Chapter 7

Let's go back to Winona assigning tasks, shall we?

She went to find witnesses who were willing to testify, while Rebecca and the others went to find the missing informant. Kylian, William, Michael, and Britney just had to go retrieve a bunch of tapes from the cellar that they had found prior to the confrontation. Easy. Right? Yea, Kylian thought so too, but boy was he wrong.

Chadwick was the head of the task force that was charged with ending the Saviours, so naturally he was involved in almost any case regarding them. This made their job a lot harder than they thought it would be. Did I mention that he was also in charge of the entire hill where they fought Aaron and where the cellar is located? No? Well, there's that too. They, of course, tried sneaking onto the crime scene and they got super close, but they failed every. single. time.

*****

Michael's plan was up first and that was to use the woods to their advantage, which was an excuse for William to show off the abilities of his Magi, Demeter. The plan was working in the beginning and they managed to get to the woods undetected, but Kylian ended up setting off a tripwire. They would've been caught if William and Britney hadn't yanked both of them into nearby trees.

Next up was Britney's plan. They once again snuck onto the hill, and they split up this time to keep watch while trying to the cellar. Michael and William went to the cellar, while Britney and Kylian kept watch. The plan would've worked perfectly … if they remembered where they found the cellar in the first place. Now they had a new problem:

How were they supposed to accidentally re-find a concealed cellar in the middle of the woods that were possibly being patrolled by a terrorist group? Stumped, they went to the others for their advice, and it didn't help at all.

Louis was back to his "I don't care, it's not my problem." attitude which was so much help, while Rebecca and Halley didn't know what to do, and Brandon suggested that they retraced their steps, but they had limited time in the woods every time they went. That's why it didn't make the best plan.

At one point, William proposed that they just walk up to Chadwick and ask him for permission to search the woods. Michaelangelo reminded him that they were trying to convict him, so walking up to him and asking for permission to find evidence that'll put him behind bars wasn't the greatest of ideas. Britney backed up this idea, though, telling them that they could "accidentally" get separated from the group and look for the cellar.

Kylian, however, refuted that, "Kiara could've possibly warned him about the entire investigation," and with that, the four of them were out of ideas and had no idea what to do.

*****

Kylian and Michael had gotten closer over the months they were roommates, and they learned a lot about each other. Kylian learned that Michaelangelo was also fond of cooking, even though he's not very good at it. Michael learned that Kylian was good at everything, especially video games. They would often play games or place bets to decide who cleans up, and because of this system, Kylian rarely ever cleaned up the dorm.

Why am I telling you this? Well, one Friday night, Kylian and Michaelangelo were playing their video games as usual when Michael suddenly got up to protest the verdict of the virtual referee. In the process, he knocked a pile of books over. Among the books he knocked over was his little leather journal. He picked it up and studied it with lonely, longing eyes. Kylian asked him if he was alright, and Michael said that he was fine, but he missed his parents.

Aunt Clara had been the one who taught him how to cook and play video games, which is why he's so bad at both. He was envious of Kylian who had two loving parents, money, fame, a kind heart, and a pleasant personality. It wasn't fair. Before he knew it, Michael was crying.

Kylian comforted him to the best of his abilities, and told him that he could be his older brother if he wanted, which made Michael smile a bit, but most importantly, it made them notice a picture stuck between two of the pages. It was a picture of Michael and his father, Raphael, and the men next to them? Kylian's father, Antoine, and Chadwick.

*****

They arrived at Kylian's parent's home in Gallia, and Britney and Michael were awe-struck by its size. It was a modern home on top of a hill just outside the capital city of Lutetia with the most perfect view of the Gallian Tower, and the entire city of love. It was quite modern and seemed modest looking from the front, until they saw the foreign cars in the front, electric gates along the side of the house, and the sheer length of the house. It was massive.

Upon arrival, they were greeted by a man and woman who were both in their early-forties. They were wearing simple clothes, but they made them look extravagant and their warm smiles melted away any visible anxiety they had. I call this phenomenon the Kiara Effect.

Kylian introduced his parents, Antoine and Ines, who were more than ecstatic about hosting their son's new friends as they had only ever hosted William and Louis. They took them to their green room, which was a gargantuan room with the most gorgeous view of Lutetia. There were plants everywhere. Some were hanging from the ceiling, while others were surrounded by fountains and flowers. They gave the room a calming feel and gently forced tension out of the room. This was essential as the couple eased into the elephant in the room.

Antoine and Ines looked to each other as they stared at Michael. They suddenly asked him about his parents, and were pleasantly surprised at the response. They mentioned that he was "too young to remember them" which made William ask to clarify his words. Antoine explained how he knew and was friends with Chadwick and Raphael. Kylian was just as confused as the rest of them, because you don't just kill your friends. Oh, but Chadwick did.

Raphael and Antoine had met in college and they instantly clicked and became the best of friends. They met Chadwick at a company party, and he took them under his wing as his political apprentices. Antoine grew distant from Chadwick after Kylian was born and his political career took off, while Raphael and Chadwick grew more and more intertwined with each other.

The picture was taken a week before Aimeé, their second child, died from Canchrema, a disease caused by uncontrollable cell division. The entire family grew even farther from the Sullivans and Chadwick until Raphael gave Antoine a video camera and asked him to give it to Michael when the time was right.

Ines led them to her study where she used her magic to open a drawer and revealed the video camera. They swore that they had never seen the contents, but Britney disregarded that and asked, "Why didn't you tell everyone about Chadwick?" They were genuinely confused. They thought they were just telling Michael about his affiliation with the royal family.

She went to correct them and tell them the monster Chadwick was, but William stopped her and pointed to Michael, who was trembling as he held the camera. Kylian reached out to help, but he brushed him off, and saw himself out. Kylian reassured his parents that they had done the right thing before leaving with William and Britney.

*****

They took the video camera to Winona's office and showed everyone it's never before seen contents.

*static*

Raphael: Is it on? I can't tell.

Doria: Yea, the red light is on. Are you blind?

Raphael: Says the one wearing contacts.

Doria: Just start!

Raphael: Okay~! Hey bud, it's dada here. I really hope you never have to watch this, but if you do, then I'm afraid it's too late.

Doria: Bubby, listen to your mom and don't go near that Chadwick man. This is all our fault, so we must bear the consequences, w-whatever they may be.

Raphael: We're making this to warn you. You watching this means we're gone, and Chadwick's after our work and you. Promise us that you'll stay away from him.

Doria: We're not completely sure what's going to happen, but if we are gone,baby, you need to go to that cellar and find our final message and give it to Antoine and Ines. Let them handle it. Stay away from Chadwick Myra!

Raphael: And don't forget we love you and we're proud of you. *static*

Kylian turned to Michael, as he firmly looked Winona in the eyes and told her that he'd retrieve those tapes if it was the last thing he did. Winona warned him to keep his temper in check because they would have to "dispose of him" if he went berserk, and that terrified and worried Britney.