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ladyseaheart1668 · 7 years ago

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Endless Summer Book 4: Daughter of Vaanu (Chapter 22)

Description: Alodia tells all. An alliance is solidified.

Tagging: @xo-endlessmayhem-xo , @princesstopgun ; @mysteli

Alodia

They know almost everything. I know what Jake and Diego meant to tell them. They know now what the Prism Crystal is. What I am. But some secrets had to be kept until they met me. Because some secrets are only mine to tell. Our guests sit down. After a moment of exchanging glances, they introduce themselves.

“We can guess who you are,” Grayson Prescott says with a nervous laugh. “We have heard a lot about you. But we don't know who the...um...blue gentleman is...?”

I bite my cheek to keep from laughing. “The 'blue gentleman' is Varyyn. Diego's husband. He also happens to be a Vaanti.”

Varyyn passes me an amused glance, then looks back at Grayson. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Grayson. To answer your next question, no this is not a costume. The Vaanti are the inhabitants of the La Huerta. Our people were human once, but became what we are through exposure to the sap from the great trees that were nurtured by the Island's Heart. Kenji and Eva, that is actually the origin of your powers.”

“...What is?”

“Your ancestors were somehow exposed to the Island's Heart. To the sap of one of the Great Trees, to the energy of the time bubble...perhaps at one point, they even breathed in the ash from an eruption of Mount Atropo. However it happened, their blood was altered, just as my ancestors' blood was altered. The difference is that while my ancestors remained on the island and continued to be exposed, yours left the time bubble and returned to the world outside of it. That is true of you and every other superhuman in Northbridge, save Tahira.”

“...Because Tahira is fully alien,” Dax finishes. “And Alodia's biological relative. That's why the crystal reacted to her first. And why her energy readings were so much stronger.”

“But...then why wasn't my mother affected?” Kenji asks. “I mean, she was there, too...”

“It could be that it was your father's bloodline that was exposed to the Island's Heart,” I suggest. “Or...and this is just a thought...maybe the genetic mutation is strongest in the youngest generation. I don't know. True to form, the Endless gave us answers that only lead to more questions.”

“Where exactly does the Endless fit into all of this?” Rochelle asks. “Am I allowed to ask that?”

I feel my eyebrows lift in surprise. “I would have thought that much would have been obvious. But then...I suppose you only met her once. Maybe it's more obvious when we're side by side.”

“...What is?”

I sigh a little. This one is my secret to tell. Only mine. I don't want to tell it. But they need to know. “That I am the Endless. Or rather...she is—was—an alternate version of me.” I reach for Jake's hand, and he folds my hand between his palms while I tell them the story of the Endless. How the first version of me survived while everyone else died and learned to reset the time loop. I explain how she guided us from the shadows, how she went back further than she ever had when it became clear that she had to change the Vaanti or else we would continue to be slaughtered. I explain how it took over two thousand cycles to get it right, for the naive version of me to reach the Threshold with all twelve idols and everyone alive. I hesitate before telling them that the Endless was prepared to sacrifice the world in order to give me a life and an existence with the only family she had ever known.

“None of this is actually relevant to the situation at hand. The Vaanti...the Endless...any of it. But I did say I was going to tell you everything.”

“We appreciate your trust,” Grayson replies. “But...as to the matter at hand: do you know how to get Tahira back?”

“I know that I have the ability to get her back,” I answer. “Exactly how it's going to end up working, that's going to take a little figuring out. But I do have a good idea of where to start.”

“Where is that?”

“Tahira first came through the Prism Gate as a baby, right? I don't know for sure, but the concept ultimately seems similar to the Lernaean Gate.”

“But the crystal shards weren't enough to power the Lernaean Gate on their own,” Diego points out. “It needed half the Island's Heart.”

“Right. But clearly the Prism Crystal was enough to make a portal strong enough to send an infant child through. Clearly having my life energy contained in it makes it a little more powerful than the average crystal shard. Maybe not on the level of the Island's Heart, but there's enough energy in there to at least make a one-way portal.” I look at Grayson and Rochelle. “...I've been to Vaanu's homeworld before. Psychically, anyway. When I was touching the crystal pillar on the rooftop of The Celestial. The crystal shards had a way of...communicating with me. I have an idea that I may be able to find a way to communicate with Tahira. To guide her back through the Prism Gate.”

Rochelle swallows hard. “Do you really think that would work?”

“It might. I mean...I was able to reach Varyyn from Hartfeld with Diego's help. And Quinn was able to find the Island's Heart. It's a larger distance obviously, but we won't know until we try. But before we know anything, I'll need to get my hands on the Prism Crystal.”

“But we don't know where it is,” Grayson says grimly. “It was recovered after the gala, but we don't know what Dad did with it after that.”

“...Actually...we do. Sort of.” Dax looks thoughtfully past me, gazing out the window over my shoulder. “Silas Prescott briefly held Tahira captive before the big battle went down. She...escaped when her birth parents' voices came through the repaired Prism Gate. They somehow provided her with the power and strength she needed to escape.”

I feel my eyebrows lift. “...Well, that's a new one.”

“Only problem is...we don't know where she was held.”

“She never told you?”

“...Things were a little...crazy. I guess that bit of information slipped through the cracks.”

I sigh. “Well...perhaps if I'm in Northbridge, I can track it. I mean...it is my life energy. That's gotta be worth something, right?”

“That worked when we were looking for the idols,” Jake points out.

“But maybe we don't have to waste the time,” Poppy says slowly. “...Wasn't Caleb held captive with her?”

“We haven't seen Caleb at all since the Battle of Northbridge,” Eva protests.

“Normally, I'd say 'good riddance',” Kenji sighs. “But it would help if we don't have to send Alodia all over Northbridge, hoping she'll be able to track the Prism Crystal. Not to mention that if the Gate is intact...”

“Are you sure Caleb can be trusted?” Dax asks uncertainly.

“Hell, no!” Kenji snorts. “I have a policy of not trusting anyone who has literally put a flaming sword through my gut.”

“Good policy,” Jake agrees, smirking.

I smile faintly, but I don't comment. I've been suddenly reminded of Lila, and how she came down on the right side in the end. And that reminds me that the Endless said that Lila had been revived. ...And then I think of the woman I saw at the In-N-Out a few months ago...

“But,” Kenji goes on, breaking into my thoughts, “we need the Prism Crystal, and the Prism Gate. For Tahira.”

“We'll find them,” Eva promises. “We'll find Caleb and get it out of him. Even if it takes...force.”

I look at them for a long moment, taking each of them in. Finally, I say, “Perhaps this is a good thing. In the time it takes you to locate the Prism Gate, we can arrange to take the time off and fly to Northbridge.”

“I've already been planning to invent a family emergency,” Diego says. “Possibly in Mexico.”

“I know your reputation probably works in your favor when it comes to getting time off,” I say, unable to keep the pride from my voice. But then my smile slips. “...But Uncle Rob might not be so generous to Jake.”

“Nepotism isn't always all it's cracked up to be,” Grayson sighs. “We'll fly home first thing in the morning, and we'll contact you as soon as we have any information.”

* * *

Morning sickness prevents me from properly seeing them off the next morning—and Jake, since he refuses to leave my side while I've got my head down the toilet bowl.

“You feel crappy enough already,” he declares. “If you get it in your hair, you'll just add frustration to the mix.”

Problem is, I already feel frustrated that the puking hasn't stopped yet, and his goddamn thoughfulness is making me feel so fucking grateful, and for some reason, I'm furious about that, which only makes me feel guilty, and by the time I stop puking, I'm sobbing. I curl up in his arms, dabbing at my face with a wad of toilet paper, hiccupping and gulping while he rocks me tenderly and strokes my hair.

“I'm still waiting for this whole pregnancy thing to feel magical,” I grumble. “Right now, it's all puke and sore boobs and I'm tired all the time...and I swear to God, if you're laughing at me, you're a dead man.”

The soft chuckling above my head stops. “Not laughing, Princess. Promise. At least, I'm not laughing at you.” I feel him kiss my hair. “I admit, I don't actually have a lot of experience with pregnant women and their troubles. I'm gonna do my best because I love you and it's my kid doing all this to you. But Grace and Michelle are gonna be the ones to talk to about this.”

“...Just a few minutes ago, I was actually furious with you for being wonderful and holding my hair.”

“Not sure that makes a whole lotta sense. But when you got a new human growing in your gut like an alien and pumping your brain full of chemicals, I don't think you gotta worry too much about making sense.”

I groan a little, getting to my feet. Jake braces me on one side. “Like an alien is right. I've been wondering if the reason my parents had so much trouble conceiving is because my father was an alien.”

“Maybe,” he muses as I make my way to the sink and squeeze toothpaste onto my toothbrush. “We didn't seem to have any trouble, though.”

“...True. Vaanu and my mother had to use IVF...” I stick the end of my toothbrush in my mouth and scrub like I'm angry at my teeth and gums.

“Well...you're half-human. That probably makes a difference.”

I spit in the sink and notice a couple flecks of red mixed in the with the white foam. When I take a gulp from the sink to swish around my teeth, there's a faint coppery taste. I spit that out and straighten, meeting Jake's eyes in the mirror.

“...I worry about River. I worry that something will be wrong with them.”

“Ahh, Princess...” He comes up behind me, cinching his arms around my waist, letting his hands rest on my abdomen. “Every mom worries about that kind of stuff.”

“Not every mom had an alien father,” I murmur as Jake plants kisses along the curve of my neck. I feel tears starting to rise behind my eyes again. “...Jake...I wish my mother were here...”

Jake's mouth pauses on my neck. “Your mother...?”

“Someone who loves me, whose been through this and could help me through it...”

“What about Diego's mom? She was basically your mother growing up.”

“Yeah, but...” I draw in a shuddering breath. I don't want to start crying again. “I don't know, Jake. I just felt so envious of Tahira yesterday. To have her mother fighting for her like that. ...That's what I want.”

“Since Tahira is adopted and an only child, I must say I don't think Rochelle would be someone you could swap pregnancy stories with. At least...none that would do anything to ease your anxieties.”

“Maybe not. But that's such a small part of what I want. I mean...I was adopted, but it's not like the people who adopted me actually wanted me. The closest things I had to parents were somebody else's.”

“I want you. Your real family wants you.”

I sigh. “I know, Jake. I know...”

He is quiet for a moment, his arms tightening around me. “...I wish I knew what to say...”

“There's really no need to say anything,” I murmur, leaning into his embrace. “...Just hold me.”

“Well, that I can do.” He nuzzles my neck. “...I will say this, though: it ain't wrong to wish for something you didn't have. But your past also ain't gonna stop you from being a good mother, if you were ever worried about that. Hell, just look at what history Aleister and Grace had to overcome, but they're doing all right with Reggie.”

I smile a little. I probably know their histories more intimately than Jake or any of the others. “That's true.” I sigh a little. As I gaze in the mirror, it seems to me that I can see a bit of a potbelly starting to push out from underneath my babydoll pajama top. “I'm not sure if I'm starting to show, or if that's just bloating.”

“Hmm. I dunno. You do look different.”

“Different good or different bad?”

He chuckles. “You'll never look bad to me unless you're not healthy.”

I turn in his arms to wind my arms around his neck. “...You are very good at saying the right things,” I inform him, and capture his mouth in a tender kiss. I've got months left to worry about my baby. Right now, I just want to be with my love.

Kenji

I am entering my mother's office in disguise. Bronze all over my body to visit my own mother at work. If I were to visit as myself, she'd be annoyed with me for interrupting her day. The thought is a bitter one, and I feel guilty for it. Our relationship has improved by leaps and bounds lately, but there's still a big difference between the way she treats me and the way she treats Talos. Though, to be fair, her relationship with Talos has improved by leaps and bounds, too. It's how Minuet and I are able to walk into the DA's office without an appointment and not only be shown right in, but offered coffee while we wait in cushy office chairs in front of her desk.

It's about twenty minutes before my mother comes in and takes her seat behind the desk. She sighs as she sits down. She must be having a stressful day, because I recognize the way her eyelids droop slightly as she sinks into the chair. She's been known to make the same face sinking into her armchair at home after a particularly exhausting day at work. This chair is heaven right now, she often sighs. After taking a moment to savor the sensation of being seated, she seems to remember that we're here.

“Sorry to have kept you both waiting.”

“Not at all, DA Katsaros,” I reply, waving my hand dismissively. “We didn't have an appointment. We knew we might be waiting awhile.”

“How can I help you?”

“We were wondering if you have received any new information on either Stonewall or the Man on Fire. The latter in particular.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Why the latter in particular?”

“Well, for a couple reasons. In spite of Dragonness recruiting him at least temporarily before the Battle of Northbridge, he hasn't been seen since. The alliance was a shaky one to begin with, built on questionable ground.”

“He joined us to promote anarchy and chaos by taking out this city's unofficial ruler,” Minuet adds. “We're concerned that with Dragonness MIA, he may revert to his old habits.”

“We're also hoping to persuade you to let us deal with him first.”

“And why is that?”

“Because we need him. We need some information from him. Information that will help us bring Dragonness back.”

Mom raises her eyebrows. “Back? Back from where? I had rather assumed she was dead.”

“So did we, to be honest. But she isn't. She's alive. But she's trapped in another dimension.”

“How do you know?”

“Never mind how we know. You'll just have to trust us on that. We know she is alive, and we know that we need access to the Prism Gate to bring her back.” I exhale slowly. “Silas Prescott repaired the Prism Gate. Dragonness and Man on Fire were both held captive in his facility where it was stored two days before the Battle of Northbridge. ...Man on Fire has been escaping from prisons and handcuffs probably about as long as you've been the DA, give or take. Let us find him and get the location of the Prism Gate out of him, and you'll also gain the location of the only cell that's ever been able to hold him. Certainly the only one you can trust to hold him since he gained his abilities.”

Mom pins me with a penetrating gaze. As the silence stretches on, I feel myself starting to squirm. I'm disguised as Talos, but I'm still Kenji. And nothing unsettles Kenji more than Mom's penetrating stare. Finally, she clears her throat.

“We don't currently have any solid leads on either Stonewall or Man on Fire. ...However, there were reports last week from some beat cops who came across a few petty criminals with a stash of liquid prism in an abandoned apartment complex in Bayside. The criminals were arrested before they had a chance to inject themselves and the liquid prism was confiscated and returned to Prescott Industries.”

“Are those criminals still in custody?” Minuet asks.

“For now. I expect you want to question them?”

Minuet smiles placidly, leaning back in her chair. “Oh, yes,” she replies, her voice somehow tranquil and gleeful at once. ��Very much.”

Estela

My mother has been wondering about my comings and goings the past week or two. I explain the situation to her over breakfast a few days after the Prescott entourage get back from California. She watches me quietly while I lay out the facts for her, her expression carefully neutral.

“I had been wondering if you think you might be able to help us,” I remark.

“Help you? I'm not sure how I could.”

“Well, you were the first person to work out the Endless' abilities. You also worked on the Lernaean Gate. I suppose I just wondered if you might have some insights.”

She sighs. “I don't know. I mean, it's a possibility...but...”

“...But what?”

She doesn't answer right away. Silence stretches on for several minutes. I don't press her, but I can't help but grow impatient as she puts her chin down in her hand and turns to gaze out the kitchen window.

“...Working with crystals again...working with the Omega specimen--”

“She isn't a specimen, Mom. Her name is Alodia, and she's a person.”

“Yes, Estelita, I know. But...the point is that I thought I was leaving this all behind. I tried to leave because the things we were working with were dangerous. Because I didn't want to be a part of it. Because I wanted to stop it.”

“...It's all more complicated than what it appeared to be when you were working for Rourke,” I murmur. “An innocent...no, more than innocent...a woman who tried to protect people from a man just like Rourke and the corrupted power he was weilding now needs our help. ...Her mom needs us to bring her daughter home.”

“I know, Estelita. ...I will help you if I can. But I will not try to pretend I am not afraid.”

I feel my chest tighten. I reach across the table to take my mother's hand.

“...We're all afraid, Mom. ...I spent a long time feeling afraid. But then I found my friends.” I feel a smile form on my mouth. “...And now you and I have each other, too.”

She smiles back at me. “Even that feels a little frightening, though. ...I thought I was dead and gone...”

“I think you and Alodia might be able empathize with each other about that.” We lapse into silence for a moment, sipping on our coffee. Then as a thought occurs to me, I feel a frown crease my forehead. “Hey...Mom...?”

“Yes?”

“...When I first saw you again at the Prescott masquerade, you were dressed like Flora Sullivan.”

“Like who...?”

“The Bride? The Vaanti Bride? The woman who was one of the Vaanti's first human ancestors?”

“Oh, is that who I was dressed as? You mentioned her, but I don't know if you ever told me her name.”

I feel my frown deepen. “...Why that costume? If you didn't know anything about her...?”

My mother shrugs, looking a little uncomfortable. “To tell you the honest truth, the costume turned up in a package on my doorstep. The return address was from Rourke International. Although I realized the sensible thing to do might have been to throw it away, I figured that Rourke wasn't actually managing the company anymore, and in fact, my own daughter was in charge now--”

“Well, with Aleister.”

“Of course. ...I thought maybe you had realized I was alive and you were trying to reach out to me. In the box, though, all I found was the costume with a note telling me to wear it to the Prescott masquerade. Oh, and of course a ticket to the ball. The handwriting wasn't yours, though...”

“May I see the note? If you still have it?”

“Well...all right. I think I might still have it in the junk drawer here...”

She goes to open the drawer and rummage through it. I hear the rattle of pens and pencils for a moment, and then she returns to the table with a folded piece of lined flashcard paper. I take it from her and unfold it. I study the note, with its hand-printed letters neat and precise, each one perfectly placed between the blue lines. Each stroke of the pen is bold, as if whoever wrote it was pressing hard. It's instantly familiar. I saw it once in a small book that Zahra was passing around while Alodia and Jake were off on their honeymoon. I saw it before that, as I hunched over a piece of paper in Rourke's office at The Celestial with Alodia and Aleister, laboriously working out the password to his computer. Alodia pressed the pen hard to the page, her tongue caught between her teeth and her forehead creased with concentration as she matched constellations to names and months, and the pen left behind neat, precise printed letters.

...The note that brought my mother into my path was the work of the Endless.

Eva

It takes a bit of...persuasion, but the two petty crooks eventually give us a lead on Caleb. Unfortunately, that lead is irritatingly at least thirty miles outside the Northbridge city limits, in some podunk town halfway to Hartfeld. Seems Caleb wasn't keen to stay in Northbridge with Stonewall still at large. He's taken up with a squatter gang in some abandoned buildings at the edge of a forest preserve. Kenji and I have to park our car on the side of a crumbling road and hike up a hill through a maze of trees to reach the place. I wait to put my mask on until we're safely concealed by the trees. Following my lead, Kenji transforms into Talos when he's sure the coast is clear. Ultimately, though, it seems are caution was unnecessary, since we can't find anyone in the derelict village. But it is clear that people are still living here, if not legally, than at least relatively comfortably. There are mattresses, pillows, and blankets on the floors. Portable generators in each abandoned home power space heaters, fans, lights, microwaves, portable stoves, and mini fridges stocked with bottled water. An unlocked footlocker contains non-perishable edibles. There's no running water, but there are porta-potties. I don't know how they keep clean here, but maybe they aren't overly concerned with that. At the least, there are bottles of hand sanitizer and a first aid kit under the sink.

“Well, this place seems...not terrible,” Kenji remarks. “Well-stocked. Mostly liveable...”

“If you don't mind the faint smell of urine and...other stuff...” I mutter, well aware that I am breathing through my mouth as much as possible.

“Now if we could only find...” He trails off abruptly, his gaze drifting to the window. “Oh! Well, speak of the devil.”

I follow his gaze and see Caleb coming down the hill with a backpack on his shoulders. I press my back flush against the wall, keeping out of sight as I watch him. He glances furtively over his shoulder, but doesn't peek in our direction. When he seems satisfied that he's alone, he creeps toward another abandoned building. I slip towards the door, keeping him in my sight. Stretching out a hand, I gather my power. It's taken me awhile to gain as much control over time as I have now. At first, I was limited to slowing it down within the field, and I couldn't control who was affected, or how long it lasted, or how slow time went for them. But I have been practicing. While slow motion is still my speciality and the most useful, I've also learned how to accelerate time. I've gotten better at controlling the speed of it, too. For now, though, I go with the old standby. I reach out, grasping time around Caleb and stretching it like a piece of taffy. Within the narrow field, time slows to a crawl, and Caleb moves like he's suddenly swimming in syrup. I hear him swear under his breath.

“MINUET!” he groans. “What the hell?!”

I narrow the field further as Talos comes up behind him to wrap his arms around him. Caleb's arms are pinned to his sides. As I withdraw the slow-motion field entirely, moving into his line of sight, he struggles, his expression irritated more than anything.

“Don't try anything funny,” Talos warns. “You can't do much damage to me from your current position.”

“I'm not planning on doing anything funny!” he whines. “At least nothing that would concern you two idiots! What the hell do you want with me!”

“Just information,” I purr. “We want to know where Silas Prescott held you and Dragonness.”

He blinks. “...That's it? I'd have thought she'd have told you.”

“Unfortunately, she was a little distracted with the task of protecting Northbridge from Prescott,” Talos says flatly.

Caleb frowns. “Why do you need to know?”

“We need access to the Prism Gate. We understand that Prescott repaired it, and it was contained in the same facility where he held you.”

He starts to struggle again, his eyes darting back and forth. “Look...guys...I got some stuff I gotta take care of before Gigi gets back...”

“Gigi?” Talos repeats. “You got yourself a girlfriend?”

Caleb lets out a bitter bark of laughter. “Gigi? A girlfriend? Good one. I wouldn't wish that sadistic bitch on my worst enemy.” In an instant, his smile fades and his head snaps back up. He looks around wildly again, almost as if he's worried that this Gigi person heard him. “Look, the point is, I gotta take care of this stuff. If I tell you what you need to know, will you let me go?”

Talos and I exchange a glance. His eyes may be mostly concealed by a bronze film, but the brief incline of his head tells me what I need to know. I pin my gaze on Caleb.

“Start talking. Tell us what we need to know, and I won't leave you moving in slow-motion for Gigi to find.”

Blaire Hall

Cassandra Chandler. Who is Cassandra Chandler? Apparently, she used to work for my company, but she died about twenty-seven years ago. Back then I was still climbing the ladder at Mansingh Transglobal, not yet CEO, but well on my way. Her personnel files don't seem to exist anymore, at least not anywhere that I can reach them. I would have left it there, but the fact that Everett Rourke Senior was asking...my daughter's father-in-law...the man whose insanity almost got her killed...

I can't just leave it at that. Her name keeps creeping into my mind when I should be focused on other things. She's a song that's gotten stuck in my head, an itch at the back of my mind that needs scratching. I should be asleep right now, but instead, I'm digging on the internet for a ghost. I let Rourke keep talking long enough to gather that she died in an aviation accident, so that's where I begin. It takes almost an hour of clicking and searching and chasing down clues like breadcrumbs, but at last, I come across an obituary from a New York City paper. I sip at tea that's long gone cold while I read it.

Matthew Chandler and his wife, Cassandra (nee Sullivan) of Manhattan were victims of Wednesday's deadly plane crash. Cassandra, originally of Boston, MA, received both her BS in Communications and her Masters in Computer Science from Hartfeld University before moving to New York City to work for Mansingh Transglobal as a researcher. It was in Manhattan that she met Matthew, a history scholar who worked for the local library. The couple lived in SoHo.

The couple is survived by a seven-month-old daughter, Alodia Rose. Cassandra is survived by one sister, Molly (Robert) Fisher, of Riverside, CA.

...Alodia. Alodia Chandler. So that's it. Cassandra Chandler was the mother of Alodia Chandler. The girl who spent five years in suspended animation because of Rourke's insane obsession with her. I exhale slowly. It's no mystery why he would want information on her. What exactly made him fixate on that girl is anyone's guess, but obviously anyone associated with her would fascinate him, too.

Still...why, after five years, would he just be looking into Alodia's family now? Why now, when he and I have not spoke for years, would he suddenly call me asking for information on this woman? If he didn't know before that she had worked for Mansingh Transglobal, how did he find out when he is supposed to be locked away in a hospital for the insane?

I push back from my desk and stand up, wandering toward the kitchen. I need to put on a pot of coffee. I realize now I'm not going to be sleeping very much tonight.

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kennadavenportgayle · 7 years ago

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I swear to the Vaanti the only thing getting me through finals is the endless summer soundtrack

#its such a pop #but im dying #send sean gayle please #and becca davenport #thx

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sceptilemasterr · 3 years ago

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Endless Winter (ES Book 2) Act 2, Scene 5 - A New Year Dawns

Title: Endless Winter

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Quinn, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: It's New Year's Eve on La Huerta, and the Catalysts are determined to make the most of it.

Previous Scene: Any Port in a Storm

Masterlist: Link

INT. ELYSIAN LODGE RESORT - LOBBY

Several hours later, the sun is just beginning to set outside the windows of the Elysian Lodge’s expansive lobby, which has been completely transformed into an ornate party room, complete with marked-out dance floor in the center of the area. A series of tables laden with food have been set up near the walls, with a haphazard arrangement of various candles scattered around. Craig, dressed in a tight-fitting dress shirt and tie, leads Furball around the room as the little fox freeze a series of impromptu “ice coolers” around the bottles of champagne and other drinks scattered about.

CRAIG: Nice job, little guy!

FURBALL (proudly): Mrrrrrffff!

Raj emerges from the kitchen, dressed in a suit and tie with an apron over it, bringing another food-laden tray out into the lobby. Quinn follows close behind with a tray of desserts, a similar apron to Raj covering her ornate blue dress.

QUINN: Where should I put these?

RAJ: Over here is good!

He indicates a table, and she sets her tray down. Raj looks down at one of the fruit trays and frowns.

RAJ: Hey… has someone been eating all the strawberries?

CRAIG: Don’t look at me… but I think I spotted Alyssa usin’ some strawberries to practice her Time Lord stuff.

