Chapter 60: 53 – Invited

As a kid, our family tended to move a lot from one place to another. Usually a big house or a mansion. Back then, I’d thought it was simply because our family was rich and we could afford it, so why not? Now, I knew that it was because we were a villain family, and couldn’t stay in one place for too long.

This new place had the same decorations I remembered. Old lamps, fancy furniture, countless paintings of each generation’s house head. It felt… nostalgic.

I followed mother through the empty house, all while the entire place shook every little while. I couldn’t believe the heroes hadn’t broken through yet. Part of me wondered whether this was secretly a fortified castle rather than a mansion. The other part was glad I was given time and privacy for this reunion though. Even though I wouldn’t have minded having Fern here by my side…

We arrived at a big double door. I half expected mother to throw it open and light to pour through like in the movies, but instead, she walked over to a wall next to it and grabbed at it, before opening the wall.

Huh. A secret entrance? Was the big door a red herring? Neat…

She glanced back at me with a smirk, probably happy to show off her cool secret door. I was still torn. This was my family, after all. Sure, they hadn’t always been the nicest, but still… my family. On the other hand, my friends and my girlfriend were outside, trying to break in.

…

Maybe I could negotiate a ceasefire?

I shook my head to clear it and followed her down the stairs behind the secret door. Future me could handle that conundrum, present me had a family reunion to deal with.

The following winding web of corridors and stairs reminded me of the girls’ hideout. I smiled as I remembered them. I wondered what they were doing right now?

We finally got through the endless maze and ended up at yet another secret entrance in the wall, which mother pulled open, and walked inside. I took a moment to steel myself before following her as well.

A small room with a table not unlike the secret meeting room of the girls greeted me. On the right sat someone I hadn’t seen in ages. My elder sister. And she looked nothing like I remembered her. Rather than putting on a smug and condescending grin the moment she saw me, she seemed very anxious for some reason. Like she wanted to be anywhere but here.

I idly wondered what happened… Was she simply too shocked to see the new me?

On the far side sat a lean man with a trimmed beard and sharp eyes pointed straight at me.

“Welcome,” he said without much emotion in his voice before gesturing at the chair opposite of him.

“Hello,” I said, not knowing what else to add.

Mother then seated herself opposite of my sister and I sat at the chair father motioned to.

“Hey… uhm, sister?” My sister waved at me, looking ready to run away or start crying.

“Hey… Ann.” I waved back, still confused about her behavior.

We hadn’t interacted in ages. Not since I left. Had something happened in the time we hadn’t seen each other? It felt like she had changed more than me in a way.

“Now then, with the whole family here, let’s catch up on how everyone’s been doing.” Father nodded to me. “I see the outside world has treated you well, my so- … daughter.”

Huh, not just mother, but even father? That didn’t seem right. I’d expected him to shout and be mad about my very existence as always.

“Getting an exceptional power, creating your own small organization, infiltrating the heroes… You’ve exceeded all of our expectations.” He kept his non-expression all while giving the praise. Like a robot reciting given lines. It made me uncomfortable.

“Uh, thanks? I didn’t… exactly create any organization… or infiltrate the heroes or anything…” I was one of the heroes. Or was I secretly a double agent without realizing it? A triple agent? A quadruple agent?

“No need to be humble. You’ve done great things.” He nodded. “I need to apologize. I haven’t treated you well in the past, but it turned out you were simply a late bloomer.” He put on a smile. A very forced smile.

I felt more and more uncomfortable by the second.

“Annette, on the other hand, had her powers since she was seven, and still has yet to do anything significant with them.” He shot an impassive look in her direction.

She shrunk down in her seat from the scrutiny.

I frowned.

“Well, maybe she’s just gonna bloom even later than me!” I defended her.

Ann startled, glancing at me with wide eyes.

“That might be true,“ mother interjected. “And we’re looking forward to when she does. She can take all the time she needs. But in the meantime, let’s talk about your future.”

…

That felt wrong. Completely wrong.

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Tossed aside because she wasn’t useful? They treated her exactly like they used to treat me. 

“Your father might have been a bit blunt about it, but you’ve done well infiltrating the heroes. Even going as far as helping get rid of the Brimscythes in that other town.”

“Wait, what? I thought…” I stopped, realizing what I was about to say.

“That we were their puppets?” She gave me a wry smile. “Of course, the heroes wouldn’t miss our loose relation to them as an excuse to get rid of us. So predictable.”

What the heck?

“But… that’s…” I was at a loss for words. Was I being tricked? Was she lying? Or were the heroes lying?

“Now, my dear daughter. Please don’t tell me you trust some strangers calling themselves heroes over your family.”

…

Once again, I was torn on what to do. Millions of thoughts ran through my head, but I still couldn’t settle on anything. I felt like I was faced with an impossible decision.

“It’s okay, I won’t force you to do anything crazy. Here…” Mother pulled out a phone and placed it on the table. “Simply keep doing what you are doing, and from time to time, call back home and tell us how your life as a hero is going.”

Become our mole.

I grabbed the phone and looked at it.

Then I looked at Ann.

She was subtly shaking her head, fear and anxiety evident in her eyes.

…

They had stressed just how inferior she was to me now. Exactly like they used to do to me back in the day.

They didn’t care about either one of us, they just wanted to use us. It had never mattered who was the useful one. 

…

Shifra’s innocent grin and Alex’s caring smile flashed in front of me.

We had never been a real family, had we?

“My dear mother,” I started. “Fuck you.”

“Wha-?!” For the first time ever, her expression morphed into a shock.

“These strangers are my friends! People who helped me when I needed to. You, on the other hand, kicked me out because I was useless! You treated me like a piece of garbage! The same way you are treating Ann now! So no! I don’t trust you over these so-called strangers!”

I stood up in the middle of my rant to loom over them. Not just mother, father also looked completely caught off guard. I drank in their shock with glee.

Punch the past in the face, as Miranda had said.

“Wrong answer,” mother growled.

She stood up, keeping her glare at me, and I braced for the worst.

But then.

A living shadow lashed out of the table and turned into a whirl, startling everyone in the room.

“What in the world?!” father shouted as everyone backed off.

The whirl gradually dissipated, revealing three figures standing in its wake. Three little girls. All dressed in black costumes. One in a fox-like coat and hoodie, one in smooth black armor, and the last one with a tight-fitting black suit, a cape, and a facemask. My eyes widened in an immediate realization.

“The strike team is here to save the day!” shouted the one dressed in a fox-like coat and hoodie.

The Mama’s cult?! What were they doing here?!

BottledChaos

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