Volume VI: And Introducing Harley Morrow As - Herself

19. Requiem for the Lost

        We had our big get-together of sorts later on, sometime in the late night/early morning time of day. This way, the bar was closed and we could hang out as much as we wanted. Pandora had elected someone else in charge, just in case. Something was up - everyone knew it. You could feel the tension in the air. If you were lucky, you could cut it. The family was together.

        The deal with Gothik...he was turning into Doyle. He was at the point where he didn’t care and he’d do whatever needed to be done. And he didn’t play fair. I don’t know what changed in him, when, why or how, or maybe if it was me. He was my other half most of the time. But as I got older, I found that I couldn’t stand to be around him. The thought of him sent shivers down my spine. He stood in the corner alone. Doyle had beaten him up for losing control. For hitting me. Doyle was protecting me from another version of himself.

        Pandora stood opposite him. They were like columns, rigid in their composure; they weren’t expected to talk unless they absolutely had to. Serkis was curled up in Layne’s lap, as expected. Requiem was with Cassidy. Grey was lurking around, fidgeting like a child. He stayed near me most of the time. We all stood around and stared at each other for a while.

        “So, what brings us to this pleasurable reunion?” Requiem questioned. She yawned and curled back up with Cassidy. He was holding her tighter than usual. Serkis got up slowly and moved to the center of the room, spinning to address everyone.

        “A lot’s gone on lately. We’re all stressed. We’re all in some sort of pain. I figure that we should celebrate.”

        “Celebrate?” Requiem sounded skeptical, but in a sing-song kind of way. She was asking questions because she was supposed to, not because she actually cared. A trip to the clouds would suit her just fine.

        “Cassidy’s whipped up a fun batch of stuff, special for the occasion. And this is a new beginning. Being as how the kid’s all grown up, big and 18 and all now, we should restate the obvious.” Serkis stopped to look around. “Everybody gets fixed."

              I looked at the crew. This was their idea of proving devotion? No. This was trust. Getting screwed up and hanging out with your family in the hopes that they’ll protect you. I knew this game. I knew just what was going on. I didn’t want to play. From the look on Pandora’s face, I don’t think she wanted to either. Her and I were on the same wavelength - we didn’t take well to chemical persuasion. Serkis was smiling, there was more to this.

        “Come on. And as a test of our good faith, nobody helps themselves. Family takes care of each other. We up for it?”

        Nobody agreed or disagreed. We all knew without saying that Serkis would get her way, she always did. I felt uneasy, and I saw the others all shift as well. But it would get done. Everybody sat down in little groups, trying to get comfortable. Layne and Serkis. Cassidy and Requiem. Grey decided to stay with Pandora. And that left me with him. Gothik.

        Cassidy went, got his tools, and came back. He smiled wide as he did it. He sat down behind Requiem, like he did with me. She was first. We weren’t going to start until he was through with her. I knew this game. Something was wrong here. He kissed her on the cheek and worked on her quietly. She smiled a little back at him with her head back against his shoulder. And he shot her up. She didn’t even flinch. Funny - the needle had come from one of Cassidy’s pockets, whereas the rest were kept in a little bag altogether. Cute.

        We watched, one by one, overlapping. Requiem wasn’t gone enough yet to prevent her from handling Cassidy. Pandora and Grey got through without a hitch. Serkis got Layne. And I sat there with Gothik. I didn’t know what I was doing. Serkis wasn’t gone yet. She came over to us. She looked from one to the other, and finally consented to take care of Gothik herself. She pushed me away from him slowly, moving into a corner.