Salient Secret 2

39

Vada

"Check it out," Cassian proudly says showing me the new weapons he created. "This one is my favourites," he says picking up a sword. 

"A sword? It's 2022," I say. 

"It's not just any sword," he holds it and pushes a button on the handle, "It's lightning, inspired by that Percy Jackson movie with the lightning bolt," he says studying the lightning on the blade. "One hit with this and they'll be knocked out."

"That's pretty intense, I like it."

"Well they have to be, we're going up against people who control the elements, I'm just trying to tip the scales back into our advantage," he explains and I pick up a set of slim, black gloves laid out on the table. "Be careful with those," he warns while I slip them on. 

"What do they do?" I ask when nothing happens after they're on me. 

"Moving your hands fast to the side," he says and when I do, nail blades pop out like cat claws.

"Woah," I say looking at how sharp they are. This could totally come in handy if you're trying to catch someone off guard.

"I know right, if you close your hand and open it fast, the blades extend. I figured we're going to need all the help we can get if we have to behead them," he jokes and I laugh. 

"Hey, can we talk to you for a minute?" Palmer appears, stopping all the noise in the room. 

"About?" I ask, yes I'm still unhappy with them. 

"Just come on," she says teleporting away. 

"I'll be back," I say to Cassian while taking the gloves off just in case I'm tempted to use them, then I teleport up to the living room where I find Kai, Lorenzo and Palmer standing. 

When no one says anything, Lorenzo decides to break the ice, "We don't exactly understand why you snapped so-" but Palmer swats his arm and continues for him. 

"What he means to say is-" 

"I know what he means to say," I interject knowing why they called me here. "Let's just get one thing straight, I am not Avery Shaw, so stop calling me Avery," I say in a low and serious voice. 

"We understand that you've changed-" Kai starts but I interrupt because he is doing it again. 

"I haven't changed Kai, I am not some teenager trying to find herself. I died. Vada Vacarri is who I am now and she is nothing like Avery."

"That's where you're wrong. Avery loved her friends and family more than anything else, Vada does that too," Palmer argues. 

"No Palmer, I don't have a family anymore, I have team, and I love them more than anything else because I made them into the warriors they are today. Weak little Avery Shaw could never do what I've done."

"Avery Shaw was many things but she was not weak," Kai says walking toward me and then stands a few inches away. "She fought cancer, she cheated death, twice. She took down the strongest man alive, she-"

"Let me stop you there, I've cheated death more than 9 times now, Arlo was weak, I can take ten Arlo's down today with my eyes closed, and I am not weak enough to get cancer," I say closing the space between us. "I'd expect you of all people to understand, the other night at the pool we 'started over', I introduced myself as Vada Vacarri, so don't stand here and pretend like you didn't know-"

Kai interrupts, "I didn't know. I understood that your name changed and you got stronger, but I had no idea that the girl I fell in love with is gone. It's my fault though right? I clearly misunderstood you when you said 'I'll love you in this life and I'll love you in the next', obviously you were joking."

"That's not fair," I say trying to hold back the tears in my eyes. 

"You wanna know what's not fair Vada?" he says with hatred laced in his voice. "You walking back into my life."

"I didn't walk back into your life, you forced me to tell you who I was," I say getting angry. 

"No, you walked back in when you started ruining the life I built without you, I would've put a bullet in your head that day if I had known who you turned out to be," he spits back. 

"Who did I turn out to be Kai? You're just upset that I didn't just build a life without you, I flourished, I grew stronger than I ever was before. I became someone who doesn't need you."

"Does that make you feel better?" Palmer says breaking Kai and I apart. "Congratulations Vada, you don't need us like we needed you. Excuse me for missing my role model, excuse me for caring, excuse me for not wanting to accept the fact that she is gone forever!" she screams with tears pouring out of her eyes. "Excuse us for loving you too damn hard," she sadly says and then storms out and Lorenzo follows her. 

"Enjoy your life Vada."