Chapter 52: Broken Faith

Probably the longest difference between uploads so far. It's mostly been because I've been on the Archive and looking for more stuff to read. That aside though I'm not exactly done with the Bakuda arc, I'm actively working on the 5th ch at the moment, but since I dunno when I'll finish that I decided to give ye what I've got done so ye have something to hold you all over.

And Amy will be added to the pairing. I've had enough time to properly figure out how to do it, so hopefully it doesn't have any issues.

DepressedCoper - Here ya go.

Nitpicker - I don't disagree, that probably was the weakest chapter so far. It still shows some new stuff in the arsenal though, so that's probably one of the few good points in it.

Guest - The thruple is confirmed, so yay. It fitting Pantheon was unintended but amusing.

Guest - Lightsabers would be possible, but I don't really see them using em. Cool as they are they aren't exactly practical. The other ideas about inventions and things are good though.

Kingh - I can do that. She'll still end up with them, but I don't mind giving LisaxAmy some moments.

Guest - That's a good idea. It'll have to be after the Bakuda arc, but Tinkering should end up appearing As for how Sundancer would help, well, they aren't always aliens, and collateral damage does exist.

Worldcrafter11 - Yeah, I have an idea of when to explain how and why it'll happen, but the answer is yes.

Deal With Itt - Nothing was missed really. Monsters having more sentience then expected was shown, and an issue with the system was brought up, but that's just to show that it's not perfect yet.

Obsidian Nova Arc - Appreciation is always nice.

Remzal Von Enili - Jesus Christ she is... I... I don't know how I managed to accidentally make Taylor an anime protagonist, but I love it.

[Vicky's POV the day before]

Watching Ames leave was weird. I was just so used to her being there, if not with me, then just a call away. But now, now Ames was going to be with Pantheon, and no one knew where the hell their base was, so Ames could be in a different country, hell continent even. (Hell, they could even be in space for all I know.) I took a second to process that, then brushed the thought away. Powers didn't work in space, everyone knew that. (Plus, The Simurgh is up there. After Canberra, I don't think she'd want them up there.)

Then I remembered that Amy was going to be staying with the guy that fucked up The Simurgh... That should've made me feel better. The fact that Anubis/Sun Wukong/Phoenix was a Hero should've made me feel better... But it didn't... Shaking my head, I knew I needed to do Something to get my mind off of this, because if I didn't I was going to be worrying all day for no reason.

Well, I was pretty sure there'd be no reason . She was just going to be in a meeting to set up a way to help fix the Case 53's. That was it, and all it would be... (Ugh, I need to go out.)

So that's what I did.

A patrol should help me not think about it.

I was going to die.

There was nothing big going on, no Villains out terrorizing the streets, no muggers in the alleyways jumping people for their money, nothing! I was going to die, and boredom would be my murderer. (Where the hell is a Villain when you need one?) That was kind of a shitty thought, but I didn't exactly care too much at the moment. Those 'Outcast' guys weren't doing anything, Hellhound was basically running a massive dog shelter and minding her own business, no one wanted to go fight the girl being a vet to a shitload of dogs, and The E88 Capes weren't doing anything. All of that should've been a good thing, the Nazis aren't doing anything, the dog Master was caring for strays and abandoned dogs, and the one sorta competent Villain team was off doing whatever it was they did when they weren't robbing people.

Yay.

Hell, even the PRT was busy. They were doing another one of those mandatory events for Wards and Heroes that they started doing after the whole thing with Stalker. It wasn't really a big surprise that they wanted to have the Wards and Heroes interact with each other more, just to make sure no one else was secretly a crazy psycho that got off on torturing or maiming people.

It was good, I knew it was, but because of that, and the fact Heroes outside of the PRT weren't allowed in, I didn't get to spend as much time with Dean as I wanted. Hell, I knew it was working too, Vista had been way happier after the surprise home visit she got, something happened that ended up with her somehow officially being put in PRT custody. She didn't tell us what, but hey she was happy, so that was all I needed to know.