RAJ: Aww… (brightens) Ah, never mind! Good for her. If I know anything, it’s that the Time Twins are gonna be the key to getting us out of this place. Besides, there’s still a bunch more fresh strawberries in the kitchen fridge!

FURBALL (excitedly): Ffrrrruuulll!

A few of the Vaanti trickle in, all wearing haphazard mismatches of formalwear. Varyyn, dressed impeccably in a suit and tie, accompanies them.

VARYYN: Hello, Centaurus. I am told today is your people’s New Year celebration. I thank you for inviting us.

Varyyn bows deeply. Raj blushes and laughs.

RAJ: No need to be so formal, Varyyn! You invited us to your festival the other day, the least we can do is return the favor!

Michelle and Ian enter the lobby, chatting animatedly about school. Michelle is wearing a sparkling golden dress, while Ian is dressed in a black tuxedo with matching bowtie.

MICHELLE: --so I think you’d only need one more bio elective if you already finished Genetics and Ecology. And the MCAT, of course, but I’m pretty sure you can take that anytime…

Michelle’s voice trails off as she sees the newly redecorated lobby. Behind her, Sean and Grace walk in, chatting excitedly to one another.

MICHELLE: Wow! Look at this place; Raj, you did all this?

Raj turns and grins broadly at her.

RAJ: Yep! With plenty of help, of course. Quinn here was--

He stops abruptly when he turns and sees Quinn is no longer in the lobby. He frowns, puzzled.

RAJ: …Uh, Quinn was right here a minute ago. Huh.

IAN: This place looks amazing! Perfect for a Raj party!

RAJ: Haha, thanks!

ALYSSA (O.S.): Alright, let’s get this thing started!

Alyssa strides confidently into the lobby, wearing a long white dress with a plunging neckline. Michelle looks her up and down approvingly.

MICHELLE: Wow. Looking good, Alyssa!

ALYSSA: Thanks, Michelle! You too!

Alyssa frowns as she looks around the room, evidently searching for something.

RAJ: Hey, Alyssa, everything okay?

ALYSSA: Yeah, I’m fine, just.. y’seen Top Gun anywhere?

It takes Raj a moment to realize who she is referring to.

RAJ: Oh, you mean Jake? Actually, I haven’t seen him since--

A sudden commotion from the top of the lobby stairs draws Raj’s (and everyone else’s) attention. Emerging from the second-floor hallway, Jake, Estela, Quinn, Diego, Aleister, and Zahra stand on the landing, all fully done-up and impeccably dressed. Alyssa, Ian, Michelle, Varyyn, Grace, and Craig all stare open-mouthed at the sight of their respective significant others, completely lost for words. Estela frowns.

ESTELA: What? What are you all looking at?

RAJ: Hey, there you all are! Come and join the party!

All of them descend the staircase, though Estela is blushing heavily as she does so. She doesn’t look entirely comfortable in her formal dress. When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she beelines immediately for Ian.

IAN (stunned): I… uh. You. Wow.

ESTELA (shyly): I… I know Raj wanted us to dress up for New Year’s, but I never… really went to big parties or anything. Is this right?

Ian smiles warmly at her as he takes her hand in his.

IAN: More than right. Wow. Uh... I actually can’t even think of any other words right now.

In spite of herself, Estela giggles.

ESTELA: You… uh, you’re looking pretty good yourself.

Ian blushes heavily. Near the back of the room, Raj plugs his phone into the stereo system, but nothing happens. He frowns.

RAJ (frustrated): Damn, and here I thought this would work…

Craig and Zahra approach him.

CRAIG: Man, can’t believe it’s been a whole year already.

ZAHRA (frowning): …It hasn’t. We skipped six months, remember?

CRAIG: Oh. Right. Duh. I knew that!

ZAHRA: Raj, y’need some help?

RAJ: Yeah, I’m tryin’ to get the music working, but…

Zahra takes his phone in her hands and fiddles with it for a few moments. Before long, party music starts playing through the whole resort.

RAJ: Awesome! Thanks, my dudes!

CRAIG: Anytime!

ZAHRA: Craig, you didn’t do anything.

CRAIG: What? Naw, I… uh…

Any retort he may have had is cut short when he looks back at her in her formal dress. Craig can only stare open-mouthed.

ZAHRA: Huh. Guess there may be perks to dressin’ up like this after all…

Zahra playfully reaches out a finger and closes Craig’s mouth for him. Near one of the tables, Jake pours himself a glass of whiskey and raises it into the air.

JAKE: So! Who’s up for a toast?

ALYSSA: Personally, I can’t believe I’m still sober. Drink, please!

ESTELA: What are we having?

Jake grins and glances toward Ian.

JAKE: Why don’t we let Hero Boy pick?

IAN (surprised): I… what?!

ALYSSA (smirks): You heard him, “Hero Boy.”

Ian looks nervously at the assortment of drinks laid out on the table, feeling put on the spot.

IAN: I, uh…

Alyssa nudges him, glancing meaningfully toward the glass of whiskey in Jake’s hand.

IAN: Alright, how about this one?

He grabs a similar glass to Jake and pours himself some whiskey as well, then pours two more glasses for Alyssa and Estela. Estela takes a sniff of her glass and frowns.

ESTELA: What is this? It smells like sawdust.

JAKE: Trust me, there’s an art to whiskey. Now, the key to appreciating it is--

ESTELA: Getting it over with. Cheers.

She clinks her glass against Ian’s and throws back the whiskey. She winces.

ESTELA: It burns.

IAN: That bad, huh? Sorry, I--

ESTELA: Pour me another.

JAKE: Looks like Dragon Rage’s a fan, y’all.

Ian pours Estela another shot of whiskey as the four of them clink glasses and toast to the new year. In another area of the party, Varyyn and a few of his Vaanti warriors sip their own drinks as they chat with Diego, Lila, Raj, and Quinn.

VARYYN: It is interesting that your people count your years. You say this year is…?

DIEGO: Well, in a few more hours, it’s about to be 2018.

RAJ: Y’know what Varyyn here needs? One of those party sunglasses with the year on ‘em. Then he’ll never forget!

He, Quinn, Lila, and Diego burst into laughter. Diego claps Varyyn’s shoulder and pulls him into a hug.

DIEGO: Varyyn, I know you probably don’t get it right now, but we will take a picture next year while wearing those, okay?

VARYYN (warmly): I trust your judgement, my light.

Diego and Varyyn snuggle into one another as Quinn glances wistfully across the room. The camera follows her gaze to where Michelle stands chatting idly with a few of the others…

Some time later, the sun has set and most of the Catalysts are noticeably tipsier than they were previously. Several of the Vaanti warriors excitedly clink glasses of whiskey together with a triumphant cheer, then all down their drinks in one shot as Zahra looks on approvingly after downing her own glass.

ZAHRA: Doin’ great, guys! Now this is a New Year’s party!

Behind her, Aleister takes a seat at the grand piano as Michelle stands beside him. The others all crowd around. Aleister begins to play Auld Lang Syne.

MICHELLE (singing): Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never come to mind…

Aleister accompanies her, infusing each note with a delicate, classical touch. A few people sniff back tears, including Quinn and Grace.

MICHELLE (singing): For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne…

Alyssa looks pensively up toward the ceiling while Jake wraps an arm around her. Estela and Ian look deep into one another’s eyes. Raj sniffs back a tear. As Michelle begins the final part of the song, Quinn stands up and joins her:

MICHELLE AND QUINN (singing): We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, For auld lang syne!

Everyone bursts into applause. Aleister stands and takes a formal bow. Quinn and Michelle look at one another; Michelle is the first to blush and look away. Jake walks up and claps Aleister on the back.

JAKE: Nice job, Schroeder. Didn’t think you had it in you.

ALEISTER: Ah. You are most welcome. I did enjoy that quite--

RAJ: Whoa! Everyone, hold up! I almost forgot; we still gotta sing “Happy Birthday!”

Everyone looks back at Raj. He grins broadly and gestures to the crowd.

RAJ: Dunno if I mentioned it to everyone yet, but with the skip forward in time, we missed a bunch of birthdays! Including Aleister, and the Time Twins here! …Not to mention myself, of course!

He steps between Alyssa and Ian, pulling them both into a group hug.

RAJ: Anybody else we missed? Who’s had a birthday between… uh…

GRACE: June 6th and December 26th!

Aleister, Michelle, Craig, Quinn, Estela, Zahra, Raj himself, and the Czasa twins all raise their hands.

RAJ: Alright, cool! Aleister, if you don’t mind?

He gestures to the piano. Aleister nods and takes his seat once again at the keys.

DIEGO: Are we even allowed to sing it? I heard it was copyrighted--

CRAIG: Who’s gonna stop us, bro? Unless… (completely seriously) Dude, does Rourke own the rights to Happy Birthday? That’d be his most evil plan yet!

Zahra shakes her head and sighs. Aleister begins to play, and everyone else starts singing along, with the Vaanti catching on after the first few bars…

EVERYONE (singing): Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear…

A variety of names are all shouted out at once. Ian makes a point to sing Estela’s name rather than his own, and she likewise sings his name in return. They both smile warmly at one another.

RAJ (excitedly): Dudes, that was flawless! Best birthday song ever!

CRAIG: Ha! Take that, Rourke!

Everyone applauds and hugs one another after the song. Lila stands off to one side, glancing around at the others with a strange expression on her face. She glances around furtively for a moment, then quietly slips upstairs as the others continue celebrating.

SEAN (shouting): Hey! Don’t forget, it’s only a few minutes ‘til midnight!

Everyone startles at this pronouncement, glancing at various clocks… which all show completely different times. Sean shrugs.

SEAN: Well… as close as I can tell, anyway. Who knows on this island?

ALYSSA (laughing): Fair enough. Alright, let’s do this!

RAJ: Craig, you ready for our master surprise?

CRAIG: You know it!

Craig and Raj lead the others up onto the roof of the Elysian Lodge. A large crate full of red flares has been set against one edge of the roof; Craig rushes toward it excitedly with a lighter in his hand.

MICHELLE (worriedly): Uh… guys?

JAKE: Are those flares?

Craig stops and turns around, grinning broadly.

CRAIG: Yup! One of those commando dudes dropped ‘em! Me and Raj thought--

JAKE (fiercely): Don’t you dare light those--

RAJ: Aww, c’mon, don’t ruin our fun! I’d have thought you’d be all about this! What’s the harm in--

Estela crosses her arms and steps closer to Raj, glaring angrily.

ESTELA: So, right now, we’re hiding from a death squad of highly trained, well-armed mercenaries… and your plan is to shoot off a bunch of flares directly over our location.

She holds her death glare on the two of them. There is an awkward silence before Craig and Raj finally glance at each other, both clearly embarrassed.

CRAIG: Okay, when you put it like that…

RAJ: Sorry guys. No fireworks this year.

Raj looks down dejectedly and starts heading toward the stairs, when suddenly:

GRACE: Wait! Look!

Everyone follows her gaze off toward a distant mountain range, where the sky is lighting up in beautiful, otherworldly colors. Jake and Alyssa exchange a shocked glance: the colors are identical to those they had seen during their first day on La Huerta, back at the airstrip.

SEAN: What is that?!

VARYYN: Ah, the Lights of Vaanu. Among our people, they are believed to be a sign of good fortune to come.

JAKE: Dunno about y’all, but I’d say we could definitely use some good fortune right about now.

Raj shrugs.

RAJ: Well, it’s not fireworks, but it’s close enough for me! Fifteen seconds ‘til midnight!

Everyone starts looking around at one another, most of them pairing off: Alyssa with Jake, Aleister with Grace, Craig with Zahra, Diego with Varyyn, and two of the Vaanti with one another. Quinn looks as though she is about to approach Michelle, but shies away at the last minute. Ian nods toward Estela, who approaches him. Ian starts to turn away, when Alyssa not-so-subtly kicks him with her heel, pushing him back toward Estela.

IAN (annoyed): ‘Lyss!

He bumps into Estela, who awkwardly catches him in her arms.

ESTELA: Oh! …Hey.

IAN (awkwardly): …Hey.

Everyone else starts counting down from ten. Ian scratches the back of his neck and glances away from Estela. Alyssa shoots him an “are you kidding me?” glance, while Diego raises his eyebrows so far that they nearly vanish into his hairline. Ian sighs and nods in acknowledgement, then takes a deep breath.

EVERYONE: Five… four… three…

Estela steps close, the brilliant otherworldly lights reflecting in her deep brown eyes as she and Ian gaze at one another.

ESTELA: I…

EVERYONE: Two… one… HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The other couples all pull one another into New Year’s kisses as those who are single celebrate in their own ways. Ian starts to hesitate, then relents and pulls Estela into a deep kiss. When they part, Estela smiles up at him.

ESTELA (laughs): I almost thought I would have to do everything myself. Again.

IAN (laughs): Guess I just thought… I was worried you might not want--

He is interrupted by Estela pulling him back in for another kiss. Elsewhere, near the rooftop jacuzzi, Diego and Varyyn sit side-by-side, just breaking apart from their own midnight kiss.

VARYYN: This tradition of yours. Kissing at midnight.

DIEGO (awkwardly): Well, it’s not exactly my tradition--

VARYYN (warmly): I enjoy it quite a lot. Does it apply only to midnight?

DIEGO: Well, uh, if you’re asking if we can kiss again… I won’t say no.

VARYYN (ecstatic): Wonderful! Then, may I…?

Diego nods, and he and Varyyn kiss once more. In the background, Raj can be seen nodding at the two of them, and Craig groans and hands over some cash. Elsewhere, Jake and Alyssa stand hand-in-hand, gazing off at the multicolored lights.

JAKE: Looks familiar, huh?

ALYSSA: How could I forget? That was kind of a big day for me. Y’know.

JAKE: Why, ‘cuz you met me?

ALYSSA (teasingly): Don’t get too excited, Top Gun. A lot more happened than just that.

JAKE: Alright, answer this: were you really looking at those lights the whole time?

ALYSSA: I--

She laughs and rolls her eyes in tacit admission that her attention had indeed been elsewhere at the time. Jake wraps his arms around her and pulls her in close.

ALYSSA: What do you say we take this somewhere else?

JAKE: What were you thinkin’, Princess?

ALYSSA: Somewhere with a bed, if you know what I mean…?

JAKE: I am never gonna say no to that. Lead on.

Alyssa takes him by the hand and leads him back downstairs. As the night continues on, several other couples do the same. Diego and Varyyn are on their way toward the stairs when Diego stops for a moment near where Ian and Estela are sitting.

DIEGO: Go ahead, Varyyn, I’ll catch up. I’ve just gotta check on something first.

Varyyn nods and continues down the stairs. Diego approaches Ian and Estela, resting a hand on the former’s shoulder.

IAN: What’s up?

DIEGO: Can I talk to you for a sec?

IAN: Uh… sure?

Ian gives Estela an apologetic look, and she nods in response. Diego leads him over to a secluded area of the rooftop and lowers his voice.

DIEGO: You know the night’s not over yet, right?

IAN (genuinely confused): What?

DIEGO: Ian! Seriously! Surely you noticed the other couples heading off, right? Me included?

IAN: Yes… and?

Diego seems to be fighting the urge to facepalm.

DIEGO: You. Estela. Do I need to say anything more?

IAN (nervously): Okay, I get what you’re saying, but… where would we even go? It’s not like the lobby is exactly private, and--

DIEGO: This is a hotel, Ian! Are you kidding right now? All the bedrooms you could possibly want! Just go find one!

IAN (laughs): Alright, alright. I’ll ask her. You know, she might say ‘no’--

DIEGO: With how she’s been looking at you all this time? If she says ‘no,’ I’ll literally eat my shoe. Not even kidding. (sighs) Just ask her, would you?

IAN: Will do, Diego. And thanks for the push.

DIEGO (shrugs): What can I say? It’s kinda my job.

He nods at Ian, then turns to rejoin Varyyn and head back downstairs. Ian steels himself, then heads back toward Estela.

ESTELA: What was that all about?

IAN (awkwardly): Diego. He, uh, not-so-subtly hinted that… we should… y’know, ‘find a bedroom.’

ESTELA (coyly): Oh? And what did you think about that?

Ian scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.

IAN: Well, uh… if you said ‘no,’ I’d definitely understand--

ESTELA (genuinely confused): …Why would I say ‘no?’

IAN: Dunno, guess I just thought--

She holds a finger up to his lips and smiles.

ESTELA: You think too much.

With a wink, she takes him by the hand and leads him downstairs…

_______________________

Note: If anyone was wondering, Ian was born at 11:59 PM December 31st, 1995, and Alyssa was born at 12:01 AM January 1st, 1996.

Next: The Fourteenth Vaalta (Coming soon!)

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

Endless Summer Tag List: @mysteli @edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlessly-searching-for-you @lovelywrites

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sceptilemasterr · 3 years ago

Text

Endless Winter (ES Book 2) Act 2, Scene 3 - An Unpleasant Reunion

Title: Endless Winter

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Quinn, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: While braving the snowy wastes of the island's northern region, the Catalysts are confronted by a new enemy.

Previous Scene: Climate Change

Masterlist: Link

EXT. LA HUERTA - NIXEBEG REGION - EVENING

It is almost impossible to see anything in the severe blizzard that now blows around the Catalysts and their Vaanti escorts as they make their way steadily northward. Almost everyone is wincing and struggling against the fierce winds and pounding snowfall… all except Furball, who freely skips ahead of the others.

FURBALL (happily): Mrrrmph! Murrrrr!

Then, Furball abruptly stops. The little fox-like creature raises his head, sniffing cautiously, before turning back to look concerned at the others.

FURBALL: …Mrroo?

QUINN: Huh? What’s wrong, little guy?

Estela holds up a hand, stopping everyone else in their tracks. The others look at her, confused.

ESTELA: Someone’s there.

Ian and Alyssa look ahead, where the faint outline of a human silhouette can barely be seen amid the white haze. This is REX LUNDGREN, Jake’s former commander, although he is unrecognizable at this time. The Catalysts and the Vaanti stay silent, struggling to keep quiet as a small circle glows red near the outline’s face. An angry, deep voice shouts over the howling blizzard:

LUNDGREN (angrily): McKenzie! Where are you, ya miserable pile of shit?!

At a look from Estela, the others remain silent, though Jake is visibly struggling with some internal conflict. The voice calls out once again:

LUNDGREN (mockingly): Your family’s disappointed in you, McKenzie! First you sold American arms to a foreign dictator, then you resisted arrest, then took yourself off the grid…

Alyssa looks at Jake with surprise. Jake shakes his head frantically, motioning her to stay quiet.

LUNDGREN: Had to break the news to your mama myself. (mockingly) “Sorry ma’am, your son betrayed his country and endangered his fellow soldiers!” Then I held her. As she cried hysterically. Least I could do--

JAKE (seething with rage): Don’t. You. DARE!

Jake finally snaps and lunges toward the voice!

JAKE: Lundgren! Where the hell are you?! Come fight me face-to-face, you piece of--

LUNDGREN: C’mon, where’s the fun in that? As much as I’d love to catch up on old times…

Jake is sent sprawling face-first in the snow as Lundgren draws close enough for Jake (and the audience) to make out his scowling, bald face, as well as the elaborate powered exoskeleton he wears. Lundgren plants a boot on Jake’s back and aims a pistol at his head.

LUNDGREN: You’re dead either way. But if you don’t want your new friends to get hurt… you’d better tell ‘em to come out and surrender.

JAKE (spits): Go to hell, Lundgren.

Estela hisses, her voice so low it’s barely a whisper:

ESTELA: Ian, he’s on his own, I can take him easily. If Jake keeps him distracted for a few more minutes, I’ll just--

LUNDGREN: Arachnids! Into position!

Lundgren gestures with his free hand, and a series of armored Hummers suddenly come roaring over a nearby ridge. Soldiers in face concealing high-tech powered armor emerge from the vehicles, readying their rifles. For the first time since arriving on La Huerta, Estela looks truly nervous.

ESTELA: Uh…never mind.

RAJ: You’ve gotta be kidding me!

DIEGO (terrified): A whole army of evil Master Chiefs is not something I wanna deal with!

JAKE (struggling): Princess, it’s me he wants! Get outta here, all of you!

ALYSSA: No way, Top Gun! I can’t leave you!

MICHELLE: Seriously, Alyssa? You’re doing this now?!

FURBALL: Hff-huff!

Furball suddenly darts forward toward Lundgren! Startled, Lundgren pulls the trigger… but Furball blows a beam of ice from his mouth, fully encasing the gun in ice and causing it to misfire!

LUNDGREN: Stupid dog! All of you, fire!

CRAIG: Get ‘em!

Craig, Zahra, and Sean start pelting Lundgren and the other soldiers with a series of hard-packed snowballs they had been gathering during the previous confrontation. Lundgren grunts in pain.

VARYYN: Warriors, loose arrows!

Varyyn’s scouts draw their bows and fire at the soldiers! Bullets ring out across the canyon, most of the shots going wide. One Vaanti scout goes down as the other Vaanti and the Catalysts sprint toward a nearby outcropping of rocks.

LUNDGREN: Find them! They can’t have gone far!

Concealed by the blinding snow, the Catalysts wait with bated breath as several Arachnid soldiers march around them. One of the soldiers, a woman codenamed FIDDLER, calls out:

FIDDLER: Damn it! Lundgren, are you sure Wolf’s even here? I can’t see shit in this blizzard!

LUNDGREN: He’s here, all right! Had ‘im in my sights before that damned raccoon got in my way!

Another Arachnid, a man codenamed TETRA, responds:

TETRA: Want me to break this ice? I can definitely do that!

LUNDGREN (angrily): And drown us all in the process? No, Tetra! (to himself, annoyed) Why am I surrounded by idiots?

The footsteps recede, headed away from where the Catalysts and Vaanti are hiding. After a few tense moments, Alyssa lets out a huge sigh of relief.

ALYSSA: Okay, are they gone? Because that was literally the most terrifying moment of my life.

JAKE: I think we’re safe. Listen, Princess, I never meant to get you--

ESTELA: Can we do this later? We need to find shelter, right away! Those soldiers may be gone, but we still have no food, no shelter, and barely any drinkable water, remember?

VARYYN: Draco speaks true. We must find shelter immediately. Catalysts, are any of you capable of overcoming the Hydra’s security?

ZAHRA: What, you mean Rourke? Yeah, we’ve beaten that before thanks to Aleister here--

Varyyn visibly brightens.

VARYYN: Excellent! In that case, I know the perfect destination. Come, Catalysts, follow me!

SEAN: Uh, Varyyn? I can barely see you…

DIEGO: I’ve got his hand! Follow my voice!

RAJ: Okay!

DIEGO: C’mon, this way, guys!

As Diego continues to call out, one-by-one the other Catalysts manage to find him and Varyyn and begin following them through the blizzard. After a few minutes of walking, Craig shouts:

CRAIG: Whoa! I think that’s a building over there!

VARYYN: Indeed, Ursus. We have reached another of the Hydra’s caches… and if your--er, if Corvus is correct, we may be able to access this one.

They all draw closer as the blizzard begins to gradually subside. A large ski lodge looms up in front of them. A sign nearby reads “ELYSIAN LODGE RESORT.” Sean frowns in puzzlement.

SEAN: Another resort? All the way up here?

LILA (brightly): Yes, of course! The Elysian! We’re saved!

ALEISTER: Oh, thank goodness. Quickly, let us get inside!

He darts ahead of the others, resting a hand on the doorknob at the entrance. Nothing happens at first, and he frowns as the others arrive.

ZAHRA: What are you waitin’ for, an invitation? Open it up!

ALEISTER: Yes, of course. Just one moment…

He glances down at his palms, as though some secret will reveal itself there. With an annoyed huff, Estela slams a fist against the door as Aleister tries the doorknob once again. This time, he is greeted with a click as the lock opens. He turns the handle and opens the doors, revealing a cozy lobby a bit smaller than the Celestial’s, with an ornate double staircase leading up to the second floor. The others all file in, gaping in wonder at their surroundings.

VARYYN: So this is what the Hydra was keeping from us all this time…

CRAIG: Holy shit, this is awesome!

ZAHRA: Point me to the nearest couch. I’m practically unconscious already.

QUINN: Wow! Look at this place!

Everyone quickly files in, grabbing the first couches, armchairs, or rugs they can find to fall asleep on. Alyssa practically collapses onto a couch nearby; Jake takes a seat beside her, stroking her hair gently.

JAKE: Princess… listen. I’m sorry--

Alyssa waves a hand dismissively and yawns.

ALYSSA: Right now, I’m tired. Whatever’s goin’ on, you can tell me in the morning. Okay?

Jake smiles and shakes his head in amusement, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

JAKE: Alright. ‘Night, Princess.

ALYSSA (sleepily): ‘Night, Top Gun.

Alyssa flops face-first onto her couch. Jake sighs, lost in thought. Then he shrugs and leans back against the couch, closing his eyes. In no time at all, the two of them are sound asleep.

_______________________

Next: Any Port in a Storm

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

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sceptilemasterr · 3 years ago

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Endless Winter (ES Book 2) Act 2, Scene 1 - Portal to Home

Title: Endless Winter

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Quinn, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: Lila brings news of a way for the Catalysts to get home... but can she be trusted?

Previous Scene: Valinorim

Masterlist: Link

INT. ELYYS'TEL THRONE ROOM - DAY

The next day, Varyyn, Seraxa, and Uqzhaal meet with most of the Catalysts within the throne room. Craig and Zahra are absent, as Craig is presumably recovering from a severe hangover after the events of the previous day’s celebration. Lila stands apart from the others, in a similar position to where the other Catalysts had been during the Tribunal.

RAJ: You’re sayin’ Rourke has a magic teleport portal?! ...Actually, now that I think about it, that’s not all that weird compared with everything else that’s happened.

LILA: Technically, it’s called a “Prismatic Interdimensional Transporter.” But yes, you’re basically right. With the proper power source--what you call the “Vaanusor”--the device could be used to instantly transport all of you home!

Jake crosses his arms and scowls.

JAKE (skeptically): And you expect us to just believe that? I dunno about the rest of you, but I don’t remember any magic portals back at the Celestial.

