*The Chronicles of F.R.E.E. Atania's Knight - Raquel Festow* Part 2

Chapter 20 - Disrupted Tournament

*Ruth Watson POV*

Rebecca didn't come back in time for lunch. She announced her return by bursting into the hall, knocking the doors off the hinges, just as everyone was finishing up.
The hall went dead silent as Rebecca marched towards the barracks with a face of thunder and her fists clenched.
Micha exchanged a sorrowful look with Natalia and Feng. I looked at Raquel, who was sitting beside Hunter opposite.
"This isn't good." I muttered to her.
"She's fucking furious, Watson. She's about to have an emotional outburst if she isn't careful." Raquel said, looking towards the doors to the barracks behind me.
"It's really odd when you swear." Hunter told her, trying to ease the tension.
Rebecca stormed back out from the barracks, carrying two bags. When she got to the hall exit, she flung them outside, shrieking hysterically in Neonian and pointing at Jarod and Oren who were just out of sight. Jarod started yelling back at her but she withdrew her flashing red blade and stormed outside towards them.
Everyone in the hall listened apprehensively to Rebecca screaming at them, getting all the more angry with every word. Although we couldn't understand her, we could guess what she was saying. 'Goaxaw' was mentioned a lot, but it was hard to guess if it was about their god or Jarod.
There was two flashes of light and Rebecca returned, breathing heavily and pinching the bridge of her nose, MoonShadow back in its sheath. Natalia slowly rose out of her seat, staring at Rebecca with wide, worried eyes.
"My love?" She asked, her small voice echoing You  around the hall. "My love, are you alright?"
Rebecca pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to Feng.
"They're the used ones." She told him, emotionlessly, looking at him and Micha with a sorrowful, torn look. "I'm so sorry, boys."
Micha stood up and hugged his mother, tightly, mumbling something into her ear.
"Where have they gone?" Natalia asked her, looking outside.
"Back to Neonia. To stay, this time, and never return!" Rebecca said, coldly. "I apologise, everyone." She said, louder, turning to address us all. "The tournament is being rearranged. Girls, meeting... please." Her voice trailed off to barely a whisper.
I stood up with Raquel and Rhianna, exchanging alarmed looks with them.
"Be back soon." I told Darren, kissing him on the cheek.
The Seven lookalikes went up to the office and stood still, waiting for Rebecca to start.
"Get out your schedules please." Rebecca said, quietly. I pulled the scroll from my belt and unfurled it. "Remove Micha and Oren from the list. Everyone left over will move up two spaces." She told us, pulling out a quill and scratching away at her own schedule.
I did the same, taking a quill from the broken desk, dipping it in the ink.

Rebecca - Raquel
Rhianna - Tommy
Ruth - Harry
Ruby - Clara
Regina - Xavier
Rosalie - Jane
Rebecca - Sharon Dean
Rhianna - Jennifer
Ruth - Hank
Ruby - Sharon Monty
Regina - Danielle
Rosalie - Alex
Rebecca - Fiona
Rhianna - Fabian
Ruth - Robin
Ruby - Daniel
Regina - Phillip
Rosalie - Steve
Rebecca - Maria

I looked at the new list, selfishly pleased with it. I now had Harry, Sawyer and Green. My three closest friends.
"Why isn't Micha going to compete though?" Rhianna asked. "Surely he still needs to?"
"He will need to be on Secrunerth to be kept safe. He won't be joining to fight, he'll be with Feng." Rebecca replied, flatly.
I stared at Raquel. Kept safe? Micha was right!
Everyone returned their quills and left the office one by one. Soon, only me and Rebecca were left.
"Beccs, I'm sorry. I thought they would accept Micha and Feng." I said, quietly as I put my quill back.
Rebecca looked up at me, sadly. "Ruth... the sad fact is... Oren and Jarod are too alike in some ways. Oren is ashamed to have me as a mother, while Jarod is ashamed to have Micha as his son. He accepted that him and I wouldn't work, but wanted to stay with me because he felt... obligated to look after me when I had the boys and went through hell to get them here." She stood up and looked towards the window. "They went back to Neonia together because 'they wanted nothing to do with us anymore'. I told Jarod to destroy their watches when they got back, and they will never be welcomed back in Secrunerth with that attitude. I've got their phones here." She pulled them out of her pocket and looked down at them. "I can't believe they would just walk away from the family because one more of us is like me..."
My eyes started to sting as I vainly tried to hold back the tears. I wrapped my arms around Rebecca's shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. Rebecca's
walls crumbled away and sobbed into my shoulder. We both slumped down to our knees and I let her get it all out of her system, stroking her head and whispering comfort to her.
Eventually, she pulled away and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. The last thing you need is me putting more burdens on your shoulders."
I shook my head at her. "No, Beccs. You're not a burden. You stood by your son, and for that, I am so so so proud of you for! Micha needs you, just like you need Natalia. You're still a family. Oren and Jarod will regret what they've done soon enough and realise it was a big mistake. You have nothing to be sorry for!"
She looked at me with a small smile. "Thank you. It means a lot to have you here, Ruth. You are just like a sister to me, you know that?"
I smiled at her. "We're family. I've already told you. Now, come on. You need to kick Raquel's arse."