All of that was good, sure, but right now I needed SOMETHING to do.

Hovering up in the air for a bit, I sighed, rubbing my eyes. (Goddammit.)

So, maybe it wasn't the best idea to go out and try to use people as a way to get my mind off of what my sister was up too, but it was the first thing that popped into my mind. (Maybe... Maybe I should do something else?) But then the question was, what?

Obviously that was when my phone started ringing. I blinked for a second, then dug my phone out. Seeing the caller, I was kinda confused about why Mom was calling me, I thought she was going to be busy with her work or something. (Doesn't matter, free excuse is a free excuse.) I picked up, idly floating towards a roof to set myself down as I did. "Hi A...-"

"Victoria, where are you?" Okay, there went all of my red flags. My name, followed by a serious 'Where are you?' Yeah, I was about to be blamed for something someone else did...

Which meant I could only do one thing! (Quick, damage control!) I wasn't about to be thrown under the bus without a fight! "Er...-"

Before I could even finish using the patented 'Eric did it', Mom came right back in. "You are not in trouble." Oh, that was good. "Now, I need to know where you are." I blinked, still kinda confused, but told her anyway. After I did, she went on. "Okay, you'll most likely beat me home then."

"What?" Now I was even more confused. (Does she want me to cut my patrol short or something?)

"Go 'll talk about this when everyone is together." And before I could even say anything, she hung up.

I brought my phone away after that, holding it in front of me as I blinked. "... Okay?" I had no idea what was going on, and I didn't like it.

Sinking into my bed, and just staring at the ceiling, I tried to figure out just where everything went wrong.

It was hours later, practically the whole day had somehow gone by, and I was still stuck on what Mom had told me and the rest of New Wave earlier. 'Amelia went off to fight the Slaughterhouse 9.' That was... It was just...

Fuck.

There wasn't any good way to frame that. She promised me, PROMISED to not do anything crazy... (Guess going up against the fucking Slaughterhouse 9 is just another Tuesday huh? Well, it probably isn't to them.) I grit my teeth, shaking my head. I didn't like thinking that, I couldn't just blame Pantheon for going to take the fight to the 9. They were doing the right thing after all. I shouldn't just lay blame at their feet...

But I wanted too. Amy always listened to me, even on the bug stuff that I didn't really expect her to fully agree with. (Almost like she was Ma...-) I shook my head again. I wasn't a Master. I couldn't be a Master. Because if I was...

I didn't want to think about it. I really didn't...

So I just went back to what I was thinking of before.

We were all pretty much shocked that Amy had showed up in a fight against the Slaughterhouse 9 with The Guild, and Pantheon in tow. At that point we didn't know much, and were kind of just waiting for more news to come in...

Though, when it did, a 'Small' shouting match broke out between Mom and Aunt Sarah over what Amy did. I didn't get what Mom was so mad over, from what we'd seen over PHO practically everyone agreed that Amy had a right to be pissed after being literally stepped on and treated like she was trash. Hell, even Crystal and Eric agreed, partly because Aunt Sarah was their Mom, and also because she was right. I agreed too, which was why Mom had practically grounded me and made me stay in my room.

I wanted to stay and wait for Amy to come home, because she'd have too at some point, but Mom didn't let me, which sucked. "Not helping that Ames hasn't replied." I knew it was a bad idea, but I'd been blowing up Ames messages for hours now, getting nothing in reply. I could get why, she was apparently going from place to place, healing as many people as she could...

But not hearing from her was nerve wracking. Sure, the Bay got crazy sometimes, that time Lung squared up against the E88 being one of the most recent example, but there was a difference between waiting for her shift to end at the hospital and waiting for her to call me and reassure me that she's alive after getting involved with the Slaughterhouse 9... "That's not fair to her." I knew it, I really did, but I just couldn't stop worrying.