LILA: It’s not at the Celestial. Rourke has several facilities all over the island. The Gate is kept in his experimental research installation, codenamed “MASADA.”

ALYSSA: Yeah, this is smelling more and more like a trap every second.

LILA: No, I swear I’m not lying! I told you, Rourke nearly killed me! I did whatever I could to escape!

ALEISTER: That does seem in-line with what my father would do...

DIEGO: Where is this place, Lila?

LILA: It’s just off the tip of the island’s northernmost peninsula.

SERAXA: The northern reaches. The most dangerous part of the island.

ALYSSA: You’re saying this part with the sabertooth tigers, killer crab, and giant sea monster is the un-dangerous part of the island? Well, that’s just fantastic.

RAJ: I mean, this place ain’t so bad now that you Vaanti dudes are on our side! Do we even need to leave?

MICHELLE: Given the number of times we’ve almost died since coming here... I’d say “yes.”

JAKE: The real question is, can we trust Dimples?

SEAN: Varyyn’s the elyyshar. Why don’t we let him make the final say? Varyyn?

He gives Varyyn a respectful nod.

VARYYN: Hmm... There is much to think about when it comes to Auriga. I am not certain--

LILA: Wait!

She seems to suddenly remember something, pulling out her pack and rummaging through it. A second later, she pulls out another vaalta statue much like the others that had been seen, depicting a toga-clad woman riding in a chariot. Uqzhaal gasps in surprise at the sight.

UQZHAAL: Ah! This vaalta... it is yours--

LILA: Yes! I took it from Rourke’s collection before coming here. I know it’s important to you Hos--uh, Vaanti. You really think Rourke would let me just give this to you?

Uqzhaal approaches, and she hands the statue over to him. Ian and Alyssa both gaze at it curiously.

IAN: Keeper Uqzhaal... should we, y’know--

He mimes touching the idol. For a split-second, Lila tenses up, then sighs in relief a moment later when Uqzhaal shakes his head.

UQZHAAL: There is no need, Perseus. It shall be brought safely to the Temple of Auriga where it belongs, alongside the others.

ALYSSA: Oh, that reminds me...

She pulls out Sean’s vaalta and hands it to the old Keeper. A second later, Ian does the same with Michelle’s.

UQZHAAL: Excellent! We have nearly all of them now. This is truly a joyous day!

VARYYN: Yes, but still... I will need to think on all of this. Auriga, thank you for bringing this back to us. I will make my decision later, after conferring with... those I trust most.

He smiles briefly at Diego, who blushes and smiles shyly back. Then he turns back to face Lila.

VARYYN: Until my decision is made, you are to remain in the city. Understand?

LILA: Of... of course. Thank you.

Lila nods respectfully and nervously backs out of the council chamber. Taking their cue, most of the others do the same, aside from Diego. Jake shakes his head as he walks toward the entrance alongside Alyssa.

JAKE: I dunno, Princess. Just... somethin’ really rubs me the wrong way here.

ALYSSA: The statue, though. This is one elaborate trap if it involves Rourke willingly handing one of those over. Especially with how important they supposedly are.

JAKE: Yeah... (sighs) I just can’t shake this feeling. This all seems too easy.

ALYSSA: Y’know, Top Gun, there’s no law that says you have to be paranoid 24/7. It’s okay to lighten up once in a while!

Jake nods.

JAKE: You’re right.

ALYSSA (teasingly): Aren’t I always?

JAKE: Except for when you said I was asleep on the plane, which I definitely wasn’t--

She shoves him playfully.

ALYSSA: You were asleep, and I’m never gonna let that one go.

JAKE: ‘Course not. You’re too stubborn for that.

ALYSSA: Right back at you.

She hesitates at the doorway, catching sight of Ian and Estela a short distance away.

ALYSSA: Go ahead, I’ll catch up. I’ve gotta ask my brother about something first.

JAKE: Alright, Princess. See ya around.

He gives her a quick kiss before turning and leaving the throne room. Alyssa dashes over to her brother and Estela.

ALYSSA: Ian! Este--

Ian fixes her with a look, jerking his head toward where Lila stands just out of earshot. Alyssa quickly understands and drops her voice to a low whisper.

ALYSSA: Lila doesn’t know?

ESTELA: No. And I’d like to keep it that way, at least for now.

ALYSSA: Uh... this is embarrassing, but I kinda forgot your alias. Sorry. Guess I’m not used to friends needing to use--

ESTELA (surprised): I’m... I’m your friend?

ALYSSA: Well, yeah! Duh? Of course you are!

ESTELA: Sorry. I just... that surprised me, that’s all. Thank you.

ALYSSA (laughs): No problem. Anyway, your name...?

ESTELA: Oh, right. “Elena Hernandez.”

ALYSSA: Got it. Sorry. (no longer whispering) Hey, “Elena!” Hey, Ian!

Ian gives her a subtle nod.

IAN: Great. So, what’s up?

ALYSSA: ...Right, almost forgot. Ian, can I talk to you?

He and Estela exchange a quick glance. Estela nods.

ESTELA: Come find me.

She turns and leaves the throne room.

ALYSSA: Bye, “Elena!”

IAN (whispering): Okay, you’re overdoing it a little.

ALYSSA (whispering): Oops. Sorry. (normally) Anyway, I, uh... so y’know how I’ve been kinda scared about this... power thing we can do?

IAN: Yeah...?

Lila walks past them, leaving the room, as Alyssa holds up a hand and concentrates. Small wisps of energy dance around her fingers for a moment.

IAN (impressed): Wow! ‘Lyss, you’re--

ALYSSA: Yeah. I talked with Zahra the other day. Promised to stop being afraid of myself. But so far, this is all I can do... Got any tips? I mean, you yanked me back onto that log the other day, that was pretty cool.

Ian shakes his head.

IAN: All instinct. When I actually try to do anything, I can’t do much more than you. I mean, it’s gotten a little easier with practice, but...

He demonstrates, achieving a similar series of energy wisps with significantly less effort than Alyssa needed.

IAN: No idea how to scale it up.

ALYSSA: Damn. So what are we supposed to--

Their conversation is interrupted by Kele, having finally recovered from his battle with Cetus, entering the chamber.

KELE: Elyyshar! I apologize for my long recovery. I am...

He stops as he realizes Varyyn is still deep in conversation with Diego, Seraxa, and Uqzhaal, none of whom have noticed his arrival. Then he spots the twins.

KELE: As long as I’m waiting... Good to see you two. How have you been?

The Czasa twins look up in surprise.

ALYSSA: Oh! It’s you! Water guy!

KELE (laughs): It’s “Wave-Lord,” actually, but really I’d rather just be Kele.

IAN: Fair enough. Glad you’re back up and about. That stuff you pulled off... how many times do we owe you our lives now?

KELE: Doesn’t matter. I’m happy to help. ...Actually, speaking of helping, I’ve been meaning to talk with you two for a while.

ALYSSA: With us?

KELE: That power of yours. It’s a lot like mine. I suppose you wouldn’t mind some friendly advice?

ALYSSA: I mean, sure, but I don’t think it’ll help much. I definitely haven’t been able to control water--which is super cool, by the way. All we can do is--

KELE: No, no, that’s not what I meant. I mean that your power is a form of stoicheal energy, like mine. They function on the same principle, even if they manifest differently.

IAN: “Stoich”-what?

KELE: Where I’m from, there’s all kinds of people like us. Some, like me, control water. Others control metal, fire, air, earth, wood... The point is, you two seem to have what I would call Time Stoichi. Similar in effect to my own Water Stoichi, at least enough that I could give you some basic pointers. So?

Alyssa and Ian look at each other and nod.

ALYSSA: Sounds great! So, what have you got for us?

Kele reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of small berries.

KELE: These are mezzberries. Watch.

He summons a swirl of water in his hand. Then, with pinpoint precision, he sends the water out to perfectly envelop a single berry, holding it in place within a watery shell. A moment later, he snaps his fingers and the water evaporates instantly into the air, leaving the berry unharmed.

KELE: First step: precision targeting. Try picking one of these berries out of the group, then holding it in place. Okay?

IAN: Got it. Alright, let me try.

He concentrates, summoning the energy around his fingertips. Then, he squints, concentrating hard on one of the berries. A faint greenish-golden glow starts to surround his entire body.

KELE: Good so far!

IAN: And... here!

He points one finger at one of the berries. The power leaps from his skin and toward the set of berries... but instead of surrounding one of them, it slams into the whole bunch, scattering them all to the ground! ‘Lyss doubles over in laughter as Kele stoops to pick the berries back up.

ALYSSA: He said hold the berry, not knock ‘em all on the ground!

IAN: You try, then!

ALYSSA: Alright, fine! Watch this!

She concentrates, a similar glow erupting around herself much like her brother had done previously. Kele nods in approval.

KELE: Keep it up. You’re doing--

VARYYN: Wave-Lord! You’ve returned!

Kele looks up and smiles at Varyyn.

KELE: Indeed. I apologize for my long recovery.

VARYYN: Please, no need for that. Come. We have... a situation. We require your input.

Kele nods to the twins.

KELE: Keep it up, you two. I’ll have some more basic exercises for you later, alright?

He heads over to confer with Varyyn while Alyssa manages to capture two of the berries in a time-field. She concentrates harder, sweat beading down her forehead, when suddenly the berries squish together, exploding with a POP and spraying berry juice all over her face!

IAN (mockingly): “He said hold the berry, not make it explode into juice!”

ALYSSA: Ha ha, very funny.

She picks up a berry and throws it at him. It smacks him right in the face, exploding into juice.

IAN: Hey!

ALYSSA: There, now we’re even!

IAN: That isn’t how that works at all--

ALYSSA: Hey, if I have to be covered in juice, then so do you!

The two continue to bicker playfully as Diego watches them, laughing to himself. Kele, Varyyn, Seraxa, and Uqzhaal continue debating Lila’s claims, as the camera shifts to the platform just outside the throne room...

EXT. ELYYS’TEL - MORNING

Lila sits on a bench, her head in her hands, as she gazes out across the city. Taari sprints across a rope bridge just below them, while Sean and Quinn chase him, all three giggling and laughing. On a platform above, Jake helps a pair of Vaanti repair the damaged hang gliders. Raj busily cooks something over a large cooking fire, with several Vaanti civilians looking on curiously. Lila sighs as she watches everyone enjoying themselves.

ESTELA (O.S.): Lila.

Lila looks up in surprise as Estela walks into the scene and approaches her. She takes a seat on the bench.

ESTELA: So...

LILA: I don’t know what you or anyone else expects me to say. I’ve told you all everything that happened. Still, you don’t believe me.

ESTELA: Can you blame us? With everything that man has done...

LILA: I know. I wasn’t lying, Elena. He tried to kill me! The longer I stayed with him, the more afraid I got. That all it would take was one mistake, one wrong step, and I’d make Mr. Rourke angry... and that would be the end of me.

Estela’s expression softens. She nods in understanding of Rourke’s cruelty.

LILA: All I ever wanted to do was be a good employee! Do my best to help Mr. Rourke! And still... he almost shot me. Almost killed me. I... I...

Her eyes start watering. Estela hesitates before awkwardly resting a hand on her shoulder.

LILA: I’m sorry, Elena. I shouldn’t be... I should be stronger. Better. It’s my job to be cheerful, happy, optimistic. I’m a Rourke International tour guide! And yet--

ESTELA: Rourke hurt you. It’s okay to be affected by that.

Lila sniffs.

LILA: Thank you. You’re right. It’s just...

ESTELA: I’ve been hurt too, y’know. Rourke is not a good man. He puts on such a show for the world, yet deep down... I think we both know what he really is.

LILA: I suppose we do.

They sit side-by-side in silence for a few moments. Then, the door to the throne room swings open, with Ian and Alyssa emerging, both of them laughing and covered in berry juice.

IAN: Oh! Hey, Es--Elena. Lila. Hi.

ESTELA: Why is your face covered in... whatever that is?

Ian shrugs.

IAN: Mezzberry juice. ‘Lyss and I were practicing with our... powers. Turns out Kele is a pretty helpful teacher!

ALYSSA (shouting): Yo, Top Gun!

She sprints toward the nearest ascending ramp toward the hang glider platform.

IAN: Everything okay?

LILA: I’m alright. Thank you, Ian.

ESTELA: Yeah. We just... y’know, I don’t think she was lying about Rourke trying to kill her.

Estela stands up and moves closer to Ian.

ESTELA (quietly): Nobody can fake that kind of emotion. At least about that, she was telling the truth.

IAN: Good to know. Varyyn wants us all to gather again. He’s ready to make his decision.

INT. ELYYS’TEL THRONE ROOM - MORNING

Everyone has gathered in the throne room once again: even a tired, groaning Craig has managed to make his way down, being propped up on one side by an annoyed-looking Zahra. Varyyn looks down at Lila from his seat on his throne.

VARYYN: After much deliberation... I have decided. The Catalysts have done much for our people. It is only right that we help them return to their own people... and to that end, I myself along with my best warriors shall accompany them to this device. This way, we can ensure that the Vaanusor stays safe until it is time to use it.

UQZHAAL: After all, what better use for Vaanu’s heart than to assist their children?

Ian and Alyssa smile at each other.

VARYYN: We depart tomorrow morning. Seraxa, Uqzhaal, and the Wave-Lord are in charge of the city whilst I am away.

LILA: Thank you. I’ll guide you all to the Gate with the best of my ability, I promise!

ESTELA: I know you will. Thanks, Lila.

QUINN: This is so exciting! We’re going home!

She pulls Michelle into a hug as Furball darts around at her feet, yipping excitedly. Diego squeezes Varyyn’s hand.

DIEGO: Look at you, Varyyn! You’re really taking to leadership well. It suits you.

VARYYN: Thank you, my light. The burden of leadership is lessened with you at my side.

DIEGO: Yeah. I just wish this could last forever.

He sighs and gazes pensively up at the ceiling, knowing that at the end of their journey, he and Varyyn will need to go their separate ways...

_______________________

Scene Notes: And so Act 2 begins... with the journey to MASADA! Good thing the twins have finally started really learning to use their powers, thanks to Kele...

_______________________

Next: Climate Change

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

Endless Summer Tag List: @mysteli @edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlessly-searching-for-you @lovelywrites

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sceptilemasterr · 3 years ago

Text

Endless Winter (ES Book 2) Act 1, Scene 12 - Valinorim

Title: Endless Winter

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Quinn, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: The Catalysts participate in a Vaanti festival of music, food, and games!

Previous Scene: Sunset Chat

Masterlist: Link

EXT. ELYYS’TEL - MORNING

The next day, the city is filled with colorful banners, Vaanti dancing and singing, the sounds of horns and drums, and multiple plates and bowls of food set out everywhere. From within a small hut near the top of the city, Jake emerges, wincing against the morning sunlight as he yawns loudly.

JAKE: Damn... these Vaanti start their parties early.

ALYSSA (O.S.) (groggily): Top Gun, can you tell ‘em to shut that light off?

Jake laughs and glances back at the hut.

JAKE: That’s the sun, Princess. I could ask your brother, see if he can undo it for ya--

ALYSSA (yawning): Ha ha, very funny. Alright, I’m up. Give me a sec.

The camera pans away from Jake and down through the city until arriving at the city’s central platform. Most of the other Catalysts are already there, as is Seraxa along with a large crowd of other Vaanti. Varyyn stands atop a platform, looking resplendent in the ornate robes and brilliant red headdress of the elyyshar. He raises his arms over the crowd.

VARYYN: This has been a time of great loss... and yet, also a time for celebration. Cetus has been driven back. The Children of Vaanu have returned to us. Delphinus’s life has been restored by the grace of Vaanu!

He spares a glance for Quinn, who is smiling broadly as she leans against Michelle. Her skin is back to its normal color and she looks healthier than ever. Michelle smiles back at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

RAJ: Yeah! Go Quinn!

ALEISTER: Curing Rotterdam’s Syndrome in an hour? Let’s see my father do that!

From his position at Varyyn’s left side, Uqzhaal adds:

UQZHAAL: And let us not forget: we have also crowned a new elyyshar! Varyyn Ximaeiho!

Varyyn blushes a faint blue as the crowd erupts into cheers. Diego cheers the loudest of all. As the cheers die down, Varyyn speaks once again.

VARYYN: Yes... there is much to celebrate today. So let us put aside the pain we have suffered, and enjoy this day of joy! Let the 212th Valinorim begin!

As the crowd erupts into jovial cheering, Varyyn climbs down from his platform. Seraxa approaches him and bows respectfully.

SERAXA: My elyyshar. I must apologize for my harsh words yesterday. I misjudged you and the Catalysts, and I am sorry. I--

VARYYN: There is no need, Seraxa. I am just happy to have you here today with us. Now, go! Enjoy the Valinorim; I certainly shall!

Seraxa smiles faintly as Varyyn heads straight to Diego.

DIEGO: That speech was incredible! Nice job, Varyyn. And I agree with Uqzhaal: you are definitely a reason to celebrate, too!

VARYYN: I thank you, Diego. Truth be told, it all feels a bit... much.

DIEGO: Nah. It’s great! Speaking of which, what exactly do we do here? This is my first time seeing one of these... uh...

VARYYN: “Valinorim.” It is a day of celebration held after the crowning of a new elyyshar. It is one of our oldest rituals, and is traditionally celebrated with dancing, music, games, food, and drinks!

JAKE: You had me at “drinks,” Kermit the Chief.

He and Alyssa approach from a nearby ramp. Alyssa yawns, clearly still waking up.

ALYSSA: Somebody said something about food?

DIEGO: Yeah! You don’t wanna miss the Valinorim!

RAJ: It’s time to party!

A set of four Vaanti walk past, a large table laden with food being carried between them. Raj stares excitedly at it.

RAJ: Alright, that looks amazing! Where you going?

SERAXA: Only the bravest of souls dares take on the Challenge of the Feast. It is not for the faint-of... stomach.

RAJ (excitedly): You’re sayin’ it’s an eating contest? I am so in!

SERAXA: Eating, yes, as well as the imbibing of liquors. You will also need a partner--

CRAIG: Count me in, bro!

Craig claps Raj on the back.

CRAIG: Humans vs. Vaanti, let’s go!

Zahra smiles at Craig, nudging him playfully.

ZAHRA: Make humanity proud.

CRAIG: You know it. I got this!

He smiles back at her before he and Raj head off in pursuit of the group of Vaanti and their table. Alyssa sidles up to Zahra.

ALYSSA: ...I assume things worked out last night?

ZAHRA: You bet. Thanks for the support.

ALYSSA (shrugs): Guess Diego’s matchmaking instinct must’ve rubbed off on me. Glad I could help.

ZAHRA: And your half of the deal...?

Alyssa holds up a hand and shuts her eyes tightly, concentrating. A few small wisps of greenish-golden energy dance around her fingertips before vanishing.

ZAHRA: Nice. It’s a start.

ALYSSA: Thanks.

Varyyn approaches the two of them, a happy spring in his step.

VARYYN: Andromeda! Corvus! Come, you must celebrate with the rest of us. Most of my people will be gathered down at the beach.

ALYSSA: Alright, point us to the party!

Varyyn reaches out and literally points down in the direction of the water’s edge. Alyssa and Zahra double over in laughter.

ALYSSA (laughing): Sorry--that wasn’t--it’s a figure of speech!

ZAHRA (laughing): Aw, man! That was hilarious!

Varyyn stares in puzzlement for a moment... then starts laughing as well.

VARYYN: I suppose even as elyyshar, I still have much to learn. Come, let us join in the festivities!

He leads them along with most of the other Catalysts toward a nearby ramp. As they leave the area, Quinn lingers, looking into the sky, her gaze unfocused. Michelle hesitates.

MICHELLE: Quinn?

She walks back to stand beside Quinn.

MICHELLE: How are you feeling? Gonna head down to the party?

QUINN: Yeah. Just need a moment to collect my thoughts, I guess. It’s...

Michelle nods.

MICHELLE: You’ve been through a lot. Understandable.

QUINN: It’s... I feel completely fine. Even better than before, and I still don’t know what to do with this weird “feeling” I’ve got inside now. But it’s not that.

Michelle waits patiently for Quinn to continue.

QUINN: Michelle, I’ve been defined by my illness my whole life. Every moment, every choice, everything I ever did or tried... it was because I was Quinn, the Dying Girl. Even when I started at Hartfeld and decided not to tell anyone, to not let it define me... somehow, I guess I ended up letting it define me to myself.

MICHELLE (suddenly understanding): That’s why you were so secretive about it. I’m so sorry, Quinn. I never meant to pry, I was just worried--

QUINN: It’s fine. I know you meant well. All of you did. And it caught up to me anyway. No matter how hard I tried to hide it, I’d always be “That Girl Whose Days Are Numbered.”

MICHELLE: You were always more than that, Quinn.

QUINN: Sure, I found ways to cope. To stay optimistic. To keep living my life. But I always knew my time was limited. I’d never get married... have a family of my own...

A single tear drips down Quinn’s cheek as she gazes into Michelle’s eyes.

MICHELLE: Quinn...

QUINN: I’d accepted all of that. I’d come to terms with it. And now... it’s all just gone? Magic cure, poof, just like that? I...

She laughs weakly.

QUINN: It sounds stupid, I know. I should be happy. But I don’t know how to accept that. I don’t know who I am now, without my illness.

MICHELLE: It’s okay to feel sad.

QUINN: ...It is?

MICHELLE: Sure. In a way, someone did die last night. The old you. Now, you’ve been given a second chance, a blank slate... the chance to be someone new. Yeah, you should be happy about that, but it’s okay to mourn the person you were, too. It’s a big adjustment, and it’s not easy.

QUINN: Thanks, Michelle. That seriously helped a lot.

Michelle reaches out and gently touches her shoulder. She follows Quinn’s gaze toward the celebration going on at the beach below.

MICHELLE: I’m glad. So, uh... you ready to check out the festival?

QUINN: The old me always lived life to the fullest... and that’s one thing that hasn’t changed. Let’s go!

Michelle extends her hand, and Quinn takes it. Together, the two of them start walking across the wooden platform toward a nearby ramp.

MICHELLE: I know it’s not exactly the same situation, but if you’re looking for someone to talk to... the twins could probably relate to handling a sudden, drastic change in what they know about themselves--

QUINN: I hadn’t thought about that! You’re right.

MICHELLE: I mean, it can’t hurt. But only if you’re comfortable with it.

QUINN: It’s a really good idea. I think I will talk to them about it. But later! Right now, it’s time to celebrate!

Quinn grins happily and starts running toward the ramp, pulling Michelle along behind her. As they run, the camera zooms in on the floor beneath their feet. Tiny green shoots are instantly sprouting up from the spots where her feet touch the wooden platform...

MONTAGE

Quinn and Michelle emerge onto the beach, where the festival is already in full swing. Hundreds of Vaanti mingle, play games, eat, drink, and dance. A Vaanti band plays a bouncy tune on flutes, horns, and drums. At the shore, Sean eyes a set of windsurfing rigs docked on the sand as a pair of Vaanti enthusiastically explain something to him. Jake and Alyssa stand at one of the feast tables; Jake guzzles down some type of Vaanti alcoholic drink while Alyssa valiantly attempts to fit a sample of every available food selection onto a single plate. Furball follows, eagerly gobbling up any food that she drops. Zahra sits nearby, sipping a blue Vaanti drink with an actual flame flickering across its surface; Seraxa sits beside her, sipping an equally “fiery” drink while regaling Zahra with a story about some long-ago battle.

ZAHRA: Dude. Seriously. How many did you fight off?

SERAXA: Alone, I vanquished twenty-seven of the foes before requiring assistance--

Zahra spits out some of her drink in astonishment. A nearby Vaanti yelps as the spray drenches his legs.

ZAHRA: No. Freakin'. Way. Badass.

SERAXA: What is wrong with my “ass?”

Zahra is unable to hold in her snort of laughter.

ZAHRA: Oh, right. It’s a figure of speech. Sorry, but that was hilarious. “Badass” means...

* * *

A short ways off from the crowd, Estela and Ian walk along the beach, hand-in-hand as they talk quietly amongst themselves. Diego and Varyyn come sprinting up behind them; Estela whirls around instinctively, already raising her spear to attack before she realizes who it is.

ESTELA (awkwardly): Oh. It’s just you two. Sorry.

DIEGO: Geez, please don’t skewer me next time!

VARYYN: I would not let her “skewer” you, Diego. I would vanquish her in a heartbeat if she tried.

ESTELA: You’re lucky I’m not trying to hurt Diego, or I’d beat you easily--

VARYYN: Ha! As though anyone could defeat me in combat, one-on-one!

ESTELA: Oh, I bet I could--

DIEGO: Whoa, Varyyn, Estela, Ian, calm down!

IAN (confused): ...What did I do?

Diego grins broadly.

DIEGO: So, Varyyn and I have a great way to solve this. We challenge you to quuk'vaalanan!

He pauses expectantly. Estela and Ian simply stare blankly.

ESTELA: Care to explain?

VARYYN: The Challenge of the Body. A contest of strength which we Vaanti have been celebrating with since ancient times. Myself and Canis, against the two of you: Perseus and Draco. Do you accept?

Estela and Ian exchange a quick glance, a silent conversation passing between them in an instant. Then they both turn back to face Varyyn, nodding in unison.

IAN: Bring it on.

* * *

Raj sits across from a Vaanti named PAACHEL, who is wearing an elephant mask. The two of them shovel as much food as they can into their mouths. Paachel’s partner sits beside him with a series of empty drink glasses laid out on the table. He and Craig each guzzle down drink after drink, with both starting to show clear signs of intoxication. Raj takes another heaping helping of food and looks his opponent in the eye.

RAJ: Alright, dude, ready to give up yet?

Raj shovels another pile of food into his mouth. Paachel struggles to push another spoonful of food into his own mouth. Craig laughs and cheers.

CRAIG: Whassa’ matter, elephant man? Can’t handle it?

Raj and Paachel continue attempting to ingest more food; Raj is clearly winning. Paachel’s partner downs another drink as Craig attempts to do the same, but misses and knocks one of the drinks off of the table instead. He points at Paachel.

