X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
XX Maia Halling
Maia watches these children recount their time after Briar's disappearance and she shares in their sadness, shares in their pain that has yet to fully heal. There's no question that the brainwashing in the soldiers goes deep- Oscar was a perfect example of that, and if the rest of the Heroes are anything like him, Maia fears the worst. What if there's nothing she can do for those children, just as there was nothing she could do for her own comrades? She forces the thoughts from her mind, pulls Adriel and Matthias to her as gently as she can, rubbing circles into their backs and letting them cry into her sweater. She's barely older than them, but everyone could use a mother figure. xx
"You know in your hearts that it isn't him. Whisper and Oscar are two very different people and if you can have an affect on one, you can get through to the other. You have to believe in that possibility." Maia says, showing them a vision of Whisper from that afternoon. Of how seeing Briar in tears had shaken something in him, even though it had also shaken him out of his shock and confusion. Maia still wonders if she went too far, trying to get an emotion out of him. xx
"He's still in there, you know that. But it will be difficult to reach him. I could see into his mind and his memories and I still could barely stir anything up. I think it'll have to be the people who know and love him that can bring him back to who you remember him being." xx
Maia feels Aiden before she sees him, hears what he's scared of in his thoughts, and feels saddened that she'll have to confirm said fears. She pulls away from Adriel and Matthias, shaking Briar in an attempt to wake him. "One of the rebels whose memories were taken had knowledge of all the safehouses under the rebellion's charge. I've no doubt that boy knows where we are. Which means we have to move, tonight. Aiden, love, please start packing up." Aiden nods, expression falling, and heads off. Maia shakes Briar again. "Briar, darling, I need you to wake the boys, get them both ready to leave. We can't stay in this house any longer." xx
XX Briar Harvent
Though normally one to wake up in an instant, Briar's emotional exhaustion makes waking up difficult, and he blinks up at Maia above him with sleepy confusion. They have to leave? Why? He doesn't have to ask, because she's pushing a statement into his head: Oscar knows where they live. Great. Briar worms his way out of the mom-sandwich he's in and heads for his and Cedar's room. Surprisingly, Cedar actually has managed to fall asleep after the earlier commotion, but is easy enough to wake. He's up and packing in minutes, grumbling all the way about bad security. xx
Nick is a different story. When Briar opens the door, he's met with already-full boxes of computer equipment and down bedsheets, the only things Nick really owns. "I-I heard Aiden say that the house might be compromised, if that lady found us. So I figured I'd pack up. And if we didn't have to leave after all, I could just. Unpack." He says, half-lidded eyes making Briar suspect he hasn't slept at all, even before getting visitors. Questionable sleep schedule, smart kid. xx
"Well, good news is, you don't have to undo your hard work." Briar says, trying to smile and sound reassuring. He doesn't feel like it works. "Maia's already got you guys a place to go." xxxx
XX â
Briar, not owning anything that can't be shoved into a backpack in a moment's notice, waits in the living room with Adriel and Matthias, lost in thought while everyone else packs up the few possessions they have and loads it all into Maia's ugly beige minivan. He knows Maia must hear what he's thinking, because she keeps sneaking glances at him amidst the bustle in the house, but she doesn't try and change his mind. Maia's job is to protect their family. She knows he's right. xxx
When everything is done and everyone is ready to leave, Briar doesn't move. "I don't think I can go with you, if I want you all to be safe." "What're you talking about, asshat?!" Cedar blurts out, looking like he might punch Briar for making such a ludicrous statement. Briar takes a deep breath. "Look... Oscar knows I'm alive. The Institute knows I'm alive. And they know I'm in league with the rebellion, which means I have rebellion secrets, and that I'm giving Institute secrets to the rebellion. There's no doubt I'll be targeted. And they don't leave witnesses." xxx
"If I go with you, and they track me down like Adriel did, they'll do the same things to you all that they did to us back at the academy. I couldn't- live with myself if that happened." xxx