Even hours after that whole reveal, and constantly checking PHO for updates, I was still worried. I knew Ames was fine, but until I personally saw her, I wouldn't be satisfied.

So it wasn't much of a surprise when I practically shot out of my bed when I heard the front door open. Amy was home, she was here... But before I could just outright leave, I remembered what Mom said earlier. 'Stay in your room Victoria. When Amelia comes back I'll be having a discussion with her.'

I bit my lip at that, stuck on what to do.

On the one hand, I wanted to go to Ames, make sure she was okay and just see her...

But on the other hand, Mom already wasn't in the best of moods, and going out would just make it worse... (But Amy's my sister.) I didn't like it, having to pick between Amy and Mom, especially after today... (But Mom is Mom...) I chewed on my lip for a second, thinking about it some more. (She... She won't hold it against me too much. She always forgives me a few days later.) I ignored the way my mind emphasized 'Always', that was just a normal thing. (I'll have to handle being grounded for a bit, but I can take it.)

I could handle that, being grounded was nothing compared to making sure Ames was okay...

So, with my mind made up, I made my way over to the door, and floated out. Mom would get on my case about flying in the house, but this was the best way to get over to the livingroom without getting caught.

Though, when I got close enough to the livingroom, I heard Mom going full 'Lecture mode.' Getting as close as I could without them knowing I was here, I listened in on their conversation. "...- Tle agreement with Pantheon is over, you'll be cutting ties with them." What the fuck? "Being an accomplice to Anubis' slaughters is something New Wave can't tolerate. You'll be getting rid of those, guns, of yours, later. Being armed," I heard Mom scoff there. "Just goes to show how much of a negative influence they are." I winced.

That... Wasn't fair... None of that was.

Sure, I didn't exactly like Anubis, his attitude and body count made it hard to see him as someone I could get along with, and I was kinda neutral about Khepri, but they didn't deserve that. Neither did Amy either, especially because despite how I felt about them, I knew Amy had been happier then I'd seen her in a while...

It...

It kind of hurt to think about, but Amy had been smiling more in the past week then I'd seen in months... Maybe even a year. She'd even been spending more time on her phone, calling or texting Anubis and or Khepri, and actually talking to them. They were her friends...

And Mom wanted her to cut them off?

That...

That wasn't right. "No."

Hearing Ames speak up, I blinked. That, that was new. There was a silence at that, and I was tempted to get a little closer, so I did. Peeking around the corner of the stairs, I managed to see Mom's face, and it wasn't filling me with confidence. I also got to see Ames, just the back of her head though, so that was good! Still, Mom was pissed, which wasn't good. "I don't think I heard you correctly. Mind repeating yourself, girl?"

"I said, No."

If this was literally any other point in time, I'd be congratulating my sister for standing up for herself. But seeing how tense Mom was getting, and how she looked ready to lunge at Amy, this was obviously the worst time for this to happen. "And what," I didn't like the tone Mom said that in, it was too threatening for her to be talking to Ames like tat. "Makes you think your opinion matters at the moment? Especially concerning this?"

Alarms were going off in my head, and I unconsciously drifted closer. "My opinion matters," Hearing Ames sound so... Hostile, was throwing me for a loop. "Because you're trying to fuck with MY life."

"A life you clearly aren't capable of leading properly. Cavorting with a known mass murderer," Okay, to be fair, Anubis did have a body count that everyone was pretty sure was in the double, if not triple digits... No one said anything about it though, because who in their right mind would blatantly bash the guy who burned The Simurgh, and apparently killed Jack Slash, and took out the 9? "Threatening innocent civilians...-"

I watched wide eyed as Amy slammed a hand onto the table, managing to get a good look at her face, and seeing that she was practically as pissed off, if not even more, then Mom was. "THEY WERE FUCKING TRAMPLING ME! IF I DIDN'T HAVE A SHIELD I COULD'VE FUCKING DIED!" I froze at that, my mind trying and failing to process what she just said.