CRAIG: Maybe we should call ya... “Ele-pants!” ‘Cuz your pants are gonna... are gonna...

Craig flops over face-first onto the table, completely passed out.

PAACHEL: It is two against one now, Centaurus... do you surrender?

RAJ: Nah. I’m just gettin’ started!

* * *

In the jungle not far from the city, Uqzhaal leads Aleister, Grace, and little Taari down a trail. Aleister is deep in thought, clearly puzzling over something.

ALEISTER: “Always at home...” “...strong and mindful...”

TAARI (singing): Zawak na bahom, matapoten vo maistrom!

GRACE: I suppose one wouldn’t expect the riddle to rhyme in English as well as in Vaant’igua.

ALEISTER: Thus far, all of the answers have been natural aspects of the world around us. Therefore, this clue is most likely something in nature as well. “Always at home...” Ah! Perhaps a snail? They forever carry their “home” in their shells along with them.

UQZHAAL: Is this truly your answer, Serpens?

GRACE: No! No, it’s not. Al, snails aren’t exactly “strong,” are they? I don’t think that fits.

ALEISTER: Hmm. You are correct.

As he and Grace struggle to think of the answer, Taari skips around them excitedly.

TAARI (singsong): Pastudo, pastudo, the answer’s a pastudo!

UQZHAAL: Taari! Do not give away the answer to the Catalysts! They must solve this riddle on their own!

TAARI: I didn’t say it in their language! They won’t understand--

GRACE (thinking out loud): “Pastudo...” “always at home...” I feel like I’m missing something.

ALEISTER: Hmm... (with sudden realization) Of course! "Pastudo..." “Studo...” Testudines!

ALEISTER AND GRACE: It’s a turtle!

UQZHAAL (sighs): You are correct. And this is why certain children ought to stay silent and not spoil the answer for others.

TAARI: I didn’t know! How do you know our language, Cat-a-lissus?

Aleister and Grace exchange a glance.

ALEISTER: We... we don’t. It would seem much of your language is derived from Latin, which we both have studied extensively.

GRACE: Right! Even the Catalyst names you’ve given us... Serpens, Cygnus...

She gestures to Aleister and then herself respectively as she says the names.

GRACE: Both Latin. “The Serpent, The Swan.”

UQZHAAL: That cannot be. Our ancestors arrived to this place thousands of years ago. How do you know--

ALEISTER: Latin is an ancient language in our world. It is entirely possible your people were influenced by Latin in some way when developing their language.

Uqzhaal frowns, clearly unsure what to make of this statement.

UQZHAAL: Much of our people’s early days on this island remains shrouded in myth. I shall have to think on this more.

Taari frowns, tugging on Uqzhaal’s cloak.

TAARI: I promise not to spoil anything else! Keeper, Keeper, give them the next riddle!

Uqzhaal smiles at the young Vaanti boy.

UQZHAAL: ...Very well. The Challenge of the Mind continues.

GRACE: We’ve got this. Right, Al?

They exchange warm smiles.

ALEISTER: Naturally. There is no test of intellect the two of us cannot overcome!

UQZHAAL: We shall see, Catalysts. Now then, the next riddle is as follows...

* * *

Out on the water, not far from Elyys’tel’s beach, Jake, Sean, and Alyssa play a game against the three Vaanti who Sean was talking with earlier. The six of them all ride windsurfing boards as the two teams each attempt to gain control of a wooden ring in an effort to score points by slinging it over an ancient wooden buoy. One of the Vaanti, RIALA, speeds past Sean, her board’s wake causing him to nearly capsize. As he struggles to stay upright on the board, Riala snatches the wooden disc out of his hands.

RIALA: Too slow, Aquila! The Wind-Disc is mine!

She beelines straight toward the buoy. Alyssa and Jake follow in hot pursuit as Riala’s teammates attempt to block them. At the last possible second, however, Alyssa and Jake expertly dodge around the two other Vaanti and head straight for Riala in a perfectly timed pincer. As they draw closer, the faint glow of a Cuhupla bond becomes clearly visible in their eyes. Riala panics in surprise and accidentally drops the wind-disc; Jake deftly scoops it up and passes it to Alyssa with perfect precision. She jams the disc onto the buoy; the bond dispels shortly afterward.

RIALA: A Cuhupla bond?! That is not fair--

JAKE (shrugs): Hey, all’s fair in love, war, and... uh, whatever this game’s called.

ALYSSA: That’s not how that phrase goes, Top Gun--

RIALA: It is called quuk’tanoi! The Challenge of the Sea!

JAKE: ...Yeah. That.

Riala and her teammates circle around the buoy, picking up the disc and bringing it back to the shore to “reset” the game. Jake and Alyssa follow, joining up with Sean along the way.

RIALA: Fine, Catalysts. Let us play again. We are ready for your tricks this time, Daughter of Vaanu!

ALYSSA: Best two outta three? You’re on!

She, Jake, and Sean move close enough to each other to exchange high-fives before returning to their starting positions.

* * *

Further down the shore, Quinn and Michelle hold hands as they cheer in excitement from within a crowd of Vaanti spectators. A series of dozens of narrow wooden posts stick up out of the water a short distance away. Estela and Ian face off against Varyyn and Diego, leaping from post to post in an effort to knock the opposing team into the water with their wooden sparring-staffs.

QUINN: I don’t know who to root for! I want Estela and Ian to win... but I don’t want Diego to lose, either!

MICHELLE: I don’t care who wins. I’m just cheering for the fun of it!

Quinn smiles at her.

QUINN: Y’know? That’s a great idea! Gotta just have fun, right?

She takes a sip from a fiery drink much like the one Zahra was drinking earlier and lets out a loud whoop of excitement.

QUINN: GO EVERYONE! WOOOOO!

Diego leaps toward another post to avoid a swing from Ian... but he overbalances and wobbles precariously!

DIEGO: Whoaaaa!

IAN: Sorry, Diego... but I gotta play to win!

He prods Diego in the back with his staff, gently but strong enough to send him falling into the water with a splash. Much of the Vaanti crowd boos, but Diego quickly stands up in the waist-deep water, laughing.

DIEGO (dramatically): Avenge me, Varyyn!

Varyyn leaps to a post next to Ian and swings his staff. Ian catches it on his own staff; as they struggle to push each other back, Diego starts making lightsaber noises in the background. Finally, Varyyn overpowers Ian, sending him splashing into the water right next to Diego. The two boys exchange a brief, amused look at each other before breaking into laughter.

DIEGO: Y’know, I think the lightsaber noises did the trick. (shouting) Use the Force, Varyyn!

VARYYN: I am using much force, Canis!

IAN: C’mon, you’ve been here for six months and he doesn’t know Star Wars?

DIEGO (shrugs): They don’t exactly have online streaming out here, y’know.

IAN: Sure, but you’re great at recaps. You could tell him the story!

DIEGO: What, like Threepio with the Ewoks?

IAN: Yes, exactly like that!

DIEGO: Huh... hadn’t thought about it before--

Another splash makes them both look up. Varyyn has fallen into the water on the other side of the posts. Estela twirls her staff, turning to smile triumphantly at Ian. Diego nudges Ian as he smiles back at her.

DIEGO: Well, that was a predictable ending.

IAN: Hey, your boyfriend put up a good fight--

DIEGO: Who, Varyyn? I mean... he’s not...

IAN: Is this opposite day or something? Because me teasing you about your relationship feels backwards.

DIEGO: I... (laughs) Alright, fair enough. If I can dish it out, I can take it. I mean, it’s been six months. Varyyn and I...

* * *

Some time later, Raj staggers back toward the rest of the party, his belly full to bursting with food as he supports a barely-conscious Craig. When he spots the others, Raj shouts excitedly to them.

RAJ: Catalysts win! We are the champions of eating contests!

CRAIG (slurring heavily): We... yeah... we win... whooooo...

The other Catalysts all start cheering.

ALL CATALYSTS EXCEPT RAJ AND CRAIG (chanting): Raj! Raj! Raj! Raj!

RAJ: You know it! ...Though I don’t wanna look at food again for a while. Another few days, at least.

SERAXA: Congratulations on your victory, Centaurus.

RAJ: Thanks!

VARYYN: This has been an enjoyable time. Truly a Valinorim that will go down in our people’s memory for many years to come. Now, then, let us continue with--

A sudden commotion from the direction of Elyys’tel’s entrance catches everyone’s attention. Estela immediately tenses up, ready to fight, while the other Catalysts all look toward the entrance with apprehension.

GRACE: ...What’s going on?

DIEGO: Varyyn? Is, uh... is this a normal part of the Valinorim?

VARYYN: No... I do not know what is happening. (authoritatively) Warriors! What is the meaning of this--

The crowd of Vaanti parts, and the warrior Calvia roughly shoves someone down onto the floor in front of Varyyn. The figure is clearly human, not Vaanti... her hair is a mess, filled with stray twigs and leaves, and the yellow shirt she wears is wrinkled, torn, and covered with dirt. She looks up at the assembled crowd, and the Catalysts gasp in recognition.

ESTELA (suspiciously): Lila? What is she doing here--

Quinn rushes forward to help her up as Calvia nods to Varyyn.

CALVIA: My elyyshar. We found this one wandering the nearby jungles. She was previously seen assisting Hydra at the Temple of Canis--

LILA: No, wait! Please! I had no choice... Rourke would’ve killed me if I hadn’t gone with him. I escaped as soon as I could and came straight here! There’s something you need to know--something he’s kept secret from all of you...

UQZHAAL: It cannot be a coincidence that one of the First Catalysts has arisen in our midst so soon after the Valinorim. Auriga, what brings you here?

She looks at the Catalysts one by one.

LILA: Rourke wants to keep you all trapped here. But I know a way home.

_______________________

Scene Notes: And so Lila returns to the story! Just like Kele and Varyyn, she's been given a Catalyst name as well, "Auriga." Also, we've reached the end of Act 1!

_______________________

Next: Portal to Home

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

Endless Summer Tag List: @mysteli @edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlessly-searching-for-you @lovelywrites

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sceptilemasterr · 3 years ago

Text

Endless Winter (ES Book 2) Act 1, Scene 8 - High Council of the Vaanti

Title: Endless Winter

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Quinn, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: The Catalysts are escorted through the city of Elyys'tel, where their fates will be decided.

Previous Scene: Lord of the Waves

Masterlist: Link

CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains a scene involving a character's struggles after being outed as gay. If such content is triggering or otherwise discomforting for you, please feel free to skip over this chapter; a link to the next one has been provided here for your convenience:

Next Chapter: Trial by Water

EXT. ELYYS’TEL - DAY

Escorted by a troop of warriors, Estela helps a still half-conscious Ian along as they and the others are brought to the base of the great tree that was seen earlier. Kele is notably absent from the group as they approach the tree. From up close, its true scale becomes apparent: the trunk alone is wider than a skyscraper, and countless branches strewn with walkways and staircases crisscross the area, making it seem even more massive. Seraxa signals to someone up above, and a wooden elevator descends, allowing the group to enter the city itself.

RAJ: Duuuuude... this is so dope--

One of the warriors pokes him in the back with a spear, and he yelps in surprise.

RAJ: Okay, okay! I’m going!

The remainder of their journey continues in silence as they are escorted along the winding walkways. Countless Vaanti civilians stare at them, a myriad of emotions evident on their faces: fear, awe, surprise, reverence, curiosity. As they continue walking, Varyyn starts to stir.

VARYYN (groggily): Marr sahn...

The two warriors carrying him immediately stop, setting him gently on his feet. Varyyn looks around, confused, and then spots Diego.

VARYYN: Diego! I do not-- What has happened?

DIEGO (shrugs): It’s... a long story.

As they continue through the city, Diego fills Varyyn in on what he missed. Finally, the group arrives at the entrance of an ornate set of double doors, carved into the trunk of the great tree itself. Seraxa turns to face Alyssa and the others, a prideful smirk upon her face.

SERAXA: Prepare yourselves, Catalysts. The Tribunal awaits.

_______________________

INT. ELYYS’TEL THRONE ROOM - DAY

The great double doors swing open, revealing a vast chamber into which the Hartfeld students and Jake are quickly shepherded inside. The Vaanti warriors file in behind them. At the far end of the room is an ornate wooden throne that appears to grow directly into the wall of the tree itself. Seated in the throne is an older Vaanti woman, her clothing significantly more ornate than anything seen previously. She wears an elaborate red headdress and gazes down at the new arrivals with a stern expression mixed with curiosity. This is XIMAEDRA.

XIMAEDRA: War-Chief Seraxa. Keeper Uqzhaal. What is the meaning of this?

SERAXA: These outsiders attacked our prince! They attempted to destroy the Temple of Canis, and--

MICHELLE: What? No we didn’t--

TUPAAN, a Vaanti wearing a ram’s head mask, hits Michelle sharply in the leg with the blunt end of his spear.

TUPAAN: Quiet!

XIMAEDRA (dismissively): And why bring them here? Exile them to Sharktooth Isle and be done with it.

Seraxa nods, her expression triumphant, but before she can give any orders to her warriors, Uqzhaal hobbles forward. He declares, surprisingly loudly:

UQZHAAL: I would invoke the Rule of Tribunal!

Seraxa glares at him as Varyyn’s jaw drops. Diego looks over at him, confused, as the other Vaanti all begin talking excitedly amongst themselves in the Vaant’igua language. Seraxa and two other Vaanti warriors, a man named VILOKO and a woman named CALVIA, take up positions on either side of Ximaedra’s throne.

ALEISTER: What on Earth is a “Rule of Tribunal?”

VARYYN: A process by which they shall judge your fate. Three will speak against you, and three in your defense...

SEAN: All right, that’s not so bad. I’ll do it--

Sean approaches the throne, but another warrior pushes him back. Varyyn shakes his head and frowns.

VARYYN: The speakers must be citizens of Elyys'tel. Outsiders are not permitted to speak for the Tribunal--

ZAHRA: What? That’s bullshit! How the hell are we supposed to--

Uqzhaal hobbles back toward the group, turning to face Seraxa, Calvia, and Viloko.

UQZHAAL: I shall speak for the accused.

Varyyn and Diego exchange a glance. Varyyn then nods and steps forward to stand beside Uqzhaal.

VARYYN: As shall I.

XIMAEDRA: Varyyn, what is the meaning of--

VARYYN: I know Diego’s heart. He is no destroyer.

Ximaedra sighs.

XIMAEDRA: ...Very well. And the third?

Uqzhaal and Varyyn exchange a glance. Jake nudges Diego.

JAKE: Any chance you’re close enough with these guys to step up?

Diego shakes his head.

DIEGO (apologetically): Sure, I know them well enough, but I’m still an outsider. Sorry.

XIMAEDRA: ...Does a third citizen of Elyys’tel deign to speak in defense of the accused?

There is an awkward silence. Seraxa crosses her arms and gazes triumphantly down at Uqzhaal and Varyyn. Varyyn looks back at the other warriors in the room, hoping for assistance, but no one volunteers.

SERAXA: As we are all well aware, without a third citizen willing to stand in defense of the accused, the Tribunal is forfeit. It would seem--

A thick mist suddenly fills the entire chamber, making it impossible to see anything.

VILOKO: Saneha?! Anco jest--

XIMAEDRA (calmly): It would seem they have their third defender, War-Chief.

The mist dissipates as abruptly as it had appeared, swirling out the windows and doors. Kele is now standing beside Varyyn and Uqzhaal, facing the throne.

RAJ: Wait a sec... who the...

KELE: That’s right, Elyyshar. I will speak for the accused.

SERAXA: You would interfere again, Wave-Lord?

KELE: I’m a citizen, aren’t I? I have that right.

Seraxa sighs and crosses her arms, but says nothing more. Kele nods back at the Hartfeld group.

KELE: Looks like I’m saving you all again, aren’t I?

JAKE: Listen, Mr. Waterbender, you owe us a lot of explanation after all this--

XIMAEDRA: Silence. The defenders may speak first. Varyyn?

Varyyn takes a step forward, addressing Ximaedra directly.

VARYYN: Mother. Members of the Tribunal. You know that I have never given any of you reason to distrust me. And neither has the one we call Canis.

He turns, gesturing toward Diego.

VARYYN: For five sheaves of days now, I have spent more time with Diego than has any other citizen of Elyys’tel. I have worked alongside him, traveled with him, stood by him. I have taught him of our ways, and in turn he has taught all of us his language. And I wish to point out that in all this time, he did not once attempt to harm us or flee from us. In truth, as you all have witnessed, he has made every effort to try to understand us.

Diego gives Varyyn a grateful smile. The Vaanti warrior turns back to face the crowd.

VARYYN: And so I ask all of you, citizens of Elyys’tel: do we not owe him that same courtesy? Should we not make the effort to try and understand Diego’s people, just as he was willing to understand us? I believe we should. “For Time’s great cycle ever repeats, and that which is given, in Time one shall receive.”

There is a brief muttering among the Vaanti warriors. Varyyn gives a short bow and steps backward. Ximaedra smiles proudly for a moment, then turns serious.

XIMAEDRA: Well said, Varyyn. And now for the opposition. War-Chief Seraxa?

Seraxa nods and steps forward, glaring angrily at Varyyn before turning to face the rest of the crowd.

SERAXA: Hydra. Lyra.

Fear and anger ripple through the room in equal measure. Estela frowns in confusion as she leans in to whisper to Ian:

ESTELA: That’s the second time now she’s mentioned “Hydra.” What’s that about?

IAN (whispering): No idea.

SERAXA: We trusted outsiders once before, and we all remember how that story ended. They betrayed us. Tried to destroy us! Kidnapped the children of Vaanu from this very city! And now you would repeat that very same mistake? I refuse to risk another betrayal. Exile them and be done with it.

Seraxa stops talking and takes a step back, gazing out at the assembled Vaanti warriors around the chamber. Ximaedra nods.

XIMAEDRA: You are finished, War-Chief?

SERAXA: I am.

XIMAEDRA: Very well. Keeper Uqzhaal, you may speak.

Uqzhaal takes a few slow steps forward.

GRACE (quietly): I don’t like this.

ALYSSA: Yeah, the war-chief really hates us. I hope the old guy’s got a good argument...

UQZHAAL: War-Chief, you speak of the one we call Hydra, and the betrayal that he committed. Yet you would treat these outsiders the same, despite Hydra being their enemy as well! You forget that I was with them when the Temple of Canis was set alight. I witnessed with my own eyes as Hydra attempted to burn them alive within it! They are no friends of his, I can assure you that much.

SERAXA (angrily): They are still outsiders! This--

XIMAEDRA: Silence, War-Chief. You speak out of turn.

Seraxa bows her head, embarrassed at her sudden outburst. After a moment, Uqzhaal continues:

UQZHAAL: You mentioned as well the betrayal that Lyra inflicted upon us. How she took the children of Vaanu from our people, depriving us of such a blessing, and then sent her warriors to attack us, nearly burning Elyys’tel to the ground.

JAKE (whispering): Hey, ain’t he supposed to be on our side? That doesn’t sound like a defense.

SEAN (whispering): Yeah, I really hope he knows what he’s doing...

UQZHAAL: Yet none of you have recognized what is plain to see! That betrayal--that tragedy--has been corrected!

Uqzhaal suddenly turns and approaches the Hartfeld group, walking straight toward Alyssa and Ian. He uses his staff to reach out and pull the two of them forward, out of the group and into the space directly in front of Ximaedra’s throne. The Czasa twins look around in confusion as Uqzhaal declares:

UQZHAAL (proudly): At long last, the children of Vaanu are returned to us!

The entire chamber erupts in an uproar. Excitement, anger, and confusion can be felt in equal measure despite most of the words spoken being in the Vaant’igua language. Alyssa and Ian exchange confused glances, clearly bewildered.

SERAXA: Uqzhaal, how can you know that? Your gluptala fantasies have blinded you--

UQZHAAL (exasperated): Hydra vezm, War-Chief! I was there! I saw that one summon the Vaanulux with my own eyes!

He points to Ian.

IAN: What’s a ‘Vaan...’ uh, thing?

SERAXA: You see?! They do not even know our ways! They cannot be--

XIMAEDRA (booming): ENOUGH!

The entire room immediately goes silent. Ximaedra rises from her throne, stepping forward to stand between Seraxa and Uqzhaal. She takes a moment to allow her analytical gaze to sweep over first Ian, then Alyssa.

XIMAEDRA: If what you say is true, Keeper Uqzhaal... then we have not only the children of Vaanu, but truly the Thirteen Catalysts of legend standing in our midst. It may be a grave mistake to punish them.

Seraxa flinches, looking as though she desperately wants to object, but she holds her tongue. Ximaedra turns back to face Uqzhaal.

XIMAEDRA: If what you say is true. In order to know for certain, we shall need proof of this matter before proceeding. Tupaan? Sixal?

Tupaan and SIXAL, a female warrior wearing a golden mask, step forward.

XIMAEDRA: Go to the Temple of... hmm, Cygnus should do. Retrieve the vaalta there and bring it to us. We shall know the truth of Keeper Uqzhaal’s claim soon enough.

SIXAL: Yes, my elyyshar.

She and Tupaan move to leave the throne room, but Uqzhaal stops them with his staff.

UQZHAAL: Wait! There is no need. I have the vaalta of Canis right here.

He reaches into his satchel and withdraws the dog-headed statue he had taken from the temple earlier, holding it out before Ximaedra.

XIMAEDRA: Ah! Yes, this will work nicely. Keeper Uqzhaal, you have said nothing to the outsiders of the vaalta?

UQZHAAL: That is correct. They know nothing of our stories.

XIMAEDRA: Excellent. Will this suffice, War-Chief?

SERAXA: Yes. We shall witness their ignorance soon enough.

Uqzhaal turns and gestures to Diego, who steps nervously forward. Uqzhaal hands him the statue.

UQZHAAL: Canis. Take the vaalta.

DIEGO (hesitantly): Uh... okay.

He takes it, but nothing happens. Uqzhaal gestures toward the twins.

UQZHAAL: Let them touch it.

Diego approaches the twins and holds out the idol. Realization dawns on both Alyssa and Ian as they understand what the Vaanti are trying to do.

ALYSSA: Oh! They want us to--

IAN (simultaneously): Is this about the--

They reach out to touch the statue. The moment all three of them are touching it, a familiar blinding flash of light envelops the twins. When it clears, they are standing in the living room of a small house, near the front door. Ian and Alyssa stumble back in shock when they see it.

ALYSSA (emotionally): I... this is...

IAN (shocked): Home.

The two of them look almost on the verge of tears at the familiar sight. Before they can react further, the door swings open to reveal YOUNG IAN and YOUNG ALYSSA, about 12 years old, their backpacks slung over their shoulders. Behind them, looking terrified and so nervous that he seems to wish he could disappear on the spot, is an equally YOUNG DIEGO. He is disheveled, his hair messy and his clothes wrinkled. His own backpack is stuffed to bursting, and he holds a wrinkled bedsheet in his hands.

YOUNG IAN: It’ll be okay. I promise! They love you.

YOUNG DIEGO (shakily): I thought m-my parents did, too. And then--

YOUNG ALYSSA: Well, they’re stupid! None of that should matter. Want me to go yell at them for you? I could totally do that!

The adult Ian and Alyssa exchange a glance.

ALYSSA: This is... It’s another memory.

IAN: Yeah. Wait--you’ve seen this, too?

ALYSSA: Not this one, but... same concept. Wait, hang on--!

IAN (sighs): Yeah, I’ve seen one too. Gotta say, it’s really weird seeing ourselves like this.

ALYSSA: No kidding--

She stops talking as footsteps can be heard from upstairs. The younger Alyssa, Ian, and Diego enter the living room and shut the door. A woman in her late 40’s, her black hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, walks down the stairs as the adult twins’ gazes are immediately drawn to her. This is BECKY CZASA, Alyssa and Ian’s adoptive mother.

IAN: Mom!

ALYSSA (simultaneously): Mom!

Without thinking, the two of them approach their mother, only to be interrupted as the younger Ian runs up to Becky, sprinting right through his older self in the process. The older Ian glances down and sighs, shaking his head.

IAN: Right. Memory.

BECKY: Hi, Ian! How was schoo--

She abruptly stops talking mid-sentence as she catches sight of Diego, taking in his disheveled appearance.

BECKY (concerned): Diego! Oh my Lord, what happened? You look like a mess! What’s wrong--

Diego flinches and attempts to hide behind Alyssa. Ian takes a deep breath and looks back at his sister and his best friend. Alyssa gives him a nod.

YOUNG IAN (nervously): Mom... uh... something did happen. It’s kind of a big deal. I... um... I don’t really know where to start. How to explain... um... it’s...

YOUNG ALYSSA (shouting): Diego’s gay, Mom!

Diego looks even more terrified. Ian fixes his sister with an angry glare.

YOUNG IAN: ‘Lyss!

YOUNG ALYSSA: What? You were taking too long. (furiously) Mom, if you think you’re about to kick Diego out like his mom did, then I’m kicking myself out, too! Nobody deserves to be treated like this for somethin’ they don’t choose! You don’t--

BECKY: What? Alyssa, please, I am not--

YOUNG ALYSSA: --and it's such a big bunch of crap, too! He’s so scared, and everyone keeps bullying him, and now even his own family won’t--

BECKY: Alyssa, listen to me--

YOUNG ALYSSA: --so if you and Dad think you can keep treating him like this, like everyone else does, than me and Ian are runnin’ away with him, you got that? You kick him out, you kick all of us out! I'm not gonna--

BECKY (suddenly shouting): Alyssa Meghan Agbayani Czasa!

Alyssa abruptly stops talking. Becky shakes her head, an amused smile on her face.

BECKY: I know you care about your friend. But your father and I would never dream of treating him any different because of who he loves! Diego, you have always been welcome in our home, and that has not changed. That will never change, do you understand?

The younger Alyssa blushes heavily at the realization that her whole rant was for nothing. The adult Alyssa, watching the vision, blushes heavily as well, from secondhand embarrassment. Ian gives her an amused smile.

ALYSSA: God, was I really that quick to start yelling all the time back then?

