Ugh! With the copious amounts of stress I'm under, no wonder I have a migraine. Batting her hand away, I mumble "I'm fine. I'm fine. Didn't you know? I am a force to reckon with. He waged war on the wrong Transcendent."

"He did this?" questions Mikey as he raises an eyebrow in my direction; awaiting my response. Irritation dug at my throat as someone took a sledge hammer to head. In an annoyed yet sarcastic voice, I replied with, "No the gingerbread man did. Yes, he did this."

"What'd he say? Something cheesy?" wonders Poppy as she sits crisscross apple sauce on the floor; looking like a spoiled little kid waiting for a story to be told. My story that is. "He told me that he is chuffed that my son is dead. That I'd be a terrible mother." She stops to think for only a second and wonders, "And you did what? Bat your eyelashes and say something trite?"

"No, I almost took the house down. A sonic wave lurched out of my hand." In a flash, Poppy is clapping her hands as if I was just endowed the bad-ass Transcendent award. "I'm rubbing off on you. That's a good thing. Lover boy, do you have anything to add on this tumultuous occasion?" His cold eyes flash towards Poppy as he rolls his eyes and scoots off the stool. Something is bothering him. Eating him from the inside out and there's nothing I can do to help better the situation. We're not dating anymore. We're not impending parents. We're nothing.

Without warning, he walks to the door and turns to me and says, "If you're turning into Poppy...the same person that caused us to lose our son...I don't want to be a part of any of it; and I indubitably don't want to be with you. Make sure you understand what you're losing and what you stand to gain depending on your choices. Later." Then he slides out the door leaving me to figure out everything while being injured.

My arms were scathed in cuts and bruises while I had a mild laceration on my forehead. "You've looked better." Smiles Nikki as she hands me a damp washcloth. "Why'd you go to mom and dad's place?" Taking the salmon-colored cloth out of her hand, I return the smile and say, "Mom and dad, eh?"

"Stop. You know what I mean. Why were you there? I'm sure it wasn't for waffles and family time." Sarcastically asks Nikki as she waits for my response. "Maybe it was? Except mom was baking snickerdoodles. They are to die for. No, I went to inform them that the dark prince has awoken and that we know who it is. They didn't take it well at first."

"Can you blame them? Finding out that Matty's alive? Yeah, that's sure to put them in the suitable mood. Telling them that this plan was always in motion since before Matty's duplicitous death? Granted, it's sheer genius if you ask me. Informing them that Matty is the dark prince – well that's a hard pill to swallow – especially for parents like ours." Jokes Nikki with an encouraging smile splashed across her face. She's right. With everything that has gone down in the last two years; my parents have the right to freak out a little. I mean, we blamed my dad for Matty's death. How can I ever look at him the same way knowing that he could be rotting in jail because of me; if it weren't for this bloody war going on? Here's what my darling brother has going for himself: He's falsehearted. A mad man. And most of all...Matty is dead to me.