Ames...

Ames could've...

She could've died? I...

I wasn't...

I couldn't...

My mind just could wrap itself around the idea of losing my sister, and not being there to do anything... Then my mind replayed something she said. (Wait... Shield?) Ames didn't have a shield, her Power didn't work like that... (So what does she mean by that?) The obvious answer was obvious. Pantheon gave her a shield, which would make so much sense, especially considering the fact they went up against the Slaughterhouse 9... (But... If that's true, then that just makes it even more fucked up to make her cut them off.)

"And you're still here, so what is your point?"

It was like a bucket of cold water splashed onto me. Mom sounded... Like... Like sh...- "You don't care about me at all, do you?" I froze again.

That...

That wasn't true.

There was no way that was true.

Mom loved Amy, s...- "No. No I do not."

My stomach dropped. That...

That... "Really, I've just been waiting for the day you show your true colors." Wha...- Oh fuck, she was getting u...- She was glowing! "Now, girl, you are going to listen, and listen well. Despite my justifiable reservations in taking you in, I did. We gave you a roof over your head, food to fill your stomach, put you through schooling, and provided you with a life far better then anything someone like you would've had without our intervention." I was hearing alarms going off in my mind, this wasn't looking good. "So while you live under this roof, and are a member of this team, you WILL listen to me. Am I clear, Amelia?" I almost didn't notice how hard I was clenching my hand and teeth, the feeling of my nails almost cutting through my palm was the only reason I realized I was so tense.

The thoughts going through my mind weren't helping me un-tense either. (Why?) Amy never did anything wrong, always looking to make Mom and the rest of the family proud. She worked her ass off at the hospitals, put in more work in a week then the rest of us did in a month, and practically wore herself out for 2 years straight... (So why does Mom not care?) Amy was... She was the best of us. She was Panacea, the greatest Healer in the country, hell, nearly the world! She didn't deserve to be treated like that.

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't RIGHT!

"Oh it's real fucking clear Carol," I blinked out of my thoughts, looking at my sister. Ames was just as tense as I was, and I only just noticed that she was palming a gun as she stood up. "It's clear that you're used to using and spitting on everyone around you. Must've gotten alot of experience doing that to Mark and Aunt Sarah huh?" Mom's eyes widened, and she started to glow brighter, making me get ready to intervene. Shield or no shield, I wasn't about to l...- "DOES AUNT SARAH KNOW YOU SLEPT WITH HER HUSBAND? DOES UNCLE NEIL EVEN KNOW VICKY IS HIS?!"

...

...

...

(What?) I...

That...

No...

"What..?"

I almost didn't hear myself, that was how low it was. That ju...- I felt myself snap into focus when Mom lunged at Amy. "MOM, NO!" I shot after her, crashing into her, and onto the ground of our floor...

Then an engine revved outside, and our door was broken down by a runaway bike.

Amy and Pantheon were gone... Leaving just me and Mom... And our wrecked livingroom... But still just us.

We didn't say anything, the two of us refusing to look at or say anything to the other. When I got up, I noticed movement from the corner of my eye. Seeing M... Carol, I wasn't sure I could call her 'Mom' again in a long time, reach out to me, I brushed her hand away. "Vi...-"

Shaking my head, I turned away, starting to walk back to the stairs. "I can't. Not... Not now..." I had to get back to my room. I couldn't be around her right now without my gut churning.

So I did just that.

I left the livingroom...

Left Mo...- Carol, there...

And made my way back to my room.

For a second I thought I saw something move, but looking at it I saw that their bedroom door was cracked open a small bit, so it was probably the wind, or just my imagination.

Putting it out of my mind, I got to my room, opened and shut the door, and threw myself onto my bed.

As soon as I did, everything hit me harder then anything I'd ever felt since I Triggered.