IAN: And I could barely work up the nerve to say anything at all. Wow...

ALYSSA (playfully): Not much has changed on that front.

IAN: That goes for both of us, y’know.

They share an amused grin before turning their attention back to the memory. Becky approaches Diego and bends down to pull him into a tight hug as Diego starts sobbing into her shoulder.

BECKY: Shh. It’s okay. You’re safe here.

YOUNG DIEGO (sobbing): I thought... I thought you’d--

YOUNG IAN: Mom? That’s why... I wanted to ask if he can stay with us. His parents kicked him out. He had to sleep on a couch in the library last night! And he barely had anything to eat besides my lunch from today! He needs--

BECKY: Of course he can stay. As long as he needs to, he can stay.

Becky stands up and gives young Ian a smile.

BECKY: He’s no stranger to that guest room of ours, after all! Come on, you three. Let’s get you all some food.

YOUNG DIEGO (tearfully): Thank you, Mrs. Czasa. Thank you. I-- thank you!

As the older Ian and Alyssa move to follow their younger selves into the kitchen, the blinding flash of light returns once again and the twins are yanked backward. Within the light, they hear a familiar voice:

VOICE (V.O.): Canis. Always quick to cast his own needs aside for fear of rejection. He must accept himself for who he is, in order to find the true strength he carries within. All of you must, if you wish to find the sole path forward.

In a flash, they are back in the throne room of Elyys’tel. The twins stare at Diego in shock.

DIEGO (confused): Uh... did something happen? Are you two okay?

IAN: We, er... we saw...

XIMAEDRA: Describe your experience upon touching the vaalta.

IAN: I... uh... it was kinda...

ALYSSA: We saw a vision. A memory. Diego’s memory.

DIEGO: Wait, what?

UQZHAAL (triumphantly): Oho! You see?

ALYSSA: We could, like, walk around and stuff. But we couldn’t interact with anything. We saw it as clear as day!

DIEGO: Wait, what memory?

IAN: From when we were little. The day you--

SERAXA: They lie!

XIMAEDRA: And how could they lie about this, War-Chief? They have no way of knowing what the correct answer could be--

Uqzhaal takes the statue from Diego’s hand and holds it aloft.

UQZHAAL: It is a proven truth! They are indeed the long-lost children of Vaanu, returned to us at last! Which means... before us stand the Thirteen Catalysts of legend!

Gasps of astonishment come from the surrounding crowd of Vaanti. The Hartfeld group simply look even more confused.

SERAXA: Claq shen zarvii, Uqzhaal. It is said that they will bring about great change, yes? And change itself can be good... or very, very bad. The Catalysts may prove to be our enemies yet.

Uqzhaal scowls in annoyance.

UQZHAAL: And you would make enemies out of them in the process? That is not--

XIMAEDRA: Keeper Uqzhaal. Tell me, is it not true that the Endless Ones once spoke of the Catalysts’ capacity for salvation and destruction?

UQZHAAL: It... it is true, my elyyshar.

XIMAEDRA: Then we may in fact be enemies, after all. Even the Catalysts--indeed, even the children of Vaanu--are not without the ability to choose. Even to choose evil, should they wish.

VARYYN: Diego is not--

Ximaedra holds out a hand for silence as she settles back into her throne.

XIMAEDRA: The Tribunal continues. Keeper Uqzhaal, you have said your peace. Warrior Viloko, step forward.

The male Vaanti warrior standing beside Seraxa takes a step forward and nods at the assembled crowd.

VILOKO: Our War-Chief speaks the truth! Even if they are the Catalysts, it changes nothing. We all know of what happened when our warriors went to retrieve them from the Torehydra! They attacked us without cause!

He points accusingly at Varyyn.

VILOKO: Varyyn, you should know full well that the Catalysts are our enemies! You were with us in that battle that should not have been a battle! We have no need to wonder. It has already been made clear: the Catalysts are our enemies!

He draws a ceremonial knife from its sheath at his waist and holds it aloft.

VILOKO: Why are we talking? We should be acting!

SERAXA: Heed my warrior’s words! He speaks the truth!

Piercing war cries erupt from the crowd. Ximaedra raises both hands in an attempt to quiet the crowd as Uqzhaal pounds his staff on the ground. The Vaanti warriors press closer toward the Catalysts, who huddle in more tightly together. As the din crescendoes, Kele stomps a foot on the ground and makes a few quick gestures. A thin surge of water whips in through a window to impact with a resounding CRACK! against the opposite wall. Immediately, the room goes quiet.

KELE: HEY! Tribunal’s not over.

He bows quickly to Ximaedra before stepping back to his original position.

KELE (respectfully): Elyyshar. Proceed.

Ximaedra nods gratefully in his direction before returning her gaze to Viloko and Seraxa.

XIMAEDRA: There is a time for war-frenzy, and a time for order. You would do well to remember this.

VILOKO (ashamed): Yes, my elyyshar.

XIMAEDRA: Have you any more to say, Warrior Viloko?

VILOKO: Only that I stand by my words. We must treat the Catalysts as our enemies, lest we wish to be--

He stops talking as a deep, shuddering rumble echoes throughout the chamber. The other Vaanti all look up in fear, as do the Catalysts.

SERAXA: Wave-Lord! What trick of yours is this?!

KELE: This isn’t me. I’m not--

An impossibly tall wave crashes into the side of the chamber, water dripping through the windows. Kele quickly runs toward the water, doing his best to keep the torrent from drowning everyone inside the chamber. He visibly strains to send the water pouring harmlessly out another window.

SERAXA: Go! Tell us what happened!

Calvia nods to her War-Chief and dashes out of the chamber. Not fifteen seconds later, she comes sprinting back inside, wide-eyed with terror.

CALVIA (quaking with fear): Elyyshar. War-Chief.

She swallows hard, then looks back up at Ximaedra nervously.

CALVIA: Cetus has returned.

_______________________

Scene Notes: Yes, we're skipping Yvonne's entrance for now. Don't worry, I'd never miss including her in the story! She'll show up eventually. Next up: the battle with Cetus!

also I can finally start referring to them as 'Catalysts,' that was getting annoying

_______________________

Next: Trial by Water

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

Endless Summer Tag List: @mysteli @edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlessly-searching-for-you @lovelywrites

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sceptilemasterr · 4 years ago

Text

Endless Winter (ES Book 2) MASTERLIST

Title: Endless Winter

Fandom: Choices: Endless Summer

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Sean, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: Endless Summer, Book 2 in screenplay form! A direct sequel to my ES Book 1 screenplay rewrite.

Author’s Notes: Well, it's about time! If you're unfamiliar with my Choices Interconnected Universe series, think Choices books adapted to film scripts, all taking place in the same universe and building off of one another a la Marvel. The only one I'd say is absolutely REQUIRED for this story is ES Book 1, linked above. For the series as a whole, a Most Wanted rewrite and an Elementalists Book 1 rewrite have both been released as well. Check those out if you're interested! As for details on THIS fic, well:

What’s Changed:

The basic format has been altered to fit a screenplay format (or as best as I can do on Tumblr)

The MC has been divided into a pair of twins, Ian and Alyssa (credit once again to @blightarts, the inspiration for that idea!

The origin of the MCs will be somewhat different

Diego and Varyyn’s relationship has been altered to be significantly less problematic (for example: at the end of Book 1, Diego has voluntarily surrendered to the Vaanti rather than being captured against his will.)

Several scenes, characters, and backstories have been altered for the purpose of connecting them more tightly with other Choices stories and the overarching storyline being built up.

For other changes, you’ll have to read it and see!

Links below:

PROLOGUE:

Scene 1: Parting Words

ACT 1:

Scene 1: The Dragon's Fury

Scene 2: Uncomfortable Elevator Moment

Scene 3: Next Steps

Scene 4: You Can't Trust Anyone

Scene 5: Emits Time

Scene 6: Strategy Meeting

Scene 7: Lord of the Waves

Scene 8: High Council of the Vaanti

Scene 9: Trial by Water

Scene 10: Heart of the Island

Scene 11: Sunset Chat

Scene 12: Valinorim

ACT 2:

Scene 1: Portal to Home

Scene 2: Climate Change

Scene 3: An Unpleasant Reunion

Scene 4: Any Port in a Storm

Scene 5: A New Year Dawns

Scene 6: The Fourteenth Vaalta

Scene 7: Betrayal

Scene 8: Steeling Themselves

ACT 3:

Scene 1: Zahra and Craig's 100% Foolproof Infiltration Plan

Scene 2: A Matter of Pragmatism

Scene 3: An Endless Rescue

Scene 4: Close Quarters

Scene 5: No Way Home

Scene 6: The Power of the Ocean

Scene 7: A Soldier in Winter

Scene 8: Aerial Battle

Scene 9: Scattered

FINALE:

"End Credits" (includes Post-Credits Scenes)

OTHER:

Ian and Alyssa Screenshots (Choices MCs)

_______________________

As always, please let me know if you wish to be tagged! Thanks!

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie

Endless Summer Tag List: @mysteli @edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlessly-searching-for-you

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sceptilemasterr · 3 years ago

Text

Endless Winter (ES Book 2) Act 1, Scene 10 - Heart of the Island

Title: Endless Winter

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Quinn, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: Quinn's secret finally catches up to her following the battle with Cetus.

Previous Scene: Trial by Water

Masterlist: Link

INT. ELYYS'TEL THRONE ROOM - EVENING

Light from the setting sun shines through the throne room’s eastern windows along with a series of large holes left by Cetus’s teeth. The Catalysts all stand inside the room; Ian, Alyssa, Jake, Estela, and Diego are now clad in Vaanti warrior garb. Kele is notably absent, as he is still recovering. A large number of Vaanti civilians begin filing inside. Varyyn, seated on the throne, taps his feet nervously.

DIEGO: Relax. You’re gonna do great. The people love you!

VARYYN: I am not... I am not ready for this burden, Diego. Compared to my mother, I am only--

DIEGO: “Only” a hero! “Only” a city-saving, tower-raiding, Cetus-butt-kicking amazing warrior!

VARYYN (completely seriously): I do not believe Cetus has what one could properly call a “butt.”

Nearby, Zahra and Craig start giggling uncontrollably. Varyyn looks at them in confusion.

VARYYN: Why was this funny? I do not understand...

Uqzhaal enters the throne room, carrying Ximaedra’s headdress in his hands, and the room immediately goes quiet. Diego gives Varyyn’s hand a quick squeeze before taking a few steps away to take his spot between Ian and Raj. The crowd of Vaanti part, allowing Uqzhaal to approach Varyyn, who nods to the old shaman.

UQZHAAL: And so the cycle renews once again. Just as all life begins and ends through Vaanu, so to does the hope of all Elyys’tel rest upon the shoulders of our elyyshar.

At the mention of Vaanu, the entire crowd of Vaanti involuntarily glances toward Ian and Alyssa. Alyssa shrugs and waves at them while Ian simply shuffles his feet awkwardly.

UQZHAAL: Rise now, Elyyshar Varyyn Ximaeiho, Orion of the Catalysts.

Uqzhaal places the crown atop Varyyn’s head. Varyyn takes a deep breath, then slowly stands up as the other Vaanti kneel in reverence. Raj and several of the other Catalysts break out into applause.

RAJ: Whooooo! Yeah! Go Varyyn!

Uqzhaal and several of the Vaanti give him a look.

RAJ (embarrassed): ...Guess you guys don’t do clapping. Whoops.

VARYYN: Fear not, Centaurus. I understand that this is a show of respect and appreciation among your people. Please, do continue!

Raj resumes clapping, and this time all of the other Catalysts join in enthusiastically. Many of the Vaanti begin attempting to do the same, though not always properly (clapping only with the fingers, or using the entire length of the forearms to clap, or waving one’s arms around aimlessly). Varyyn smiles at the assembled crowd, and eventually the applause dies down.

VARYYN: We have much to answer for. Nearly six sheaves of days ago, I led a war party to the Torehydra. Rather than making an effort to explain ourselves to the Catalysts, we made the mistake of resorting to violence in our efforts to bring them here to Elyys’tel. For that, I do formally apologize.

He looks over at the Catalysts, who all shake their head and smile back at him.

SEAN: It’s in the past. We’re here now, aren’t we?

VARYYN: Indeed we are. Thank you, Aquila.

He turns back to face the assembled crowd.

VARYYN: Now, we move forward together. Catalyst and Vaanti, side by side. The Children of Vaanu have returned to us... and yet we nearly exiled them earlier this very day. We shall not repeat these mistakes. We shall look ahead, to the future, which we shall face as one!

The Vaanti look on in silence, until Varyyn sits back down in his throne. The Catalysts all break out into more applause... and soon the Vaanti follow suit!

CRAIG (chanting): Var-yyn! Var-yyn! Var-yyn!

The others join in on his chant, and the hall is quickly filled with the sounds of jubilant cheering. Diego pulls Varyyn into a brief embrace.

DIEGO: Told you! You were awesome!

VARYYN: I--!

Varyyn quickly recovers his composure.

VARYYN: Yes. Thank you, Diego. For believing in me.

DIEGO: Any time!

As everyone is celebrating, Quinn places a hand to her forehead, wincing in pain. She starts to sneak her way around the edges of the throne room, heading for the exit. Michelle gazes after her, concerned. She nudges Ian.

MICHELLE (whispering): Quinn doesn’t look good. I’m worried. Somebody should--

IAN (whispering): She trusts you more than anyone, Michelle. Except maybe ‘Lyss.

He nods toward his sister, who is currently deep in conversation with Jake, Diego, Zahra, and Craig.

IAN (whispering): Better go after her. Ceremony or no, she needs you.

Michelle gives him a grateful smile.

MICHELLE (whispering): Thanks, Ian. Be right back.

She follows Quinn’s lead, sneaking her way around the edges of the crowd and out of the throne room as well. Ian watches her go for a moment, then turns his attention back to the quickly-dispersing crowd as Sean claps him on the shoulder.

SEAN: Hey, Mr. Big-Shot. “Son of Vaanu” and all that. How are you feeling?

IAN (laughing): Yeah... it’s a lot to take in. But I’m not getting attacked by a sea monster anymore, which is a plus.

SEAN: Ha. True. (more seriously) Listen. Just because the Vaanti gave you this huge destiny, that doesn’t mean you and your sister have to handle everything alone. We’re all still here for you. I’m still here.

Ian smiles at him and pulls him into a quick hug.

IAN: Thanks, Sean. Seriously. It’s nice to know you’ve got my back.

He looks back at Varyyn and Diego, then over to Alyssa, before returning his gaze to Sean.

IAN: Honestly? This whole “children of Vaanu” thing kind of explains a lot. I might not understand all of it, but it’s starting to make some kinda sense. So, that’s a plus.

SEAN: Great attitude. Keep it up!

IAN: I will--

MICHELLE (O.S.) (shouting): HELP! SOMEONE, QUICK! WE NEED HELP!

The Catalysts all tense up, glancing toward the entrance of the throne room. Michelle sprints in a moment later, Quinn’s limp form cradled in her arms. Sean immediately dashes to her side, helping her carry Quinn.

SEAN: What can I do?

MICHELLE: Find something to lie her down on! Quick!

Varyyn leaps to his feet, grabbing the cushions off of the throne and arranging them in a neat pile on the floor. Michelle and Sean gently lower Quinn onto the cushions. Quinn is completely unconscious, breathing shallowly. Michelle looks over her with concern.

MICHELLE: I’m such an idiot! I should’ve figured it out before! The fatigue, nosebleeds, coughing, severe weakness... textbook Rotterdam’s Syndrome! I should’ve-- I could’ve--

Furball brushes his nose up against Quinn’s comatose body, purring sadly. Michelle pounds her fist on the floor, making the little creature yelp in surprise.

MICHELLE (angrily): I’m so stupid! Why didn’t I see it earlier?

In the background, Uqzhaal approaches Varyyn, and the two begin doing something with the elyyshar’s throne. Alyssa rests a gentle hand on Michelle’s shoulder.

ALYSSA: Michelle...

IAN: I can try... y’know, ‘reversing’ her? Maybe that would--

MICHELLE: This isn’t an injury. It’s a genetic disorder. You won’t change the fact that she’ll inevitably progress slowly from slight fatigue, to respiratory difficulties, to bleeding and weakness, then end up in a coma...

RAJ (confused): But... none of that was slow at all! When we landed here, she was fine, right? All that only started a few days ago.

ZAHRA: Yeah. Just after we jumped... forward... in time...

Alyssa stares down at Quinn’s comatose form in shocked realization.

ALYSSA (horrified): No... I can’t... I didn’t...

IAN: ‘Lyss, it’s not--

JAKE: Princess--!

She shuts her eyes tightly and sprints out of the throne room, tears streaming down her face. Jake starts to go after her, but Estela holds out an arm, stopping him.

JAKE: Move it, Dragon Rage--

Estela says nothing, simply fixing him with a look. She shakes her head.

JAKE: ...Ah, you’re right. She needs her space. Dammit, I wish she’d stop beatin’ herself up over all this.

ESTELA: She’s strong. She’ll pull through.

JAKE: Yeah... just wish we could say the same for Ariel back there.

He nods his head in Quinn’s direction, where Michelle is hovering over her worriedly, clearly wracking her brain for some kind of solution to the illness.

MICHELLE: Ugh, this is--no. I wish we were at the Celestial! At least there we had some kind of supplies... but here I’m even more helpless. Quinn, please! I can’t--

Tears begin streaming down her face as she gazes at Quinn’s unconscious face helplessly. Uqzhaal and Varyyn approach her; the old Keeper holds an unusual glowing, crystalline orb in his hands, encased in vines. It glows with the same greenish-golden light as the energy from Alyssa and Ian’s powers. Michelle looks up at Uqzhaal curiously, as beside them, Ian gazes with rapt attention at the orb.

IAN: What... that thing... What is that? It’s almost calling to me. Is anyone else feeling that?

CRAIG: Nah, dude, that’s all you. Somethin’ to do with that crazy “Veenoo” stuff?

ZAHRA: It’s “Vaanu,” you moron.

CRAIG: Yeah, that’s what I said!

Zahra sighs and rolls her eyes.

MICHELLE: Uqzhaal...?

UQZHAAL: The vine intertwined with Delphinus’s branches has woefully pulled her down. But... the Endless Ones spoke of this moment. The Catalysts must live... all of the Catalysts.

Michelle blinks at him, his words beginning to register. She is hesitant, afraid to hope.

MICHELLE: "The Catalysts must live..." you can...?

VARYYN: Keeper Uqzhaal holds our most sacred treasure. The Vaanusor: the heart of this island itself. A single touch from the Heart is said to renew any living thing.

MICHELLE (laughs weakly): About a week ago, I would’ve called that nonsense. But... now...

She glances at Ian, remembering all the incredible things she has already witnessed since coming to the island. Then she nods at Uqzhaal and Varyyn.

UQZHAAL: Our legends warn us never to use it ourselves. But the Endless Ones have spoken. As Catalysts, any one of you will be able to benefit from its power. To be renewed.

JAKE: Hold up. “Any one of us?”

UQZHAAL: So the Endless Ones said.

MICHELLE: I...

She looks back down at Quinn, then swallows and nods resolutely.

MICHELLE: Do it.

UQZHAAL: Prince Varr--ahem. My elyyshar. The honor is yours.

Uqzhaal hands the Vaanusor to Varyyn, who takes it reverently. Vaanu kneels and sets the orb beside Quinn’s head, then unties the knot of vines from the top of the orb, allowing them to fall away. The orb pulses with a faint light, which almost seems to be flowing into Quinn. Ian can barely take his eyes off of the orb.

MICHELLE: What now?

UQZHAAL: Now we wait... and hope.

As the others begin to talk softly amongst themselves, Zahra looks down at Quinn, a pained expression on her face. Then her gaze drifts over toward the exit. She sighs.

ZAHRA: I need some air.

Craig stares after her, confused, as she turns and leaves the room without another word. Behind him, on the makeshift bed of pillows, Quinn lies comatose... and her skin begins to glow a faint dark green...

_______________________

Scene Notes: Finally, an explanation for some of the deviances from canon: turns out the Endless One(s) have been taking care of a few more things behind the scenes! Hence the Island's Heart being already found here, and the time-loop crystal having already been broken in an earlier chapter. It's also a convenient way to streamline the plot a bit more, of course!

_______________________

Next: Sunset Chat

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

Endless Summer Tag List: @mysteli @edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlessly-searching-for-you @lovelywrites

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sceptilemasterr · 5 years ago

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Catalysts Play Open Heart: Chapter 8

Summary: The Vaanti have an unusual way of opening doors, Michelle gets trolled with a Tumblr meme IRL, and Michelle and Quinn continue to fail at hiding their increasingly-obvious relationship. Not to mention the usual hilarity and chaos, as always!

Previous Chapter: Link

Note: The things in bold are scenes from the actual Choices chapter. Ian (x Estela) and Alyssa (x Jake) are my twin Endless Summer MCs.

Warnings: Alcohol use, swearing, marijuana references.

“Seraxa!” exclaimed Varyyn in surprise, as the front doors of The Celestial slid open to reveal the Vaanti war leader and a troop of other warriors, all of whom were holding up a large log. “What has happened? Is something wrong?”

“Also, y’know, you don’t have to bash the door open,” Jake commented, joining Varyyn a moment later. “Doorbells do exist.” He emphasized this statement by jerking his thumb obviously in the direction of said doorbell.

“Was the door not intentionally locked as a test of our courage and conviction?” asked Seraxa, tilting her head quizzically.

“...What.”

“Don’t mind him, Seraxa,” said Diego a moment later, joining them at the doorway. “What’s wrong?”

“Varyyn,” Seraxa said, standing at attention. “We were able to locate the Guardian called Furball, as you had requested of us. However, the creature panicked and ran away when we approached, disappearing into the jungle.”

“That’s great!” exclaimed Diego. “Er, I mean… great that you found Furball. Not great that he ran away again. I… you know what I meant.”

“Indeed,” agreed Varyyn with a nod and a smile to reassure his husband. “Seraxa, where did you last encounter Furball?”

“In the western jungles, not far from the village,” Seraxa informed them. “Should we continue the search?”

Varyyn nodded. “Tomorrow morning, myself and the Catalysts shall join you in your efforts. Return to the village until then; it is too dark to locate Furball in the jungle with any accuracy. Thank you for informing us.”

“Yes, my elyyshar.” With that, Seraxa and the other warriors left as suddenly as they had appeared, taking their large battering ram log with them.

Varyyn, Diego, and Jake looked at one another awkwardly. “Well, that was a thing,” said Jake. “We’d better catch Fantastic Mr. Fox this time…”

“Let’s hope so!” agreed Diego. “Varyyn’s right though, it’s too dark to do much right now. We’ll start first thing in the morning.”

“For now, let us rejoin the others,” suggested Varyyn. “So that we may continue the story. With luck, we shall be able to complete at least one additional chapter before we must sleep.”

Jake shook his head, amused, as the three of them headed back toward the main lobby where the projector was set up. “Who would’ve thought everyone would get so into this?” he asked nobody in particular. “Even Varyyn, here.”

“Wait, Jake, you just called him by his actual name!” Diego pointed out excitedly. “Wow!”

“What? No I didn’t,” Jake insisted.

“Indeed you did,” said Varyyn. “You referred to me as ‘Varyyn.’ It is quite the departure from your usual method.”

“No I didn’t, Legolas,” Jake insisted again.

Diego said nothing, but smiled knowingly as they approached the ring of couches around Zahra’s projector setup. Raj was still there, asleep in his chair exactly where they had left him. Aleister and Sean were engaged in a conversation about math, of all things, from what Diego could tell, while Grace was showing Alyssa something in of one of her many textbooks. Much to Diego’s surprise, Alyssa actually seemed genuinely interested in whatever it was. “What was that noise all about?” asked Sean, looking up from his discussion with Aleister when he noticed Diego, Jake, and Varyyn approaching. “Everything’s okay, I’m guessing?”

“We bring good news,” Varyyn informed Sean and the others. “Seraxa has located Furball in the western jungles. I informed her that we will join them in their continued search in the morning, as it is too dark to effectively search for him at this time.”

“That’s great! Sounds like a plan, Varyyn,” said Sean.

“Not t’mention… we’re all too drunk to, uh, ‘effectively search at this time,’” said Jake, flopping onto the couch, right next to his wife.

“Except Estela,” said Alyssa, frowning in the general direction of the dining area. “She hasn’t had a drop to drink since we got here! Talk about a party pooper; she must’ve been spending too much time with my brother lately. Or her brother. Somebody’s brother, anyway.”

“Excuse me, but just what, precisely, are you implying?” asked Aleister defensively. “I do imbibe, you know. Moderately. On occasion.”

“The hell are you complainin’ about, Princess?” Jake asked. “All that means is there’s more of the good stuff left for us!”

At that moment, the door to the wine cellar swung open, and Zahra entered, followed by Craig, who was laden down with a large number of bottles. “Speakin’ of which, I brought a lot of the good stuff,” Zahra said as she and Craig approached the group.

“You mean I brought it,” complained Craig from behind her, setting down the bottles on the table in the center. “And now my hands hurt. Ow.”

“Oh, quit whining and start drinking,” said Zahra. Craig’s expression immediately switched to one of happiness as he opened the nearest wine bottle by hand and poured a gigantic glass for himself.

Zahra raised her eyebrows at the sight. “Wow. You’re actually maturing! This time last year, you would’ve still been drinking from the bottle.”

“What? Oh, thanks for reminding me, I forgot! I can go back to doin’ that if you want-”

“NO!” shouted Zahra and Alyssa simultaneously. Craig’s eyes went wide and he immediately resumed pouring his glass.

Just then, the doors to the kitchen swung open, and the smell of freshly-baked cupcakes wafted into the lobby, followed closely by Quinn and Michelle, each bearing a tray of said cupcakes. “Guess who made cupcakes for everyone?” said Quinn excitedly, a huge smile on her face as she set her tray down on a set of coasters that Grace had strategically arranged.

“Oh, oh, I guess: Quinn!” said Craig, as Michelle set her own tray down.

“No shit, genius,” snarked Zahra.

