Capes

Chapter Thirty Seven

| TO FALL INTO PLACE |

"NO."  Milana said instantly and Trent could see Paige tense up.  "She's dangerous."

They were arguing in Trent's suite.  Luckily it wasn't on the side of the hotel that had been targeted by the bomb the Puppeteer had placed, likely through an employee- controlling them with her singing- so she wouldn't be spotted.  Milana sat on the maroon couch with Greer and Trent's other siblings were scattered throughout, either on armchairs they had brought from their own rooms or sitting on the floor.

Paige stood before them and Blake was behind her, leaning against the quartz countertop that jutted out from the kitchen.  Stools were placed beneath the counter, used as another eating place besides the table that was in the kitchen, around the corner.

"Anna didn't know what she was doing.  Please just let me try to talk to her."  Paige pleaded.

"Talk to her?"  Milana scoffed.  "You tried talking to her.  Several times.  I think she's made it pretty clear that talking is out of the question."

Trent could see the despair Paige was falling prey to.  She couldn't claw her way to the surface before it swallowed her whole.  "But-"

"Paige, she threw you off of a building."  Bry reminded her quietly.

"She wasn't herself," Paige insisted.  Trent saw the wheels at work in her head asking things like; why couldn't they see it the way she did?  Paige may have known the damage Anna had done as the Puppeteer but she had convinced herself that Anna wasn't that person.  She pinned the blame elsewhere, on something controlling her.  "Anna would never do this if she were in her right mind."

So that meant she wouldn't have thrown Paige off of a building nor put Greer's left arm in a sling.  Paige had deluded herself into believing there was a part of Anna that was salvageable.  The rest of the heroes couldn't say they agreed.

Milana's angered expression only hardened.  It would be impossible to get through to her, Trent knew that without having to delve into reasons why she was mad.  She was wired to protect Glass Heights and eliminate threats.  And that was what Paige's friend Anna was to this team and everyone else living their lives out in the city, innocent with their hands clean in this mess.

Even an appeal to the rest of the siblings wouldn't work.  Not after the devastation they had just seen and experienced.  Trent, as much as he liked Anna and knew hurting her would hurt Paige and Halle and Blake, admitted she was bad for this city.  Dangerous and violently unpredictable.

"But don't you get it; that psychotic chick isn't in her right mind."  Milana hissed.

She hit a nerve there.  Trent watched as Paige scowled and her hands made fists.  "Anna is not psychotic."

"Were you at the same explosion as us?"  Ranger asked then, his voice teeming with plenty of sarcasm Paige wasn't too happy to have in the moment.  She glared at him and he put his hands up in surrender whilst Maddox and Everli came to his side to defend him.  "Hey, just asking."

"Well don't."  Paige told him then looked over to Milana.  She was sitting close to Greer and her arm was wrapped protectively around her waist.