Amy was gone. I wasn't stupid, she wasn't going to come back to New Wave after the shitshow that was tonight. (Good reason too...) I remembered Khepri and Anubis, how they were just there when she needed them, they were probably there from the start... And she looked so... Relieved, that I couldn't deny it even if I wanted too.

Amy found friends that would be there for her...

But for a moment...

A small moment...

I was tempted to get her to stay. To make her come back to me and not leave...

I knew I could do it. Knew what to do to get my sister to stay...

But I didn't... Because that... That would mean that they were right... And even though I didn't do it, the temptation... The fact that I knew Amy would fold if I just used my aura... It was the straw that broke the camels back.

I was a Master...

I didn't want to think about it, I really didn't, but now that I stopped denying it, I couldn't stop. And the more I thought about it, the more I thought about how Amy always gave into what I wanted. How she would fold if I just pushed a tiny bit... How she, and the rest of my family, would sometimes look just a little different when my aura was out of control, which had been less now because of what Anubis had said, and would listen to me at times when they shouldn't have...

I was a Master, and I'd Mastered my family.

(And it doesn't stop there...) A weak snort came from that thought, and I tried to bury myself in my pillow. Mo...- Carol, tried to attack Amy.

Tried to attack Amy with her Powers.

She tried to attack Amy with her Powers after my sister exposed the fact she cheated on Dad with Uncle Neil, which resulted in me...

I...

I didn't...

Why..?

I didn't know... And I wasn't sure if I ever would.

I didn't sleep.

I wanted too, but I just couldn't fall asleep. Last night repeated in my mind over and over again, signs that Carol didn't care about Amy flashing through my mind, making me feel So. Fucking. Stupid.

The signs were there.

They were Right. Fucking. There.

And I didn't see them. Hell, I outright ignored them. M...- Carol, was out Mother, there was no way she could actually hate one of her kids. I rolled onto my back, scoffing at that thought. (Shows how much I know.)

It was all worse because my sister was suffering more then I knew, and I didn't help her. I was too caught up in doing what I wanted, not really paying too much attention to anyone else's opinion because they usually just agreed with me... And that brought it right back to the whole 'I'm a Master and I've Mastered my family and probably a majority of my friends' thing.

I...

That w...- "Carol, shut the fuck up!"

Then there was that.

[Sarah's POV a few minutes earlier]

I didn't want to believe it.

Didn't want to believe that my husband could do what my niece had said he did.

So I went right to one of the sources.

Neil...

His silence was telling... And I just...

I couldn't look at him without having the urge to slam my fist into his insufferable fucking face.

I trusted him. I LOVED him!

And THIS was how he reciprocated that love? By CHEATING on me with my SISTER?!

By Cheating on me with my SISTER after we were already MARRIED WITH A CHILD?!

It took everything in me to not hurt him. To not just blast him through the goddamn wall and give him a peace of my mind... But I didn't. I couldn't attack him without incurring collateral damage, and possibly hurt our neighbors. We lived in a suburban area, which was the only reason he only got off with a broken nose and not other, more threatening injuries. (God, it would've been so easy too.) I wanted to do it, I really did.

We'd been married for almost a decade, and I had to find out that he cheated on me over PHO?

Had to hear it from my niece who was arguing with Carol about something.

Oh, I knew what Carol and Amy were most likely arguing over, but for there to be an argument at all was ridiculous. Amy had gone to help deal with the Slaughterhouse 9, successfully, my mind added, and managed to save thousands of lives by doing so. Sure, the fact she didn't tell us herself was a bad thing, but I understood, and Carol should've too.

So for there to be an argument, she must've pushed Amy too far.

Pushed her so far that she exposed Carol's, and Neil's, infidelity... I grit my teeth at that, barely managing to reign in my Power. I couldn't let loose.

Not now.

Keeping that in mind, I landed at Carol's house, idly noting that the front door was still broken from when Anubis sent his motorcycle through it. (Serves her right.) Vindictive. Petty.