“That does smell quite enticing,” Varyyn said to the two newcomers. “May I?”

Quinn nodded, picking up a cupcake and passing it to the Vaanti leader. “Of course! We made plenty for everyone!”

“Cooking with love, am I right?” said Raj, who had woken up in response to the smell of cupcakes. As Michelle and Quinn started blushing and stammering furiously, he looked around the room at everyone who had arrived. “Hey, are we all here? Should we start the chapter?”

Alyssa smirked. “Sure, let’s go!” she said.

Michelle looked around the room, then frowned. “Aren’t you forgetting someone? Specifically, Ian and Estela?”

“Technically, that would be two someones,” Aleister corrected.

“...‘Sometwos?’” suggested Diego.

“What? No! That is most certainly not a word in the English language, and to be quite honest, such a word would be essentially a violation of…”

“I mean, at this point, those two might as well be one person,” said Raj, as Aleister continued to blabber on about linguistics. “‘IaStela?’ ‘EstIan?’ I dunno, what would we call them?”

“I think ‘Dragon Hero’ beats either of those,” said Jake.

“You’re just saying that because you came up with it,” Alyssa snarked.

“Princess, that… I… what… okay, you got me,” admitted Jake with a sigh. “But you gotta admit, it does sound pretty cool on its own.”

“Whatever. Let’s just start without them. They’ll figure it out next chapter.”

“Somehow, I get the feeling you would be pretty upset if Ian wanted to start without you,” said Grace. “Wouldn’t you?”

“That wouldn’t ever happen. He’s too nice to do that… ohhhhh,” said Alyssa, as realization dawned on her. “I hate to admit it, Grace, but you’ve got a point. Alright, fine, we’ll wait for them.”

Grace smiled. “I knew you’d do the right thing, Alyssa!”

“I mean, it’s impossible to stay mad at Grace for long,” Sean observed. “Right, Alyssa?”

Before Alyssa could reply, the doors to the restaurant slid open, and the two remaining Catalysts entered the lobby. “Wow. Everyone else is back already?” asked Ian.

“Good timing,” said Jake. “Princess here was about to start without you two.”

Alyssa slapped her husband in the shoulder. “You traitor…”

“Oh my god. Quinn, you are incredible,” said Estela upon spotting the cupcakes, racing over and grabbing one from the tray. “These look amazing.”

“Aww, thanks!” said Quinn. “Michelle helped too!”

“Oh, don’t sell yourself short, Quinn, these were all you,” said Michelle. “I just followed your lead, really.”

“No, Michelle, you did great! Such an amazing job-”

“Just kiss already,” said Alyssa, a bit louder than she meant to, sending Michelle and Quinn into another fit of blushing. “Oh my god, you two are worse than my brother and Estela were, and I didn’t think that was physically possible,” she muttered under her breath.

“Uh… okay, then, how about we start the next chapter? Everyone okay with that?” asked Michelle, desperate to change the subject. Before anyone could actually respond, she grabbed Quinn’s time-shifted phone and opened the Choices app once again. “Well, too bad, because here we go anyway.”

“Wait, were we voting?” asked Craig randomly, as Michelle began the next chapter of Open Heart.

Open Heart: Chapter 8

Make-Believe

“Oh, no,” said Diego as the title screen appeared. “That music does not sound good.” “Not to mention, it’s really hard to dance to,” said Raj. “I liked that upbeat music from the other chapter.”

“Ha, that’s true,” observed Quinn. “The other music was definitely better for dancing!”

You glance through the window blinds, into the room where Dr. Banerji rests…

Dr. Banerji: …

“Aww, he looks so sad,” said Grace. “It must be hard, being a doctor and having a terminal disease like that.”

“I’d feel so helpless,” said Michelle, shaking her head in sympathy. “I can’t even imagine going through that, even without being a doctor.”

“Well, this is a rather somber way to begin this chapter,” Aleister observed. “With luck, perhaps our character will be able to find a cure for Dr. Banerji’s condition.”

“That would be nice,” said Raj. “Wonder what he has? Maybe our Michelle can help somehow!” He looked at the real Michelle with a big smile on his face. “‘Sides, we all know she can do anything…”

Dr. Ramsey: I’ve been trying to figure that out for the last month.

MC!Michelle: Dr. Ramsey…

“Okay, if anyone doesn’t pick ‘how can I help…’” warned Estela the moment the choices appeared.

“It would be irresponsible of us to say otherwise,” agreed Varyyn.

“Well, duh!” said Alyssa. “We shouldn’t just do nothing, if we have the choice to do something!”

“Huh?” asked a very confused Craig.

Zahra sighed in exasperation. “How the hell are you confused by that? She made perfect sense.”

“Certainly, the wording may have been grammatically incorrect, but the message was clear,” said Aleister. “If we are capable of assisting with this situation, the best course of action would be to do so.”

“My grammar was perfect!” Alyssa protested.

“Well, I agree with everyone,” said Sean. “If we can help, why wouldn’t we?”

“Oh, for sure,” agreed Michelle. “Alright, who all votes for offering to help?” The vote was decisively unanimous. “Wow. Guess we have a clear winner.”

“A unanimous vote. That’s a rare sight,” said Diego as Michelle selected the choice in question.

Ethan’s pager beeps. He checks it with a grimace.

“Pager?” asked Zahra, surprised. “When the hell does this take place, the ‘90s?”

“Believe it or not, we actually still use pagers quite a lot in the hospital,” Michelle informed her. “I know, it seems behind the times, but it works well enough.”

“Huh. I would’ve thought hospitals would have, like, some kinda super-high-tech somethin’ or other,” said Jake. “The more ya know.”

“Additionally, I am quite certain that the mention of pagers has occurred previously in this story at some point,” Aleister said. “Is that correct, Michelle?”

Michelle frowned. “I… I mean, it has to have been mentioned, right? I honestly wasn’t paying that much attention to the pagers.”

“Well. Michelle doesn’t even know. My point stands,” said Zahra. “Who the hell still uses pagers?”

“Like I said. Hospitals do.”

“Why?!”

“I don’t know… because reasons?”

Craig nodded sagely. “Wow. I never thought about that before. Makes sense.”

“I… HOW in the hell did that make any sense at all?!” demanded Zahra.

“I concur with Zahra,” said Aleister.

“Hey, ‘because reasons’ is a good enough answer for me,” said Raj. “Besides, does this really matter that much?”

“Yes,” Zahra said without hesitation.

Michelle sighed. “Why does this always happen? Can we just play through the story for once without getting sidetracked?”

“Aww, but that’s no fun,” said Craig.

“Besides, I want to know why the hell hospitals still use pagers,” Zahra reminded everyone.

“WE KNOW,” said Jake.

Quinn reached over and grabbed a cupcake from the tray on the table, offering one to Zahra. “Here, want one of my cupcakes? They’re really good…”

“Huh? Uh, sure, why not.”

As Zahra started eating the cupcake, Quinn nudged Michelle. “Go ahead. While she’s distracted,” she whispered, winking at her. Michelle smiled gratefully and continued the story, while Zahra’s mouth was too full for her to protest.

MC!Michelle: Dr. Ramsey! You can’t just tell me one of the greatest doctors this country’s ever seen is dying and then… walk away. You want me to keep this a secret, but you won’t even tell me what ‘this’ is.

He rubs his stubbled chin and sighs.

Dr. Ramsey: Come by my house after work tonight. I’ll explain everything, I promise.

Meet Ethan at his place?

“You know what, guys?” asked Michelle, turning back toward the group with an excited look on her face. “I think it’s time we actually picked a Dr. Ramsey diamond choice.”

“Seconded. We have to find out about Dr. Banerji!” said Estela. “We all agree, right?”

Quinn frowned. “I get it, Michelle, but… as usual, we still don’t know what the other diamond choices will be…” she reminded them.

“Yo, Aleister! What are the other diamond choices?” asked Craig.

Aleister looked over at Craig with a perplexed expression on his face. “What? Me? Why on Earth would you think I would have any possible way of knowing what the other diamond choices are?”

“Uh, ‘cause you can tell the future, duh,” Craig stated, as though this were the most obvious answer in the world. “Who else would I ask?”

There was a long silence as everyone (except Craig) looked at each other in complete and utter confusion. “Grace,” said Aleister finally, “do you have the faintest idea what he could be referring to? I most certainly do not have prescient abilities of any kind; one would think such a fact would have been made apparent well before now.”

Grace shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine,” she admitted.

“Hold up, didn’t he say something about you seeing the future during the last chapter?” Raj asked. “You guessed what he was gonna vote ahead of time, or something. Pretty sure that’s what it was.”

“Oh!” exclaimed Sean. “Raj, I think you’re on to something. I remember a conversation like that too, actually.”

“See? I’m right, Aleister can tell the future!”

“What? No, he can’t tell the goddamn future,” said Zahra with an exasperated sigh, once she had finished the cupcake from earlier. “That settles it, I need a freakin’ drink.” She picked up her glass and took a long sip.

“Hey, you cheated!” Alyssa protested. “Diamond choices aren’t drinks!”

“I propose we just make ‘Craig says something stupid’ a new drink rule,” suggested Zahra.

“Sure, if you all want to die of alcohol poisoning by the end of the night,” Michelle snarked.

Everyone laughed at this comment. Including Craig.

“Actually, now that you mention it,” Raj said, “we should be drinking now. It shouldn’t cost money just to meet Dr. Ramsey for dinner, so this counts as an unnecessary diamond choice, right?”

“Oh yeah!” said Jake. “Wow. I’d definitely forgotten all about that rule. Well, you know what that means… drink, y’all!”

Most of the group took a sip of their respective drinks. “Heh. Saved by the Jake,” said Zahra. “And Raj, too.”

“You’re welcome,” Jake said in response. “And are we gonna be votin’, or what?”

“I’ve got it this time,” said Alyssa before Aleister or anyone else could beat her to it. “Though we all know what’s gonna win… we can’t miss this chance!”

“You are behaving far from impartially…” Aleister said.

“I know, and I don’t care,” said Alyssa. “Who votes for the best option, a.k.a. ‘Let’s talk tonight?’” She raised her hand immediately, followed a moment later by Michelle, Zahra, Diego, Estela, Ian, Aleister, Grace, Sean, and Varyyn. “Alright, we win. Michelle?”

“Wait, we didn’t do the other choice yet!” argued Craig.

“You’re right, but… there aren’t enough people left to win the vote,” Quinn said. “Ten of them already voted. They win no matter what.”

“I know, I don’t care about that,” said Craig. “I just wanted to raise my hand.”

“Uh, Craigslist, you can just do that anyway, y’know,” said Jake. “You don’t need a vote to raise your hand.”

“Wait, really?” asked Craig, before randomly raising his hand. “Whoa!”

“Alright, we’ve got our vote, let’s keep going,” said Michelle, ignoring Craig’s strange astonishment at being able to raise his hand without a reason.

“The mystery deepens! This is going to be so exciting!” said Diego with a huge smile, as Michelle purchased the diamond option.

“Aww, he smiled when we picked it! That’s adorable,” commented Quinn when the purchase happened.

Dr. Ramsey: And I mean it, Michelle. Not a word of this to anyone.

He touches your arm, staring at you gravely.

Dr. Ramsey: Not even Harper Emery. Promise me.

You swallow, realizing the magnitude of what’s happening.

MC!Michelle: …

“You weren’t kiddin’ when you said ‘the mystery deepens,’ Underdog,” Jake said to Diego. “Shit’s gettin’ real.”

“Wait, can Diego tell the future too?!” asked Craig, who was still waving his hand in the air randomly. “How crazy is that?”

“Listen, nobody here can freakin’ tell the future!” shouted Zahra.

“Uh, technically, they kinda can,” Raj reminded her, pointing at the twins.

Alyssa blushed, shrugging her shoulders. “We can’t actually ‘tell the future,’ just send things forward and backward in time,” she corrected.

“Besides… always in motion is the future,” added Ian, quoting Yoda. Diego air-fived him at the reference.

Craig suddenly gazed at the twins, inspiration dawning on his face. “Hold on a sec. Dudes… if you can send Quinn’s phone into the future… what if we looked up sports scores on it, and bet tons of money on the games? WE COULD ALL BE GAZILLIONAIRES!”

“Excuse you, but ‘gazillion’ is most certainly not an actual number,” Aleister said.

“Ah, who cares, you get what I meant,” Craig grumbled.

“And we are not using our powers like that,” Ian insisted. “We’ve been over this. Like, at least 25 times by now.”

“Where’s your sense of fun?” asked Alyssa. “Did you leave it next to your sense of humor, or something?”

“Besides,” said Grace as Ian rolled his eyes at his sister’s comment, “that wouldn’t be fair to whoever we bet against! They don’t have magic time powers on their side.”

“Thank you, Grace!” said Ian. “See? At least someone’s sensible around here.”

“As tempting as it is, Grace has a point,” admitted Michelle. “We can’t keep relying on the twins for stupid things.”

“How is ONE GAZILLION DOLLARS stupid?!” demanded Craig.

“And I repeat, ‘one gazillion’ is not an actual number!” argued Aleister once again.

“You know what? I think this story is really ramping up the mystery,” Sean said loudly, completely out of nowhere. “I vote ‘I promise.’ Who else agrees?”

There was a momentary awkward silence as everyone suddenly remembered the choice they were supposed to be discussing. “Hey, time twins, which choice wins-” Craig started to ask, before Zahra smacked him over the head with the rolled-up newspaper from before.

“I mean, the choice here is obvious,” said Michelle. “Who would ever pick anything besides ‘I promise?’”

“Same here,” said Quinn.

“I honestly kinda like ‘I’ll see you tonight,’ both for the flirtiness and because it’s a total troll move,” admitted Jake.

“Too late, already picked,” said Michelle as she selected the ‘I promise’ option.

“I VOTE FOR SOMETHING!” shouted Craig, launching his hand into the air again.

“Michelle! You cannot simply override the principle of democracy whenever you feel-” Aleister started to protest, before Grace placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a knowing look. He immediately calmed down.

You emerge from the under-construction corridor to find Zaid bearing down on you.

Zaid: Unless you decided to quit medicine to become a foreman, I’m not sure what you could possibly be doing in there!

MC!Michelle: Oh, um, I was…

“You know, I’m low-key disappointed that ‘yes, I actually became a foreman’ isn’t one of the options,” said Zahra when the choices appeared.

“That would definitely be a great response,” agreed Sean. “Seeing what we’ve got, though… I say ‘lost.’”

“Well, ‘lost’ would be way funnier, so…’” said Raj.

“Not that either of these options are convincing excuses for being in a restricted area,” Michelle said. “That said, I’d also go with ‘lost.’”

“Oh, definitely, same here,” agreed Estela.

“But wouldn’t ‘looking for a quiet place to study’ make at least a little more sense?” asked Grace. “Those are hard to find, after all. Once at Hartfeld I somehow ended up in a maintenance hallway during finals week, looking for a study spot!”

“Why am I not surprised?” said Ian. “Actually, you know what, I’m voting for that one too.”

“She’s got a point,” admitted Alyssa. “‘Quiet place to study’ gets my vote.”

“I trust Maybelline’s judgement on this one,” said Jake. “I’m goin’ with ‘lost.’”

“What?!” said Alyssa. “Did you even hear what Grace said?”

Jake sighed. “Yep, I heard her, but she ain’t the one who’s been in an actual hospital,” he said.

“That is not a reason to vote,” argued Alyssa. “Besides, looking for a place to study is at least some kind of excuse.”

“But d’you really think Zaid would believe that?” said Jake. “I mean, really?”

“He’d believe it more than ‘I’m lost,’” said Alyssa.

“What? But how-”

“Alright, enough. That’s one vote for ‘lost,’ one point for ‘looking for somewhere to study,’” interrupted Michelle. “Who else?”

“Those two argue like a married couple,” Craig ‘whispered’ (extremely loudly) to Zahra.

“Almost like they’re actually married or something, dumbass,” Zahra snarked back. “By the way, you still need to vote.”

“Wait, we’re voting? No fair!” said Craig. “Uh, I vote the study thing!”

“I, for one, concur with Grace,” put in Aleister. “Any reasonable response would certainly be preferable to claiming to be ‘lost,’ after all.”

“Agreed,” said Varyyn. “After all, any answer is better than no answer at all, as claiming ‘lost’ would be.”

“But ‘Lost’ is a pretty good show… at least until the end,” said Diego.

“What?”

Diego sighed. “Never mind,” he said. Then he thought for a moment. “You know what? I’m going with ‘quiet place to study,’ actually,” he decided. “...Was that everyone?”

“Not quite,” said Grace. “Zahra and Quinn still haven’t voted!”

“Props to you for keepin’ track, because I sure as hell wasn’t,” said Jake. “Little Mermaid? Skrillex? You gonna vote, or what?”

“Cool it, Jack, I’ll vote when I vote,” said Zahra, with an added death glare for good measure.

Jake turned to the others in confusion. “...Did she just call me ‘Jack?’”

“I… guess I’ll vote for ‘lost,’” said Quinn. “Like you said, Jake, I trust Michelle’s judgement.”

Zahra sighed and leaned back in her chair as everyone looked expectantly at her. After several long moments of not saying anything, she laughed. “Oh, man. Your faces! That never gets old.” Then she shrugged. “And I vote looking for a study space or whatever. There.”

“Okay, now everyone’s voted,” said Grace.

“That has got to be the most chaotic vote we’ve ever done,” Sean remarked. “Which choice won?”

Grace thought for a moment, counting up the votes mentally. “8-6, ‘quiet place to study’ wins,” she announced.

“Well, that took unnecessarily forever,” said Michelle as she selected the ‘Looking for a quiet place to study!’ option.

Zaid: You really expect me to believe that? Do you think I’m a complete idiot?

“I told you so,” Michelle said.

You hurry off toward the elevator. But as you go, you can’t help but look back at the blocked-off corridor and think of Dr. Banerji all alone…

“Phew, dodged a bullet there, for sure,” said Jake.

“Talk about sad, though,” said Quinn. “Dr. Banerji in that room, all by himself…”

“All by him-seeeeeeeeeeelf,” Craig started singing, VERY badly.

Thankfully for the other Catalysts’ ears, Zahra picked up a cupcake and jammed it into Craig’s mouth. “Thank heavens,” Aleister said.

Zahra smirked. “Thank Quinn over here. She’s the one who gave me the idea…”

Quinn looked away, embarrassed. “Sorry, Zahra. I was just-”

“Hey, it wasn’t all bad. It was a small price to pay for a new way of shutting Craig up.”

“You’re not… mad at me?”

“Heh. Do I look mad?”

“Besides, nobody could stay mad at your adorable face for long, Quinn,” Michelle added, causing Quinn’s face to turn almost as red as her hair.

Craig finally swallowed the cupcake in his mouth, and immediately reached for another one. “Whoa! These are awesome, thanks, Z!” he said, stuffing the next one into his mouth as well.

Zahra whistled in appreciation. “And it’s a long-lasting method of shutting him up, too,” she observed. “Alright, let’s get on with the story!”

You step off the subway and rub your arms as the cool night air hits you. You pull out your phone, following the directions on your map app to the address Ethan sent you.

“I have to say… ‘map app’ is really awkward to say out loud,” Michelle said. “I feel like a Dr. Seuss character.”

“Or the Aflac duck,” suggested Craig helpfully, after swallowing the second cupcake. “You know: MAP APP!” He said the words in an imitation of said Aflac duck.

“What the hell is your brain, Craig?” asked Zahra.

“Awesome, duh,” he replied, without missing a beat.

He shrugs as he closes the door, glancing at the stunning views as if he’d forgotten they existed.

Dr. Ramsey: I’m barely ever here. Wine?

He pads into the kitchen. There’s a bottle of wine on the counter, already more than half-empty. Two glasses sit beside it, one already full.

MC!Michelle: …

“Yes, please!” blurted Zahra, taking a gulp from her own wine glass shortly after.

“Seconded,” said Raj.

“Hell yeah,” agreed Alyssa and Craig simultaneously.

Jake held up a hand. “Alright, new rule: if ‘Yes, please’ wins, then we all get to drink.”

Zahra shrugged guiltily. “Whoops. Too late.”

“And you all get mad at me for drinkin’ at the wrong time…” Craig muttered.

“This is absolutely underhanded! This is bribery of the highest order!” protested Aleister.

Jake smirked. “All’s fair in love, war, and voting on app games, Draco.”

“Besides, what if not everyone wants to drink?” asked Ian, despite he himself holding a half-empty wine glass in his hand.

“I mean, no one’s forcing you to be a stick in the mud,” teased Alyssa. “You do what you want.”

Michelle smiled, shaking her head in amusement. “Alright, well, I think we all know what’s going to win,” she said. “Do we still want to vote, or should I get on with it?”

“Get on with it!” everyone (except Aleister) said.

“Yes, get on with it!” quoted Diego in a British accent.

“Are you honestly suggesting we override democracy for such an inane reason? I can hardly fathom such a…” protested Aleister.

As he continued rambling in the background, Michelle selected the ‘Yes, please’ choice. “I mean, everyone except Aleister voted to just pick the choice,” she pointed out. “13 to 1, ‘vote’ lost fair and square.”

“Did we just vote on whether or not we should vote?” asked Diego. “Whoa, plot twist!”

“Vote-ception!” said Raj. “Awesome!”

Before Michelle could start reading the next line of the story, Jake lifted his glass above his head. “Hold up, Maybelline,” he said. “First, we gotta drink, y’a--”

“Y’ALL!” shouted Craig before Jake could finish. Immediately after, he took a huge gulp of wine.

“We just had this discussion last chapter,” groaned Zahra. “Stop saying ‘y’all!’”

“Too late,” said Craig with a huge grin on his face.

Dr. Ramsey: To the unknown.

[WINE: Clink Ethan’s glass.]

“Wow, talk about a very fitting ‘drink, y’all,’” said Jake as he and the others laughed at the timing of the one-option choice.

“Well, I’m not complaining,” said Zahra, leaning forward to refill her glass. She glanced over to her left at Estela, who was eating one of Quinn’s cupcakes. “Want some?” she asked, holding out a fresh wine glass to her.

Estela shook her head, looking away. “Thanks, but no,” she said.

“I’ll take hers!” shouted Craig.

“You already have some, moron,” Zahra snarked. Then she turned back to Estela. “Hey, uh… I know I’m total shit at this kinda stuff, but… you okay? This isn’t really like you.”

Estela smiled and waved off Zahra’s concerns. “Thanks, Zahra. I’m okay though, really.”

Zahra shrugged. “Whatever, then. Still… y’know if something’s wrong, you can talk to any of us, right? We’ve all got your back.”

“I know. But there’s nothing wrong with me. Promise.”

“Cool. Just checking.” Then Zahra leaned around Estela, looking over at Ian, who was currently chatting with Diego about Star Wars. “Yo, time boy,” she said, and he turned at the sound of her voice. “You’d better be takin’ good care of Estela, understand?”

Zahra followed this with a death glare in his direction, but Ian just smiled reassuringly. “Always,” he said, as he and Estela exchanged a loving glance.

“Alright, alright, just makin’ sure. Not that I care that much,” Zahra added unconvincingly, turning back to where Craig was now debating with Raj over whether cheese tastes more ‘yellow’ or ‘green.’ Upon realizing what their argument was about, she facepalmed. “Why…?” she asked nobody in particular.

* * *

“So! We gonna keep goin’ or what, Little MerMaybelline?” asked Jake a short while later, glancing pointedly at the armchair that Quinn and Michelle were now sharing.

The two of them were sitting so close they were practically in each other’s laps, chatting animatedly about something or other. At Jake’s comment, they leapt apart so fast that Michelle dropped Quinn’s phone. “I… uh… what? Yeah, of course we’ll keep going,” stammered Michelle as she bent down both to retrieve the phone and to hide her blushing face while she recovered herself.

“Seriously. Just kiss already,” muttered Alyssa much quieter than before, having learned her lesson. Jake laughed and gave his wife a long kiss. “…Not exactly what I meant.”

“Oh? You didn’t want me to kiss you, Princess? Is that what you ‘meant?’”

Alyssa rolled her eyes and smiled. “You know full well what I meant. But your kiss was nice, too.”

“Alright, alright, let’s go,” said Michelle, still blushing heavily. Quinn, for her part, had picked up one of the cupcake trays and was rearranging the cupcakes, probably more to have something to do than because the cupcakes actually needed rearranging. “And Zahra? I’m sure Estela’s fine, I wouldn’t worry about her. Everybody ready?”

Everyone went quiet… well, almost everyone. “But if bleu cheese tastes ‘blue,’ then does that mean mixing it with regular cheese would make it taste ‘green-’” Craig was saying. He instantly shut up when he noticed everyone staring at him. “Right, okay, back to the story.”

MC!Michelle: Dr. Ramsey… what’s going on? What’s Dr. Banerji’s diagnosis?

Dr. Ramsey: I don’t know.

MC!Michelle: But you’re the best diagnostician in the country!

“OH MY GOD, DR. BANERJI’S PREGNANT?!” shouted Craig.

Everyone stared at him. All Michelle could possibly say in response to this was simply: “What.”

“Dia-go-stritian,” said Craig, attempting to pronounce ‘diagnostician.’ “Isn’t that the doctor that treats pregnant people? Is that what Dr. Ramsey is?”

“Diag-nos-tician,” enunciated Michelle. “And you’re thinking of obstetrician. A ‘diagnostician’ is-”

“A ‘diagnostician’ is when a line is on an angle, but not horizontal or vertical,” said Raj with a big grin on his face.

Michelle sighed. “No, Raj, that’s… that’s ‘diagonal,’” she corrected. “A ‘diagnostician’ is-”

“A type of huge reptile that lived in the Mesozoic Era,” said Diego, catching on.

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Diego, that’s… that’s a dinosaur,” she said, completely serious. “A ‘diagnostician’ is-”

“That place in Harry Potter where they do their shopping,” said Jake.

“Whoa, I didn’t know you were a Harry Potter fan,” said Craig.

Jake gave him an incredulous look. “You kiddin’? I call him ‘Malfoy’ and ‘Slytherin’ all the damn time,” he said, pointing to Aleister.

