Into The Depths

What Lies Beneath

     A beach day.

     The others had suggested it upon noticing the silence between Deity and Zane.

     They didn't know what caused it, but when Cole saw Deity breaking down on the bed after Zane left, he'd immediately tried to comfort her. Questions were asked, but Zane was absolved of any guilt.

     Zane didn't feel absolved. He felt...strange. How could he have forgotten? True..he didn't remember most of his life from before his father had flipped his memory switch decades ago, but...this felt like he should've known. They both acted similar. Editia and Deity were both terribly headstrong-and she likely inherited her softhearted nature from her as well. Could he be sure? No. Silently packing the picnic basket for the beach as he stood in the kitchen, he paused.

     A memory of the time Deity had been hypnotized by Hypnobrai due to his own negligence and fears was surfacing.

     They'd called her the new Nightingale, and said she would be putting her mother's skills to better use.

     Deity had been deadly, then. Accurate precision with intent to kill, though she wasn't acting of her own free will.

     Why? Why had they said those things? Surely Editia hadn't become an...

     No.

     His grip tightened on the cloth in his hands. Surely not. Though...the evidence was there. Zane sighed and packed the cloth into the basket, shutting the lid. "Whatever happened to you after we met, Editia?"

     The kitchen door creaked open, Cole coming in and opening the fridge to grab a bottle of water to take with him to the beach. "What happened to who, Zane?"

     Zane shook his head. "I was...thinking about Deity's mother. Do you remember when Deity was hypnotized? What the snakes said?"

     Cole tensed slightly, water bottle crinkling under his grip. "Yeah...I remember when she was, and what they said. I..don't know who her mother was, she didn't say much after the hypnosis bit...or when we went to her childhood home over a year and a half ago during Day of The Departed. She just talked about the storm.."

     "...Is that where you two went?" Zane was silent for a moment. "I see..." He rubbed his face. "Well, today is a day to relax and keep our mind off things, hm?" He wanted to end this conversation before Cole got suspicious about how Zane knew Editia.

     Cole nodded. "You're right, Zane. Hey...I ain't mad at you for causing her to cry." He patted Zane on the back reassuringly as he walked past and out of the kitchen. "It's a painful memory for her. You were trying to give her an innocent gift. I'm gonna go check and see if Deity and the others are ready."

     When Cole left, Zane stared at the basket in thought.