But I had every right to be.

Putting it out of my mind, for now, I stepped into my... Sister's, home, and immediately spotted the bitch. She was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee while looking at something on her laptop. The moment I stepped into the house proper, we locked eyes, and I could tell she knew why I was here. "Sarah." And that was it.

I twitched, clenching my fists at her. "That's it? No 'Good morning.' 'How are you doing?' No 'I'm sorry for fucking your husband?' Just 'Sarah.'"

Carol just stared at me for a moment, then shook her head. "What do you want me to say? I'm not stupid, I know why you're here. So, get on with it." I twitched again.

"Get on with it." This...

She...

She was treating this like some minor issue, something that I'd just rant and rave over and would suddenly be fine after. It was like the twist in my gut meant nothing. The hurt I felt didn't matter.

That the way I felt used was nothing.

I clenched my hands to the point my nails were digging into my palms, jaw taught as I ground my teeth. "Fine." I didn't care that I practically spat that out. She wasn't taking this seriously, so I'd make sure she damn well knew how pissed I was. "Were you ever going to tell me?" I'd asked him the same question, earning me a depressed no in response...

Which was what sparked me punching him in the face.

The bitch was silent for a bit, then frowned. "No. If it was left to me, I would've taken it to the grave." I expected that... I did... But hearing my sister say that...

It hurt.

Which only fueled my anger more, nails piercing my skin as I stepped towards her. "But here we are. I know. Victoria knows." She had the nerve to flinch at that second point. "The whole fucking CITY is going to know, if they don't already. So tell me, oh so glorious leader, what are you going to do now?" By the time I was done I was in front of the table, my Power straining to lash out and blast the bitch through the already fucked up wall. It was so much easier to keep myself reigned in when it came to Neil.

But when it came to Carol, my heart felt like it was bleeding. We were family, sisters. The pain and anger I felt towards her was far more then it was compared to Neil. Carol met my gaze, a frown on her lips as she set aside the coffee, settling for rubbing her eyes, which I just noticed had bags under them. "We'll need to get The Guild to step in," I paused... What did th...- "Make Pantheon return the girl so she can retract her statement." My body and Power went still. Even as Carol went on about some other shit, I just couldn't follow.

(Was... Was she really..?) I couldn't put it into words... And I didn't know if I wanted too. She was just brushing aside the fact she'd slept with my husband and had that secret exposed for the world to hear...

As she kept talking, and as I just stared at her, I had a thought that cut through all of my anger and hurt. (What happened to my sister?) With how she was acting, I couldn't see her as one anymore. Couldn't picture the cold two faced bitch in front of me as the girl that would sit on our Mother's lap asking for a hippo for her birthday.

At some point I'd lost my last sister...

And that...

I hated that.

For a bit, I was lost... Unsure about what to feel... Until I heard something that brought back all my anger. "...- Il and I will need to offer public apologies, up our patrol hours, and manage to contribute something meaningful, but the backlash should lessen until we can finish the latter objective...-"

I don't know what exactly did it. Maybe it was the 'Matter of fact' way she said that, maybe the implications that she would be forced to apologize, or maybe it was the fact she was already planning to figure out a way to go back to normal...

Or maybe it was all of the above.

All I knew was that I couldn't take it anymore. This wasn't my sister, maybe once upon a time she was, but not anymore. "Carol, shut the fuck up!" I wasn't screeching, not even shouting. But it was still loud and sudden enough to do what I wanted. She stopped, and I kept going. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Do you not even care that you cheated on your husband and slept with mine?!"

For a second, just a single second, I noticed a small flicker of guilt in her eyes... And then it was gone. "I did... But it was years ago, and only the one time. I... Am sorry you found out this way. That girl had no right to...-"

I scowled at her. "Nonono, don't blame Amy for finally standing up for herself! YOU fucked up. YOU slept with my husband, not her! YOU w...-"

Slamming a hand onto the table, I saw the scowl mirrored on her own face. "If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be in this situation to begin with."