“Oh yeah,” said Craig.

“Anyway,” put in Michelle, “you are thinking of DIAGON ALLEY, you idiot. A ‘diagnostician’ is-”

“Those little black rectangles with white dots on them that you can set up to knock over in creative ways,” said Sean.

Michelle massaged her temples in frustration. “I… what… no. Those are dominoes. A ‘diagnostician’ is-”

“My favorite animal!” chirped Quinn excitedly. “The one that lives in the ocean and does flips!”

“You too?!” demanded a flabbergasted Michelle. “How did you get ‘diagnostician’ and ‘dolphin’ mixed up…” Her voice trailed off as she realized everyone (save a bewildered Aleister) were struggling to contain their laughter. “Oh. Come on. What do you think this is, a Tumblr post or something?”

Unnoticed by anyone, a certain crabby crustacean popped its head up outside the window for a moment.

“Took you long enough,” said Raj over the din of everyone’s laughter. “But man, that was great! You should’ve seen your face!”

Michelle tried and failed to suppress a smile. “Alright, I admit, that was pretty good,” she said, laughing along with the others. “But getting back to the original topic,” she stated, once her laughter had died down a bit, “no, Dr. Ramsey is not an obstetrician. And most certainly, Dr. Banerji isn’t pregnant, and neither is anyone else, so can we please change the subject?”

“Seriously,” agreed Ian quickly, “let’s just keep going.”

Craig’s face fell. “Aww…” he said. “I thought I was on to something.”

Dr. Ramsey: I told him I was going to tell Dr. Emery. He chased me down and begged me to keep it to myself. I’d never seen him beg before. The idea of anyone knowing he was sick… almost seemed to break him.

MC!Michelle: But…

“Wow…” said Quinn softly. “This just got deep.”

“Least that explains why he told us to keep it a secret,” said Jake. “Man, what would it be like to be a doctor, and be sick? It’s gotta be like bein’ a pilot riding a crashing plane….”

“That you probably crashed,” snarked Alyssa. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.” Then she went back to serious. “Realistically, though, I get it. Sort of like we were talking about with Remy before; sometimes it might be harder knowing exactly what’s happening, but not being able to fix it.”

“Knowledge is sometimes a double-edged sword,” agreed Grace. “Which, come to think of it, is kind of the other side of ‘ignorance is bliss,’ you could say!”

“Hmm,” said Aleister thoughtfully. “While I do concede you have a valid point, I must maintain that it is at least better to be informed than not, even in such a difficult situation. The outcome will be the same regardless, no?”

“Everyone has their own way of looking at these kind of things,” observed Michelle. “Me, personally, though, I would want to know. Even if it’s something there’s no cure for… well, who knows? We of all people know better than anyone what kind of miracles are possible.” She gazed lovingly at Quinn, who smiled back, knowing full well which specific miracle Michelle was referring to.

“Well said, Michelle. Well said,” agreed Aleister.

Raj stretched and let out a huge, loud yawn, startling everyone. “Uh… sorry?” he said as everyone stared at him. “When you gotta yawn, you gotta yawn,” he added with an apologetic shrug.

Sean pulled out his phone to check the time. “Whoa!” he exclaimed. “It’s already way past midnight. Raj, if you’re tired--”

“Nah, I’m fine!” Raj said, waving away Sean’s concerns. “Besides, we can’t just stop mid-chapter!”

“Yeah, that’s illegal! ...Or something,” said Craig.

“We could just power through this chapter, and then go to bed,” suggested Grace. “I’m feeling pretty tired too, now that we mention it.”

“Same,” admitted Diego. “But first things first…” he said with a grin, “…who votes ‘Why would he feel that way?’”

“Wow. Diego of all people bein’ sneaky with the votes? That’s a first,” said Zahra.

Diego blushed as the others laughed good-naturedly. “You’ll find I’m full of surprises,” he quoted in a remarkable imitation of Luke Skywalker.

“Now that is definitely not a first,” said Jake. “Oh, also, I vote ‘Why would he feel that way’ too.”

“Oh, right!” said Craig. “We’re voting! Uh… wait, no, I vote the one about Dr. Emery.”

Michelle sighed. “Look, just raise your hands if you like the one Diego asked about!”

“That would be ‘Why would he feel that way?’” clarified Diego, who raised his hand, as did Jake, Zahra, Aleister, Estela, and Varyyn. “Okay, and ‘Dr. Emery deserves to know?’” The rest of the group raised their hands: Sean, Craig, Michelle, Quinn, Grace, Raj, and the twins. Diego mentally counted up the votes. “Aww, my choice lost. Well, guess we’re going with the second one!”

“Wait no, sorry, Diego!” said Craig. “I change my mind then!”

“Craig, you can’t just change your mind because Diego’s sad,” said Zahra.

“Yes you can!”

Zahra sighed, putting her head in her hands. “...Why do I bother?” she asked aloud.

Diego laughed and shook his head. “I appreciate it, Craig, but my choice wouldn’t win either way, so it’s fine! Michelle, would you do the honors?”

“Thanks, Diego,” said Michelle, selecting the winning choice.

Dr. Ramsey: Perhaps the old her would have taken my side. But today, she’s the administration. Her duty is to the board of directors now. But it must be done. When there isn’t a path, you make your own.

MC!Michelle: Alright, but…

“First of all, can I just say,” said Michelle the moment the choice appeared, “hospital administration sucks.”

“I can believe it,” agreed Ian. “I definitely understand where he’s coming from here.”

“You’d think the people in charge of a hospital would care more about their patients… and their employees, too,” said Quinn, “but in my experience… yeah, no.”

“Sad but true,” said Michelle, shaking her head, “sad but true.”

“I do like Dr. Ramsey’s line at the end there,” put in Estela. “‘When there isn’t a path, you make your own.’”

Ian smiled warmly. “That’s Estela, all right,” he said, pulling her into an embrace. Everyone smiled at the two of them (except Alyssa, who mimed vomiting instead).

“I want that on a t-shirt,” said Diego. “Talk about inspirational!”

“You do not need a t-shirt, as I have said before,” Varyyn said to his husband. “You look much better without one.”

“Varyyn!” said Diego suddenly, his face turning bright red. “Don’t say that in front of everyone!”

“What?” asked the elyyshar innocently.

Aleister cleared his throat. “If we are quite finished, I would just like to say-”

“VOTE TIEM NOW,” declared Zahra in a sarcastic ‘caveman’ voice. “Yeah, we know.”

“Before we actually vote,” said Michelle, “let me just say that finding out what the tests show is way more important than anything else. That should be our choice, here; who else agrees?”

“Pardon me,” said Aleister, “but you cannot simply-”

“Have you been in medical school for the past two years?” asked Michelle. At Aleister’s stunned silence, she continued, “Didn’t think so. So anyway, who votes ‘what did the tests show?’” Michelle, Quinn, Jake, Raj, Sean, both twins, Estela, Grace, Diego, and Zahra raised their hands (while Aleister made some weird noises of protest in the background.) “Yep, that’s what I thought.”

Dr. Ramsey: It was like a game I’d mastered. A… a competition against death I was winning handily. And now… I lost Dolores, and I’m going to lose Naveen. The two people on Earth I gave a damn about are the two people I couldn’t save.

MC!Michelle: …

“So many choices, so little time,” remarked Diego as yet another choice appeared. “Well, actually, they aren’t timed choices, so we’ve got all the time in the world, but still, generally, they’ve been coming faster than normal, so you could still say ‘so little time’ to mean…” His voice trailed off as he noticed everyone looking at him quizzically. “You know what? I’ll stop now.”

Varyyn rested a hand on his shoulder. “It is all right, Diego,” he said. Then he turned to the group. “‘A competition against death…’ such a thing can never truly be won, can it?” he mused. “A hard lesson to learn. ‘Some choices must last.’”

Everyone took a moment to bow their heads in memory of Ximaedra. “He’s right,” said Michelle finally. “In medical school they gave us a talk about that. How our job is to keep people happy and alive, but no human on Earth can live forever. We’ll all fail at some point.”

“Must be rough for someone like Dr. Ramsey,” said Raj. “He’s so good at what he does… failing like this must be even harder than usual to deal with.”

“I feel like Dr. Banerji isn’t the only one who ‘doesn’t want to be saved,’” Quinn observed. “Dr. Ramsey also feels like he’s given up. I… I can understand why.”

“It’s such a sad situation,” commented Grace. “Both doctors must feel so helpless.”

“Yeah…” muttered Zahra. “This sucks.”

“So, shall we take an actual, unbiased vote this time?” asked Aleister, looking pointedly at Michelle. “Since there was clear interference in the previous one.”

“Excuse you, Aleister, but advice is not ‘interference,’” Michelle argued. “Just because I had a suggestion on the best choice to pick doesn’t make the vote any less fair!”

“How absurd. Do you have any concept of what you are-”

“Alright, enough,” said Sean, gently but firmly. “Aleister, shouldn’t you take the vote?”

Aleister looked up in surprise. “Hmm? Er, yes, my apologies. You are quite correct. All in favor of the first selection?” For ‘Dr. Banerji means a lot to you,’ Estela, Ian, Varyyn, Raj, Zahra, and Aleister himself raised their hands. “And for the second choice?” Alyssa, Jake, Diego, Michelle, Quinn, Sean, Craig, and Grace all raised their hands for ‘It seems like Dr. Banerji doesn’t want to be saved.’ Aleister quickly counted up the totals. “It would appear the second selection has won the vote,” he declared. “Shall we?”

Dr. Ramsey: He doesn’t know what he wants. He’s given his life to his work. He never married, he never had children. And now he’s alone, facing an illness he can’t even put a name to. Wouldn’t you be terrified? Wouldn’t you think it was easier to run from the problem?

“This chapter is just… all the feels,” commented Diego.

Michelle nodded. “No kidding. I feel so bad for Dr. Banerji….”

“I just have to say, right now,” declared Alyssa, looking pointedly at her brother, “thank God for Diego and Estela… and me of course. Otherwise you would’ve ended up just like this, Ian.”

Ian promptly turned a bright shade of red. “‘Lyss!” he shouted indignantly. “I wasn’t that bad! Come on.”

“I may not have known my own sibling for as long as you have known yours, Alyssa,” said Aleister, “but I must concur. It is quite fortunate that the two of them have found each other, or she may have shared a similar fate.”

Now it was Estela’s turn to blush. Followed shortly by a death glare toward Aleister, naturally.

Alyssa shrugged mock-innocently. “What? It’s the truth… you definitely had less friends than me in grade school. ...And middle school. ...And high school. ...And college-”

“It’s not a competition,” groaned Ian.

As they all continued to banter, Raj leaned over to Craig. “Man, I love this show,” he joked, pulling out another random bucket of popcorn. Craig eagerly grabbed a whole fistful of popcorn and shoved it into his mouth.

“If we’re done,” said Michelle sternly, and the arguing siblings (and siblings-in-law) stopped talking abruptly. “Can we please continue?”

“Aww,” groaned Raj and Craig simultaneously. Zahra slapped Craig in response.

He hunches forward, bowing his head. You watch his shoulders rise and fall as he steadies his breathing.

MC!Michelle: (What do I do?)

“Shameless flirting, drink, y’all!” declared Jake triumphantly, raising his glass.

“Oh man, I’d completely forgotten about that rule,” admitted Raj.

“Dude, you came up with these rules in the first place!” Zahra reminded him.

“Oh yeah,” Raj said sheepishly.

“Well, I think it only counts if we actually take the flirting option, right?” said Quinn.

Sean laughed. “True, otherwise we’d all probably have died of alcohol poisoning by now.” He looked around at the group. “So, what do we choose?”

Michelle sighed. “Given that one of these options counts as a drink, I think we all know what’s going to win,” she admitted. “But anyway, who votes ‘Promise to help him?’” She raised her hand, and was joined by Ian, Estela, Aleister, Sean, and Grace. “And the shameless flirting option?’” This time, Jake, Alyssa, Raj, Zahra, Varyyn, Craig, Diego, and Sean. “Whoa. Closer than I expected,” she said as she tallied up the votes. “But still, the predictable outcome.”

“Alright, drink, y’all! For real this time!” proclaimed Jake excitedly. Most of the Catalysts took a sip of their drink of choice as Michelle selected the chosen option.

The next morning, you’re heading to meet your new patient. You notice a small crowd of surgical interns gathered in the hallway. Bryce stands at the center, grinning.

“Wait, what?” asked Raj. “That was… abrupt.”

“Awkward transition is awkward,” commented Diego. “But I wonder what Bryce is so happy about? Either way, I’m just happy to see Bryce again!”

“Amen,” said Alyssa.

MC!Michelle: What happened?

Bryce: There was a complication, and the general surgeon was taking too long to arrive. So I stepped up and asked Dr. Tanaka to tell me what to do. I saved the patient and scored a solo surgery. Win, win.

MC!Michelle: That sounds like you’re making…

“Whoa,” said Sean. “Bryce’s pretty impressive.”

“Hot, too,” added Quinn with a giggle.

“Well, I think we all know what Sean’s voting,” snarked Zahra. “It’s pretty much exactly one of the options.”

Sean glanced up at the screen. “Ha. True,” he laughed. “Nice one, Zahra! Alright, who else agrees with ‘A good impression?’”

“What, we’re voting already?” asked Craig. “Uh… I vote that one!”

“That was quick,” Alyssa observed.

In addition to Craig and Sean, Quinn, Ian, Diego, and Grace all raised their hands to vote. “And that makes six votes,” said Sean after a quick count. “Alright, and the other choice?”

“Bryce is impressive, I admit,” said Michelle, “but from what I hear about surgery, it’s pretty cutthroat. Bryce should be careful.” She raised her hand for the ‘Some enemies’ option.

“Agreed. You can never be too cautious,” said Estela, raising her hand as well.

“That’s our Estela for you,” said Diego with a smile.

Estela shrugged. “What? It’s true.”

“She’s got a point,” agreed Jake. “I’m votin’ for that one too.”

“Indeed, it is quite prudent to remain vigilant, especially in a hyper-competitive environment such as surgery,” agreed Aleister.

As Alyssa, Varyyn, Raj, and Zahra added their own votes to the group, Sean counted up the remaining votes. “Well, looks like ‘some enemies’ wins,” he declared.

Craig cheered. “Yes!” he exclaimed.

“Craig… you voted for the other one,” Zahra pointed out.

“Wait, really? Aww...��

Bryce: So, are you coming to Boston Common tonight?

MC!Michelle: That big park? What for?

Bryce: They do this thing called Classics on the Common once a month where they play an old movie on a big outdoor screen.

“Why is it blue?” Craig asked, referring to the words ‘Classics on the Common.’

Raj shrugged. “Why not?”

“Whoa. That’s deep, man,” Craig said, nodding sagely. Zahra gave him a confused look.

“This ‘Classics on the Common’ thing… I gotta say already, I am so down!” exclaimed Diego. “If there’s a choice, I’m definitely voting yes.”

“Sadly, I’m suspecting a diamond choice,” said Michelle. “And we’ve already spent our diamond choice this chapter. Though it was definitely worth it.”

Diego frowned at the realization. “Aww… I hope you’re wrong, Michelle.”

“You know, I have offered repeatedly to purchase as many diamonds as you might req-”

“WE KNOW,” everyone except Aleister and Grace said simultaneously.

Bryce: I already told your roommates, so… maybe I’ll see you there?

MC!Michelle: …

“Boom! YES!” shouted Diego excitedly. “It’s not a diamond choice!”

Michelle smiled mischievously. “I’ve never been so wrong in all my life,” she said in a British accent, a big smile on her face.

Diego lit up instantly. “Michelle… was that a movie reference?!”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

Quinn smiled. “Either way,” she said, “I’m also glad we don’t have to miss out on a scene with Bryce. So that makes two of us!” She air-fived Diego.

“Be that as it may,” said Aleister, significantly louder than was necessary, “we do still need to take an actual vote on this choice.”

Jake sighed. “Y’know, Slytherin, this would all go a lot faster if you’d quit insistin’ on random votes,” he said.

“They are not ‘random’ votes,” Aleister insisted with a huff. “They are vital to the continuation of democracy-”

“In a phone game? Come on,” groaned Alyssa. “Let’s just get on with it!”

“If that is how you feel, then you should cease your constant interruptions and permit me to continue with the vote!”

Alyssa and Jake looked at one another awkwardly. “Huh. He’s got a point,” Jake admitted finally. “Alright, let’s just do this.”

“Well. That was unnecessary, wasn’t it? All in favor of ‘save me a seat near you’?” Quinn and Diego’s hands shot up instantly, followed shortly by Estela, Ian, Raj, Alyssa, Grace, Michelle, Sean, Craig, and Varyyn. “Very well, and all in favor of ‘I’ll check my schedule’?” Aleister himself, along with Jake and Zahra, raised their hands.

“I think it’s pretty obvious who won,” Raj commented.

Michelle nodded. “Yep. And I can’t say I’m complaining.” Smiling, she selected the ‘save me a seat near you’ choice.

Bryce: Great. Fair warning, I talk during movies. A lot.

“Just like you, Varyyn,” Diego commented, glancing sideways at his husband.

“Why?” asked Varyyn. “Is it unusual to speak during a film?”

“Well, usually people are quiet when they’re watching movies,” Diego explained. “But I don’t mind it when you ask me questions! It’s kinda fun to explain movies to you, actually. It’s like I’m watching my favorites for the first time, all over again!”

Varyyn smiled. “I… I thank you, Diego,” he said, unsure of how else to respond to that.

“People also sometimes talk durin’ movies that they’re makin’ fun of,” Jake added. “Like the ‘so bad it’s good’ types.”

Diego laughed. “True! Good point, Jake.”

“You mean like we are doing right now with this story?” asked Varyyn.

Jake and Diego glanced at each other, then shrugged. “Sorta,” admitted Jake finally. “Close enough, anyway.”

“Ah. I see.”

The nurses direct you to a young woman waiting in the E.R. A guy the same age sits beside her. He reaches out to shake your hand, pumping it enthusiastically.

Rowan: Doctor! Hi!

MC!Michelle: Wow, hi. And hello…

You check the chart.

MC!Michelle: Willow?

Willow: That’s me. And this is my twin brother, Rowan.

MC!Michelle: Willow and Rowan? Those are both…

“Pokemon professors!” Diego blurted out.

Ian laughed. “You’re not wrong,” he said. “But somehow, I don’t think that’s what they were going for.”

“...Weird names?” guessed Craig.

“Also true,” Raj agreed.

Quinn raised her hand excitedly. “Ooh! They’re trees, right?”

Michelle struggled to contain her laughter as she nodded. “Quinn, you don’t have to raise your hand, you know!” she said. “But you’re right, and that’s definitely more likely than the other two guesses.” Diego and Craig frowned, and Quinn broke into an excited grin.

Willow: They’re hippies.

Rowan: Total hippies.

MC!Michelle: Really?

“That explains a lot,” Zahra stated.

“Gotta say, I love that ‘what kinda hippies’ is an option,” laughed Raj. “I know where my vote’s going!”

“Same here, man,” agreed Craig. “Who else?”

Stunned at Craig actually taking a vote normally, there was a momentary delay before Alyssa, Jake, Raj, Diego, Varyyn, Quinn, Michelle, Sean, Ian, and Estela raised their hands. “Whoa,” said Zahra. “Did that just happen?”

“Did what just happen?” asked Craig.

Zahra sighed. “Never mind,” she said. “Guess we know which choice won.”

Michelle nodded. “Yep. Nice job, Craig!” she said.

“Nice job on what?”

Willow: They met at a Willie Nelson concert.

Rowan: I have a baby photo of us wearing matching ‘Legalize Weed’ onesies.

“Dude! I like this family already,” said Raj.

“Of course you do,” snarked Zahra.

Jake laughed. “Seriously, though, that’s awesome and hilarious. Awesomely hilarious?”

“Or ‘hilariously awesome,” suggested Craig. Jake high-fived him.

“Wonder what these two are in the E.R. for?” asked Grace curiously as Jake, Raj, and Craig continued their random discussion in the background. “They didn’t say…”

Michelle shrugged. “Only one way to find out,” she said as she proceeded to click ahead in the story.

Willow laughs, nervously itching her skin.

MC!Michelle: How long have you been feeling itchy, Willow?

Willow: Hm? I, uh… I’m not sure.

Rowan: She’s had it for a few weeks now.

You step closer and notice the spider angiomas darkening under her skin.

“Eww!” shouted Alyssa. “She has spiders under her skin?! That is disgusting!”

Michelle shook her head. “It’s not actual spiders. A ‘spider angioma’ is just the term for an area with blood vessels under the skin, that spread out like spiderwebs. Combined with the itching, this could be a liver problem.”

“Why do medical conditions have such weird names?” Alyssa asked nobody in particular.

“Plus those two things were written in green! They must be important,” Quinn pointed out.

“Good thinking!” said Michelle. “I bet there’s gonna be a choice about their diagnosis coming up.”

MC!Michelle: Push your hands down on your sides just like this. That’s right. Now I’m going to give you a little tap.

You lightly strike one side of Willow’s abdomen, resting your hand on the other side.

“The hell is that test for?” asked a confused Jake.

“It’s called a fluid wave,” explained Michelle, instantly recognizing the test being performed in the story. “If she… er, me… er, ‘we’... are doing that, they’re probably suspecting liver disease too.”

“I’m confused,” said Craig.

“That’s our Michelle for you,” said Quinn with a smile. “She knows her stuff!” Michelle’s face immediately turned a deep shade of red.

Aleister sighed. “I… suppose we can once again waive democracy for the inevitable medical choice ahead,” he said. “I trust your judgement, Michelle.”

“Er, right. Thanks, Aleister,” said Michelle.

“Hang on, Aleister, wasn’t that already a rule for medical questions?” asked Alyssa.

“Erm… hmm… I am… not certain what you might be talking about,” Aleister stammered unconvincingly.

Rowan: Yeah. He was kind of sketchy.

Willow: Totally sketchy. Just because my chest hurts doesn’t mean you have to conduct the entire consultation with my boobs, right?

You look between them, suspicious.

MC!Michelle: …

“Alright, who was this guy?!” demanded Jake. “Even I know he should be fired, like, yesterday.”

“Amen to that,” said Estela. “Let’s get his name.”

The other Catalysts all nodded their assent to that simultaneously. Sean glanced around at the group, then shrugged. “Well,” he stated. “That was an easy vote. Let’s find out who the hell this creep was.”

“On it,” said Michelle as she chose the ‘What was his name’ choice.

MC!Michelle: What was his name?

Willow: Doctor… Smith.

Rowan: John Smith.

Willow: Maybe Jonathan.

“Well, that really narrows it down,” said Zahra sarcastically.

“If that’s even really his name,” said Estela. “Something smells fishy here.”

“Oh,” said Raj sheepishly. “That might be me.” He held out a plate of fish sticks he had been eating. “D’you want any?”

Estela waved the plate away as everyone laughed. “No thanks.”

Raj shrugged. “Suit yourself. More for me, I guess!” He emphasized this statement by popping two fish sticks into his mouth.

Michelle frowned. “You’ve got a point, though, Estela. I wonder if they even saw a doctor at all. They’re acting kinda evasive.”

“Sure is mysterious,” agreed Sean. “I bet they’re hiding something, but what?”

“Maybe they already got a diagnosis, but didn’t like what it was?” suggested Grace. “They could be looking for a second opinion.”

“That’s a good point,” said Alyssa. “Hmm…”

“Well… shall we proceed, then?” asked Aleister. “Certainly our questions will be answered as the story progresses.”

“I sure hope so,” said Diego. “Unless they pull another ‘Patient X’ and make us wait a bunch of chapters to find out the answer.”

“I hope not!” said Quinn. “But at least we can keep going through all the chapters right away…”

“Yeah, imagine having to wait an entire week between chapters!” said Diego. “So glad we don’t have that problem.”

“You’re welcome,” said Alyssa smugly. Everyone laughed as Michelle started continuing the story once again.

MC!Michelle: Willow, I’m afraid it’s not the flu. It’s likely you have hepatitis C.

“Aww… I was hoping they’d let us guess the diagnosis,” Michelle complained. “We haven’t had a question like that in a while now!”

“You would’ve gotten it right anyway,” Quinn reassured her with a smile, taking Michelle’s hand in her own. “Hopefully there will be other chances!”

“I hope you’re right. Thanks, Quinn.”

“Hey, what if the reason they’re being so evasive is because they’re not vaccinated?” suggested Sean. “There’s a vaccine for hepatitis, isn’t there?”

“Yes and no,” answered Michelle. “There’s vaccines for hepatitis A and B, but hep C doesn’t have a vaccine yet. Good guess, though.”

“Huh,” said Sean. “Well, then I’ve got nothing.”

MC!Michelle: You don’t have insurance, do you?

The twins look at each other again, helpless.

Rowan: ...No. We don’t.

Willow: Usually when I’m sick, I just hope for the best and wait for whatever it is to go away. But my symptoms just kept getting worse.

Rowan: Mass Kenmore wouldn’t even look at Willow without insurance.

Willow: And we definitely can’t afford twenty-eight grand a month!

MC!Michelle: Yeah, it’s…

“So glad there’s an option for ‘Total bull,’ ‘cause that’s what I was gonna say,” said Zahra once the choices appeared.

“For sure,” said Craig. “That sucks! What are they gonna do? ...Also, does that count as a drink?”

Everyone looked at Jake expectantly, as Zahra shoved Craig in the shoulder in response. Jake shrugged. “Sure, why not,” he said. “Drink, y’all!”

“Maybe there’s something the ER doctor can do,” suggested Michelle, as she took a sip of her drink. “One of the doctors who came in for a guest lecture last year talked to us about alternatives for patients without insurance.” She shrugged, glancing back at the screen. “One way or another, guess we’ll find out.”

“Hold up,” said Alyssa, holding up a hand to get everyone quiet. “Alright, so, for this choice… everybody better vote ‘Total bull,’ understand?”

There were some murmurs of assent from the majority of the group, and some noises of protest about democracy from Aleister.

