UNCHANGED

Jessica was about to place her hand on the area when she hesitated and looked back to Alek, with a threatening look, before going back then asked,"Daddy, mommy, could you hold my hand?"

"Of course sweetie..."Anneliese said,"...but you'll have to touch it yourself."

We took her small hand and gently placed it on the space then there was a cracking sound, before a scream, Jessica looked back to see the whole family dying before her very eyes, with blood gushing out of our orifices and eyes.

She screamed and looked back at her parents' hands and her heart skipped a bigger beat when she saw them, they were red, with long black nails and had scale like projections on them.

She screamed and tried to pull her arm off, but the one which used to be me said,"It's too late now."

The door began crumbling as the glowing green cracks started merging, then from it, a black vapour leaked out and started entering her nostrils and mouth, then she woke up...

***

"So, Jonita, if that's your real name, we need to find the wielder of the crystal of wisdom to heal my father and we really need your help, I'm being sincere now, please, if you could help in any way, now would be the time."

She shook her head and said,"Gem wielders are next to impossible to detect, they mix in the crowd as normal people,only the gems they wear stand out, no energy leaks of any detectable kind, no unique heat signature, nothing."

I sighed then stood up, this was a wild goose chase, and I thought this by the time we began.

I decided we needed to leave but Nisha said we needed to find the last person as there were at least three, according to ' prophecy '.

I didn't believe in that stuff, neither did I have the time, I was leaving, but Alexa... sadly didn't want to.

"Felix, I think they have a point, what if Darlok found the last person or people before we did? It would be same as, if not worse than when Nisha was controlled."She said.

"Oh so now you don't care about your own father's wellbeing, whom was out in this state by your's truly and now, want to ride into the sunset, searching around a Neptune sized planet for a literal needle in a haystack?!"I yelled.

Alexa looked at me then said,"I thought you said it wasn't my fault."

"Well you're making it your fault, stay if you want, but I'm leaving."

"Felix wait..."Alexa begged.

"No..."Jonita said,"...let him be, he's carrying much more grief than he shows."

I walked by a beach covered in green sand, then kicked a stone into the blue ocean, why hadn't I left yet?

I probably felt a responsibility over my little sister, but at the expense of my stepfather?

He had tried so hard to win my trust and now he did, he was in a vegetative state.

I sighed then sat down on a rock, with my head facing down, then I sensed something come out of a portal in front of me, just great.

***

Jessica woke up, then sat up as Anneliese opened the door, shocked to see her awake.

"Good morning mother."Jessica said.

"Mother? Are you sure you're okay honey?"

"I'm in perfect health, I'll be down for breakfast promptly."

"What happened to all the slang in your vocabulary?"

"I decided to...leave my old ways behind."She said.

"Oh...well then, good for you."Anneliese left and Jessica grinned as a red glow shone in her eyes and at that moment, the silver eyes of someone opened abruptly, something was wrong...

Jessica was down for breakfast and saw Alek making noise with his cutlery instead of eating.

My mom told him to eat his food then he said,"Fine, I'll give you your peas."

Placing a spoonful of garden peas into his metal spoon, he flung them at my and his mom like a catapult.

My mom was about to lift a plate to block them when they froze in mid air as Jessica's arm was stretched and everyone was surprised that she was using her lights in front of... everyone, she never used them unless alone or in my or Anneliese's presence alone unless in rare cases... possibly like this one.

She darted her eyes at the surprised Alek, then swiped her wrist and the peas shot at Alek like bullets, knocking him backwards, he yelled ' uncle! ' and ' mercy! ' as the peas kept ramming into his face, then they arranged in a linear suit, then darted into his mouth, almost causing him to choke, right before his chair was thrown back to its legs by an unknown force and Alek coughed, everyone still surprised at the rare sight they just witnessed.

Jessica then said,"Hurry up and eat Alek, we have to beat the triplets and Catherine at the tug of war today."

"You wanna play tug of war? But I thought you hated getting dirty?"

"No matter what my efforts were, I could never stay perfectly clean, so why don't I spend the time I have with the people who love me and kicking their butts at their own game?"

"Game on."Micky said with a mouthful of food.

Curtis glared at him then he swallowed hard as Alek was still digesting the prospect, Jessica wanted to play with him... willingly... without compulsion...or his own tears...or...you get the picture.

A toddler cried,. stretching his arms to his father, as the twin boys in their father's arms also cried, stretching their arms to their mother.

Alex cleared his throat noisily then Ama looked at him and said,"I knew you'd eventually break down."

She picked up the twins and they immediately kept silent, no breastfeeding necessary, and José also stopped crying when his father picked him and slowly rocked him, his concentration was perturbed now and he tried yanking on his father's braids and touching the glowing marks on his cheeks.

Alex smiled at the little child's efforts, but even more when he saw Jessica playing with Alek and Alexa's children, including Nicky, what happened to her?

He yelled when José's strength increased drastically, instantaneously and he almost ripped the hair right off his father's head.

Alex then placed him down to play a game with him, which didn't involve the child ripping off all dangling appendages from his father's head and body as a whole.