I felt another surge of anger at that. "Oh, so you'd rather no one know what you did huh? So you could go back to keeping this dirty little secret?!"

"Don't put words in my mouth, that's not what I meant."

"Then WHAT EXACTLY did you mean?!"

Carol practically sneered, making me clench my fists tighter. "If she had just accepted her punishment for threatening civilians, then we wouldn't have to be facing this kind of backlash."

I stared at her for a moment, processing what exactly she was punishing Amelia for, and failing. "'Threatening innocent civilians?'" Carol grimly nodded at that, her eyes going back to her laptop, most likely PHO. That just made me even more pissed, if it was possible. "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME CAROL?! SHE WAS DEFENDING HERSELF!" I'd seen the clips, there'd been cameras in the area, as well as PRT Trooper body cam footage to back her up. That'd been a clear show of self defense!

Her scowl was back, and I didn't even bother getting rid of mine. "She threatened civilians with a deadly weapon! That kind of behavior isn't fit for a Hero!" I was trying so, so, hard not to lose it. But the more we spoke, the more I wanted to just go over there and beat her face in. "But what else could I expect from someone like her?"

For a second, I didn't understand...

But then it clicked, and I felt my eyes widen. "Marquis." She flinched, her eyes glaring at me. But that was all I needed to know. "You're projecting Marquis onto her..." The look in her eyes told me I was right... And that was the straw that broke the camels back. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! WHAT WAS THE POINT IN TAKING HER IN IF YOU WERE JUST GOING TO BE A PETTY BITCH TO A LITERAL CHILD?!"

"Oh come off of it Sarah, I was obviously the better choice. Not only did you already have your own children to look after, but any tendencies her father passed onto her would've been spotted and discouraged under my watch. It's only because of those children masquerading as Heroes that she fell into that kind of behavior."

"DO YOU EVEN HEAR YOURSELF?! YOU'RE INSINUATING A CHILD, A FUCKING CHILD, WOULD'VE BEEN A VILLAIN SOLELY DUE TO HER PARENTAGE! DO YOU KNOW HOW RIDICULOUS THAT IS?!"

Carol just scoffed. "And yet here we are. Being turned against each other because of that child."

I was going to lose my fucking mind with this stubborn bitch. Taking a breath to reign in my anger, and my Power, I glared at the woman in front of me, scowling at her. "We're 'Being turned against each other' because you slept with my husband and lied to me for a goddamn decade. So don't you dare blame that on Amelia, and your shit parenting."

She had the fucking nerve to scoff. "It takes two to have an affair, Sarah."

I blanked after that, the hour passing in a blur. All I knew was that the screaming started again, and by the end of it all I'd slammed my fist into her face.

[Vicky's POV hours later]

Floating around the Bay felt nice.

Just looking at the city as the sun started to break over the horizon helped keep me calm.

Made it easy to just not think about what was going on at home.

Carol... I still couldn't look at, or even think of her the same way as before, because I just couldn't.

I hadn't seen Dad all day, which was kinda weird, but made sense if he knew what what was going on... Which he probably did, Carol and Aunt Sarah were really loud when they got into it. I didn't know how it ended though, I left somewhere after a half hour of just yelling, and went to fly.

I couldn't stay there.

That eventually led to me just flying around the Bay, going for breaks to eat or use a bathroom, then going right back to flying.

Somehow I spent the whole day just doing that... And now that I was looking at the sun come up, I felt like it was a good thing.

I wasn't... Better, I probably wouldn't be for a while... But I was pretty sure this was the right step to go.

So obviously that was when the world decided that no, I couldn't start getting better, and threw a curve ball my way.

An exploding one that went off right at the Medhall building.

And another somewhere by the Boardwalk.

Followed by a fucking massive one against The Rig...

...

...

"Goddammit."