“That’s what I thought,” said Alyssa. “Alright, Michelle, we’re picking ‘Total bull.’”

“To be fair,” admitted Aleister, “I would have chosen the selection in question to begin with. I simply protest the principle of the thing, nothing more—”

“WE KNOW,” everyone except Grace and Aleister himself said simultaneously.

Michelle spared an apologetic glance at Aleister before selecting the choice in question.

MC!Michelle: Wait. Don’t leave yet. I’ll… I’ll see what I can do.

Rowan: You’ll help us?

MC!Michelle: I can’t promise anything. But I’ll try.

Willow: Thank you, Dr. Nguyen.

MC!Michelle: First things first. We can’t give you your treatment until we know what genotype of hep C you have. I’ll need to draw blood…

“Hey, that word ‘jean-o-type’ is in green! That must be important!” shouted Craig when the line appeared.

Michelle’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wow. That was honestly a great observation, Craig!

“Seriously? Thanks!” said Craig with a huge grin on his face. “So, what does it mean? I didn’t know whether or not your name was ‘Gene’ affected your health…”

Michelle and Zahra exchanged a meaningful glance. Zahra facepalmed. “And we’re back to normal Craig,” she snarked. “Should’ve figured.”

“Genotype,” not “‘Gene-o-type,’” clarified Michelle. “You know, ‘genes.’ Genetics. That kind of thing.”

“Ohhhhh,” said Craig, clearly still not understanding at all. “That makes perfect sense.”

“Sure it does,” said Michelle sarcastically, as she clicked forward in the story.

You spot Ines walking toward you.

Ines: Hi, Michelle! All done in the E.R.?

MC!Michelle: Yeah, I was actually just looking for you!

Ines: At your service! What do you need?

(What do you do?)

“Whoa, Ines gets a whole-body picture?” asked Quinn. “That’s surprising.”

“Doubt it has much to do with this scene, though, since it’s not a diamond choice,” Sean pointed out.”

Quinn’s face fell. “Right. Yeah, true,” she admitted.

“Everyone? Trust me. Never lie to a resident or attending,” said Michelle. “We should absolutely tell the truth here.”

Jake shrugged. “Fair enough,” he said. “I don’t see why not.”

“It’s like they say: honesty is the best policy,” said Grace. “I agree.”

“Very well, shall we vote normally, then?” asked Aleister. “All in favor of Michelle’s suggestion?” The vote was unanimous. As Michelle selected the choice, Aleister huffed and crossed his arms. “There, you see? Was that so difficult?”

“Yes,” said Jake, smirking. Aleister scowled at him.

Ines: One of the hardest things to learn is that you can’t treat everyone, MC. As a doctor, your responsibility is to find a way to help the people you can help.

She puts a comforting hand on your arm and walks away. You lean against the wall, a wave of disappointment crashing over you.

MC!Michelle: (What am I supposed to do now?)

“What, seriously? You can’t do anything?” shouted a very frustrated-sounding Estela. “That’s bullshit.”

“Right?” agreed Zahra, frowning. “Ugh.”

Michelle shrugged apologetically. “Sad but true, that really is the way medicine goes,” she explained. “Ines makes a good point here. It’s true that we can’t treat everyone. It’s a rough lesson to learn, but an important one.”

“And what, you just accept that?” asked Alyssa. “That can’t be right! C’mon, Top Gun, you agree, right?”

Jake shrugged helplessly. “I ain’t in med school, Princess,” he admitted. “Maybelline knows what’s up.”

Alyssa frowned. “Ugh. So unfair.”

“That’s life,” said Michelle.

“Guess life isn’t always fair, either,” said Sean. “Besides, looks like your character has enough on her plate right now. What with Dr. Banerji and all.”

“True,” admitted Michelle. “Wonder what’s next?”

Sienna: Well? How do I look?

MC: Like you walked out of a time machine! You’re dressing up for the movie?

Sienna: I hear it’s a fun thing some people like to do at Classics on the Common, and I wanted to give it a shot!

She gives a little twirl.

Sienna: I actually thought you might want to dress up too. Look what I picked up for you…

Classic Hollywood: Turn back the clock.

“‘Turn back the clock?’ Sounds like your specialty, Wonder Twins,” Craig joked.

Ian rolled his eyes. “For the millionth time, we can’t actually go back in time,” he said.

“Anyway, can we talk about how awesome Sienna looks? And Michelle’s character, for that matter?” put in Quinn. “Check out those outfits!”

“Too bad we spent our diamonds for this chapter already,” Diego reminded everyone. “Because otherwise, I think we should definitely dress up if we could!”

“Right?” agreed Raj. “I bet the others are all gonna be dressed up, too… can’t wait to see their looks!”

“Well, unfortunately, Diego’s right,” Michelle said. “One diamond choice per chapter, remember.” She declined the outfit as Aleister reminded everyone yet again that he was willing to purchase more diamonds.

You take in the impressive selection of sweet and savory treats in the center of the blanket.

[PICNIC BASKET: Don’t mind if I do!]

“Another one! Drink, y’all!” proclaimed Jake.

“This scene is remindin’ me of Raj’s picnics,” said Craig. “In all the best ways!”

Varyyn nodded. “Indeed. Raj’s cooking is always impressive. As this week has shown us once again.”

Raj grinned broadly. “Thanks, dudes!”

“Speaking of which, we should have another picnic sometime while we’re here!” suggested Quinn, grabbing Michelle’s hand excitedly. “How about at the beach near the airstrip, where we went on our first day here, remember?”

“Uh, actually, that was me an’ Raj with you, I think,” Craig pointed out. “Meech wasn’t there.”

Flustered, Quinn withdrew her hand and blushed. “What? Who said anything about Michelle? I was just, erm, talking about us in general, you know, like-”

“Aw, c’mon, even I can see it,” teased Jake. “’Little MerMaybelline’ is definitely a thing.”

“What are you even embarrassed about? It’s us,” said Ian. “I mean, it’s kinda silly that you’re hiding anything at this point.”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” added Estela.

Michelle frowned. “That’s something, coming from you two,” she said.

“Wait, what?” asked Raj, as it suddenly became Estela and Ian’s turn to get flustered. “Am I missing something?”

“No,” said Estela, Ian, and Michelle simultaneously.

Raj shrugged. “Huh. Okay then.”

“How about we get on with this?” suggested Estela abruptly, as Michelle went ahead and continued without waiting for a response.

Landry: Wait… did you ask out the girl from next door?

Elijah: No! I just… told her we were coming and that she should come, too.

Bryce: Dude, that’s totally a date.

Elijah: No way… It’s just me being a… friendly neighbor.

MC!Michelle: I think you should…

“AWW~! THAT IS SO ADORABLE!!!!” squealed Quinn in an incredibly high-pitched voice. Zahra and Jake covered their ears in response.

“Quinn used Screech! It’s super effective!” said Craig in the Pokemon announcer voice.

“Also, speaking of couples who are in furious denial…” said Diego, glancing pointedly at Michelle and Quinn.

“Uh-oh… Diego said it, it must be true!” said Alyssa with a grin. “It’s meant to be!” Michelle and Quinn blushed even deeper at this comment.

Diego shrugged sheepishly. “Hey, it worked for these two couples, what can I say?” he said, gesturing toward the twins and their respective spouses.

“...Well?” asked Zahra, looking at Michelle and Quinn expectantly along with the rest of the group. “If you’re gonna date or whatever, just say it. Don’t sit around stammerin’ like Time Boy over here.”

“That was years ago, come on,” said Ian, rolling his eyes as Estela stifled a laugh.

“Well, I mean, I… we… er…” said Quinn.

“I’m not really--” Michelle started to say.

Thankfully for Michelle and Quinn, they were interrupted by Aleister suddenly getting to his feet and clearing his throat loudly. “Er-hem! Have we all forgotten entirely about the choice at hand?” he asked, gesturing to the screen.

Michelle let out an involuntary sigh of relief. “Phew. Saved by the Aleister,” she muttered to Quinn, who giggled.

“Very well,” continued Aleister. “All in favor of the first selection, raise your hands.”

“Yeah, me!” said Craig. “I say go for it, Michelle and Quinn!” There was a brief silence as he looked up at the screen. “...Oh. Um, I meant Elijah. Yeah. Definitely meant to say Elijah.”

“Hey, we were all thinkin’ it,” said Jake. “And I say ‘go for it’ too. Who else?”

As the vast majority of the Catalysts raised their hands for the ‘go for it, Elijah’ choice, no one was quite sure whether everyone was voting about Elijah’s situation in the story, or Michelle and Quinn’s situation in real life. Regardless of which scenario was on everyone’s minds, the vote was the same: 13-1 in favor of ‘go for it, Elijah.’ “I see we have our answer, then,” proclaimed Aleister (his being the 1 vote against). “Michelle, would you do the honors?”

“If it’ll get us off of this topic, sure,” she said, as she selected the choice.

Elijah blushes, but shakes his head.

Elijah: Nah… she knows it’s just a friend thing.

“And in related news, Elijah continues to be you, Ian,” said Diego in a stereotypical newscaster voice. Ian shrugged sheepishly as Diego continued, “Now on to the weather. How’s the weather today, Varyyn?”

The elyyshar stared blankly at his husband, clearly confused. “Hmm? The weather is quite pleasant this evening. As it often is on La Huerta, ever since Vaanu’s departure. Why do you ask?”

Diego sighed. “We’ll work on that routine later,” he said, as Varyyn continued to look confused. “Don’t worry about it!”

Jackie arrives as the lead actor appears on the screen.

Elijah: Jackie! I thought you said you were studying at the library.

Jackie: I needed a break.

MC!Michelle: (What do I do?)

“There she is,” said Zahra excitedly. “About time she showed up in this chapter.”

“Whoa. You’re excited,” Craig pointed out.

“No I’m not.”

“Uh-huh. Sure you’re not. Anyway, let’s tell her to sit by us!”

“Let’s not do that,” argued Zahra.

“Well, I’m with Craig here,” said Raj. “The more, the merrier! Who else?” Besides himself and Craig, Raj saw Estela, Alyssa, Jake, Diego, Quinn, Michelle, and Sean raise their hands. “And looks like we’ve got a winner, 9 to 5!”

“Workin’ 9 to 5…” sang Diego randomly.

“...And Diego’s singing. It’s definitely getting late,” Zahra muttered. “Alright, Michelle, let’s just get on with this.”

“Karaoke night tomorrow?” suggested Craig. Zahra wordlessly stared at him. “Okay, okay, just a suggestion…”

Jackie: So… Wayne’s a no-show again, Sienna?

Sienna: He’s working tonight, if that’s what you mean.

Jackie: Seriously, Sienna. When are you going to wake up and dump that asshole? You deserve so much better.

Sienna looks like she’s been slapped. She looks to you for help.

MC!Michelle: Whoa…

“That’s my girl, Jackie,” said Zahra. “Tellin’ it like it is.”

“She could’ve said it a little nicer, though,” Quinn protested. “Sienna’s gotta be feeling awful!”

Zahra shrugged. “Doesn’t change the facts.”

“True,” Estela agreed. “We all know Wayne’s an ass. Maybe this is what Sienna needed to realize it, too. I say ‘harsh but fair.’”

“Definitely,” said Zahra.

“Hey, since Jackie’s actin’ like Zahra again, does that count as a drink?” asked Craig. “Also, I vote ‘harsh but fair’ too.”

Jake nodded. “Oh, definitely: drink, y’all!”

Alyssa shook her head, setting her glass down. “I’m getting too tired to drink any more,” she admitted. “Rain check, guys.”

Zahra shrugged. “Fair enough,” she said. “Alright, who else agrees with us on the choice?”

When the votes had been tallied up, the final result was a close one. 8-6 in favor of ‘harsh but fair,’ with Zahra, Estela, Craig, Jake, Alyssa, Aleister, Michelle, and Varyyn all voting in favor.

Elijah: Oh, Michelle, did you ever find out more about Patient X?

All eyes turn on you, intrigued. You freeze up and stammer.

“Well, this suddenly got awkward,” Michelle observed. “I mean, we can’t say anything to them, so…”

“We should make something up!” suggested Ian. “Say it was a mutant! Or a zombie! Or a mutated zombie!”

“...Or a zombified mutant?” Diego added.

Ian grinned. “Love the way you think!”

“Somehow, I don’t think they’d believe that,” deadpanned Alyssa.

Elijah: Is it the President? You have to tell us now!

MC!Michelle: …

“Oh, man, I forgot about that!” said Raj. “The President who’s also secretly a vampire!”

“PLOT TWIST: DR. BANERJI IS SECRETLY THE PRESIDENT,” said Craig.

“Best. Excuse. Ever,” said Ian. “That should definitely be one of the options…”

Aleister huffed. “Why you all continuously insist on acting absurd, I haven’t the slightest idea,” he said.

“Aw, c’mon, lighten up,” said Craig, tossing a pillow at Aleister.

As neither Aleister nor Grace had Estela-level reflexes, the pillow smacked him right in the face, leaving him to stammer indignantly as the rest of the group laughed. “I… how… heavens! You absolute buffoon, Craig!”

“Hey, it’s your fault for being so serious all the time,” said Craig.

“Just for that, I am rescinding your voting privileges for this round of voting,” declared Aleister.

“Wait, he can do that?”

“Technically, no, but who’s gonna stop him?” said Raj. “‘Sides, it’s just one vote. What were you gonna pick, anyway?”

“The first one!” exclaimed Craig excitedly. “Just tell ‘em who it is!”

Zahra rolled her eyes. “Maybe it’s a good thing you don’t get to vote,” she said. “That is the absolute worst choice imaginable.”

“Says you.”

“Says common goddamn sense.”

As the two continued to argue, Aleister stood up to take the vote. “All in favor of what is, quite frankly, a terrible choice?” he asked, referring to the ‘It’s Dr. Banerji’ option. Aside from Craig, who went ignored, no one raised their hands. “Hmph. At least the rest of you have some sense. Now, all in favor of feigning ignorance?” This time, he was referring to the ‘I don’t know anything’ option, for which Alyssa, Jake, Quinn, Raj, and Diego all raised their hands. “And finally, the clearly superior choice?” he asked for the ‘I really can’t tell you’ option: he himself and Grace raised their hands, accompanied by Estela, Ian, Sean, Michelle, Varyyn. (Zahra, busy arguing with Craig, didn’t vote at all.)

“Huh. Aleister, since when do you have such strong opinions on the different choices?” asked Michelle.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“I don’t know, usually you just read out the choices. That time you were pretty opinionated.”

“Might have something to do with Craigslist chuckin’ a pillow at him,” suggested Jake.

“Whoa, that really threw off his groove, then,” Diego said.

“Wait, so does that mean someone else got Aleister’s personality?” asked Alyssa. “Are we gonna have some Freaky Friday shenanigans now?”

“I hope not,” frowned Sean. “Once was enough.”

“I assure you all, I am Aleister,” Aleister assured them all.

“Either way, looks like we’ve got a winner,” Michelle interjected before the conversation could get any more out of hand. “Let’s keep going. I’m starting to get tired…”

Diego nodded. “Yeah, same here,” he admitted. Michelle chose the ‘I really can’t tell you’ choice, as Zahra and Craig continued to argue in the background.

Landry: Does it have anything to do with the diagnostics position?

“Wait, there’s a position for that squid monster from Star Wars?” asked Raj.

Ian laughed. “No, you’re thinking of ‘dianoga.’ ‘Diagnostics’ refers to a large-”

“Funny, but no, we are not doing this again,” interrupted Michelle before they could restart the same joke from earlier. “Can we stay on topic for once?”

“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” admitted Raj. “‘Sides, it’s us. When do we ever stay on topic?”

“He ain’t wrong, y’know,” said Jake.

Michelle sighed. “Good point.”

Elijah: It hits close to home. I was born with chronic spinal cord damage. It was potentially fatal, but my parents chose to pay for an experimental surgery. Insurance wouldn’t cover it. The procedure saved my life, but it bankrupted them.

MC!Michelle: Oh, Elijah.

Elijah: They never talk about it, but part of me has always felt guilty. Like it’s my fault. They gave everything to save me.

MC!Michelle: Listen…

“This story…” muttered Quinn.

Michelle looked over at her, noticing the look in her eyes. She wrapped an arm around Quinn. “Hey. Speaking of things hitting close to home…” Michelle said softly.

Quinn looked up at her. “I know it’s not exactly the same situation, but… I relate a lot to Elijah,” she said. “Especially the part about feeling guilty. You know my parents tried everything to find a cure for me, and I absolutely did feel guilty.” She forced a laugh. “Even now. I know it’s dumb, but even though it’s been years since I was cured… I still sometimes feel guilty about the whole thing.”

“Quinn…” said Michelle, pulling her into a tight hug. “It’s not dumb. Hell, just because you’re cured now doesn’t mean it all never happened in the first place; all those years still happened.”

Quinn nodded, pulling back and smiling at Michelle. “Sorry. I’m just… tired and tipsy, I guess,” she said, holding up her glass for emphasis.

“No need to worry. I’m here for you. Honest.”

As the two of them gazed into each other’s eyes, Jake suddenly coughed, interrupting the moment. “Hey, in case ya forgot, we’re all still here,” he reminded them.

“Jake!” admonished Alyssa. “Let them have their moment!”

Michelle and Quinn looked over to see that not only Jake and Alyssa, but the entire rest of the group (save for Craig and Zahra, who were still arguing) were all watching them. “Oh,” said Michelle. “Um. Right, so… uh… who votes what?”

Grace smiled. “Take all the time you need, you two. We’re sorry for interrupting,” she said sincerely.

“Yes, Jake’s very sorry,” said Alyssa with a pointed look at her husband. “Isn’t he?”

“Yeah, all right, I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m also drunk, in my defense.”

“I highly doubt ‘intoxication’ would be a permissible defense in any court of law--” Aleister started to say.

“No one cares, Malfoy.”

Sean stood up, slightly unsteadily. “How about I take the vote this time?” he suggested. When no one objected, he continued, “Who likes ‘It wasn’t your fault?’” Quinn smiled and raised her hand, followed a second later by Michelle. In addition to the two of them, Sean, Raj, Ian, Estela, and Grace all voted as well. “Okay, and how about the second choice?” This time, Aleister, Jake, Alyssa, Diego, and Varyyn raised their hands. Sean nodded. “Perfect. Looks like we’ve got our answer.”

Michelle held the phone out to Quinn. “Want to do the honors?” she offered.

“I’d be flattered,” said Quinn, taking the phone and picking the choice in question, as well as taking up Michelle’s role in reading the lines.

Elijah: But it’s why I became a doctor. That doctor, the one who saved my life by inventing a brand new procedure? That’s what I want to be. Pushing the boundaries. Paying it forward. And one day, I’ll save lives that people thought were hopeless before.

“Wow, it’s just like how you founded your charity, Quinn!” Grace pointed out. “Didn’t you say something like that? About ‘paying it forward?’”

Quinn smiled. “I did! It’s crazy how Elijah and I are so much alike, huh?”

“And before anyone asks, no, that doesn’t count as a drink,” said Jake. “We’re drunk enough as it is.”

“Whoa, Jake being all responsible? Must be the apocalypse,” snarked Michelle.

“Must be!” giggled Quinn. “Alright, let’s keep going!”

Bryce: Come on, let’s get outta here.

MC!Michelle: And do what?

Bryce: Literally anything. Let’s go have an adventure.

What do you do?

“Ugh, I knew it,” groaned Diego melodramatically. “Of course there’s a Bryce scene when we already spent the diamonds earlier. Should’ve figured.”

“To be fair, we’ve seen a lot of Bryce scenes already,” Raj reminded him. “There’s got to be more coming later on, too!”

Diego shrugged. “True,” he admitted. “Ah well.”

“No vote, then… sadly,” sighed Quinn, as she reluctantly chose ‘Stay here.’

You step cautiously into the operating room. You find Harper alone, gazing thoughtfully at the equipment tray. Her hands hover over each scalpel, as if greeting old friends.

MC!Michelle: (What is she doing in here?)

MC!Michelle: (What do I do?)

“Oh, I bet we’re gonna ask her if there’s a hepatitis C trial Willow can enroll in!” guessed Diego. “Elijah said the trials will cover the cost for free, right?”

“Yep,” said Michelle. “Still, it would be pretty convenient for there to be a trial for her exact condition right at that moment.”

“Ah, the magic of fiction,” said Raj. “So… choice time. Meech, what d’you think?”

“Probably best to wait and let her notice us,” Michelle suggested. “Sounds like she’s preoccupied with… whatever it is she’s doing.”

“Well, that’s good enough for me! I’m voting with you,” Raj said. “Who else?” Quinn raised her hand, followed by Ian, Diego, Grace, Sean, and Varyyn. “And the ‘get her attention’ choice?” Estela, Aleister, Jake, and Alyssa raised their hands.

“Thanks, Raj!” said Quinn. “Looks like we’ve got our answer!” She proceeded to choose the ‘Wait for her to notice me’ choice.

MC!Michelle: There’s a study. Human trials for new medications. They’re looking for fraternal twins to test on. If Edenbrook agreed to host test subjects, the government would subsidize any care they happen to require.

Harper reads over the documents in a flash.

Dr. Emery: You want to deliberately manipulate a government subsidy to provide care for an unrelated case?

MC!Michelle: Yes, but…

“Fraternal twins? Hey, maybe you two should join this study,” joked Raj. “Free healthcare!”

Ian laughed. “Somehow, I think having magic time siblings involved might mess up the results,” he said.

“Ha. Good point!”

Meanwhile, Michelle frowned as she looked over the options. “Props to our main character for going to an authority, but… I have to say, this is a pretty bizarre situation,” she said. “I mean, I don’t think it’s technically illegal or anything, but…”

“Sounds like a classic legal loophole to me,” said Jake.

“Look, when the rules keep you from doing what’s right, you say ‘screw the rules,’” said Estela. “I think we all have experience with that by now.”

There was a momentary silence as everyone processed Estela’s statement. Finally, Michelle nodded. “Well said, Estela,” she acknowledged. “Besides, if I had to pick one of these choices to say in real life, I’d probably go with ‘it’s the right thing to do’ too.”

“Same here,” said Sean. “Wouldn’t we all?”

“Well, I for one would select ‘obey the regulations put in place as they are clearly there for a reason,’ but seeing as that is not an available selection… hmm. I suppose I must concur with your statement, Estela.”

“Same,” said Jake.

“Oh, definitely, me too!” said Grace.

Gradually, the other Catalysts voiced their assent for Michelle’s choice. “Hey, are we gonna get another unanimous vote?” asked Diego. “Twice in one chapter!”

“Wait, does it count as unanimous if those two still ain’t voting?” asked Jake, pointing to the other side of the lobby, where Zahra and Craig were still arguing.

“Good question. Let’s ask the Keeper of Democracy!” said Diego, as he and Jake glanced over at Aleister.

“And here I thought that ridiculous nickname was gone for good,” said Aleister with a sigh. “At any rate, if all of the available voters are voting for a given selection, then it can be considered unanimous. You are correct, Diego.”

“Awesome!”

“Then we know what choice we’re making,” said Estela.

“Sounds like a plan,” said Michelle. “Take it away, Quinn!”

Dr. Ramsey: And thank you, for not telling anyone about… my patient. I didn’t think I could trust anyone enough to share the load, but… you’ve proven me wrong.

MC!Michelle: I’m really glad I could help.

He squeezes your arm softly in thanks before letting his hand fall to his side. You turn away and freeze. Harper Emery stands further up the corridor, watching the two of you thoughtfully…

Dr. Emery: Hm…

Ethan’s let you in on his darkest secret. But is there any hope for Dr. Banerji? Keep playing to find out!

“And that’s the end!” said Quinn.

“I’m just happy we didn’t end on a cliffhanger for once,” Jake said. “I hate it when that happens.”

“Well, it was kind of a cliffhanger,” Diego pointed out. “Wonder what’s up with Dr. Emery at the end there? Not to mention how she was hanging around that empty operating room. Maybe Dr. Ramsey’s not the only one with a secret patient?”

“Two ‘secret patients’ at the same time? Geez,” said Michelle. “What was that you said before, Raj?”

“You mean ‘Oh my God, I always knew the President was a vampire?’” Raj asked.

Everyone laughed. “No, I meant tonight,” said Michelle. “When we were talking about convenient coincidences.”

“Oh, that line. ‘The magic of fiction!’”

“Bingo, that’s the one.”

Grace stifled a yawn. “Well, at any rate, I think it’s time we all got some sleep,” she suggested. “Especially if we’re going to be out looking for Furball in the morning.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that,” said Jake. “Damn. I’m gonna need a hell of a lot of coffee in the mornin’.”

“For sure,” agreed Alyssa, yawning. “Night, everyone.” With that, she and Jake headed to the elevators.

“Sounds good to me,” said Quinn, setting her phone down. “Zahra, do you mind unhooking my phone for me? ...Zahra?”

“Hey! Zahra!” shouted Michelle.

Everyone turned to stare at Zahra and Craig, who were somehow still arguing. For the first time, everyone could hear clearly what they were saying. “...You don’t get it! Why would you have a screen door on an airplane?!” shouted Zahra.

“In case it gets hot or stinky in the plane, duh!” Craig argued back. “Since you can’t open the windows, just use a screen door instead! I’m a genius!”

“You are a dumbass! Air pressure doesn’t work that way, everything would just depressurize!”

“Then use a tire pump to add more pressure?”

“Do you have any idea what the difference is between a plane and a freakin’ tire?”

“The plane can fly?”

“I… I mean, technically you’re not wrong, but… THERE ARE A LOT MORE DIFFERENCES THAN THAT!”

“Oh! I just got an even better idea! Make a whole plane out of tires, so if it crashes, it’ll just bounce!” said Craig with a huge grin. “I’m gonna make a fortune with these ideas! How the hell has no one thought of this before?”

“Because no one else has the IQ of a rock?”

“You’re just jealous-”

“What. No! How in the hell do you think I’d ever be jealous of your stupid-ass ‘ideas’ in a million years…”

Sean sighed. “Guess some people never change.”

* * *

Next Chapter: Coming soon!

Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @marmolady

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