Maia watches these children recount their time after Briar's disappearance and she shares in their sadness, shares in their pain that has yet to fully heal. There's no question that the brainwashing in the soldiers goes deep- Oscar was a perfect example of that, and if the rest of the Heroes are anything like him, Maia fears the worst. What if there's nothing she can do for those children, just as there was nothing she could do for her own comrades? She forces the thoughts from her mind, pulls Adriel and Matthias to her as gently as she can, rubbing circles into their backs and letting them cry into her sweater. She's barely older than them, but everyone could use a mother figure. xx
"You know in your hearts that it isn't him. Whisper and Oscar are two very different people and if you can have an affect on one, you can get through to the other. You have to believe in that possibility." Maia says, showing them a vision of Whisper from that afternoon. Of how seeing Briar in tears had shaken something in him, even though it had also shaken him out of his shock and confusion. Maia still wonders if she went too far, trying to get an emotion out of him. xx
"He's still in there, you know that. But it will be difficult to reach him. I could see into his mind and his memories and I still could barely stir anything up. I think it'll have to be the people who know and love him that can bring him back to who you remember him being." xx
Maia feels Aiden before she sees him, hears what he's scared of in his thoughts, and feels saddened that she'll have to confirm said fears. She pulls away from Adriel and Matthias, shaking Briar in an attempt to wake him. "One of the rebels whose memories were taken had knowledge of all the safehouses under the rebellion's charge. I've no doubt that boy knows where we are. Which means we have to move, tonight. Aiden, love, please start packing up." Aiden nods, expression falling, and heads off. Maia shakes Briar again. "Briar, darling, I need you to wake the boys, get them both ready to leave. We can't stay in this house any longer." xx
XX Briar Harvent
Though normally one to wake up in an instant, Briar's emotional exhaustion makes waking up difficult, and he blinks up at Maia above him with sleepy confusion. They have to leave? Why? He doesn't have to ask, because she's pushing a statement into his head: Oscar knows where they live. Great. Briar worms his way out of the mom-sandwich he's in and heads for his and Cedar's room. Surprisingly, Cedar actually has managed to fall asleep after the earlier commotion, but is easy enough to wake. He's up and packing in minutes, grumbling all the way about bad security. xx
Nick is a different story. When Briar opens the door, he's met with already-full boxes of computer equipment and down bedsheets, the only things Nick really owns. "I-I heard Aiden say that the house might be compromised, if that lady found us. So I figured I'd pack up. And if we didn't have to leave after all, I could just. Unpack." He says, half-lidded eyes making Briar suspect he hasn't slept at all, even before getting visitors. Questionable sleep schedule, smart kid. xx
"Well, good news is, you don't have to undo your hard work." Briar says, trying to smile and sound reassuring. He doesn't feel like it works. "Maia's already got you guys a place to go." xxxx
XX â
Briar, not owning anything that can't be shoved into a backpack in a moment's notice, waits in the living room with Adriel and Matthias, lost in thought while everyone else packs up the few possessions they have and loads it all into Maia's ugly beige minivan. He knows Maia must hear what he's thinking, because she keeps sneaking glances at him amidst the bustle in the house, but she doesn't try and change his mind. Maia's job is to protect their family. She knows he's right. xxx
When everything is done and everyone is ready to leave, Briar doesn't move. "I don't think I can go with you, if I want you all to be safe." "What're you talking about, asshat?!" Cedar blurts out, looking like he might punch Briar for making such a ludicrous statement. Briar takes a deep breath. "Look... Oscar knows I'm alive. The Institute knows I'm alive. And they know I'm in league with the rebellion, which means I have rebellion secrets, and that I'm giving Institute secrets to the rebellion. There's no doubt I'll be targeted. And they don't leave witnesses." xxx
"If I go with you, and they track me down like Adriel did, they'll do the same things to you all that they did to us back at the academy. I couldn't- live with myself if that happened." xxx