Oh no… no no no No No!
That moron! Was this her idea?! Absolutely insane! Does nobody in that household have any functioning brain cells!
Willow was driving up Elise's driveway, after slowing down to a regular speed as she drove into town, now muttering in awe about what she was seeing. The rest of the car was also staring in awe.
Not because the other black family car with James, Beth, and William had already arrived, seemingly just a few minutes before us, with everyone still talking outside with the newest arrival.
It was the suited woman in her late 20s who got everyone silent.
Slim, petite, and on the shorter side, with neck-length wavy black hair and a fair face. Her dark brown, almost black, eyes full of imagination were aimed at James as she was casually conversing with him while chewing gum and sitting on the hood of the car she arrived in.
And next to her striking impression, it was the red sports car she was casually sitting on that got everyone awestruck.
And me too… for completely the wrong reasons!
While my inner turmoil was rising, Willow parked the car and turned around to me.
"Wow! That sure beats this dingy, damaged old—"
I removed my seatbelt, opened the door and stepped out.
"H-hey!" "Jack?"
I ignored Willow and Elise as I walked with large steps towards Cassandra, who had now taken notice of me too.
And from my piercing gaze, she immediately stood up and assumed immaculate posture with a practiced, kind smile.
The motion that moved the fabric of her clothes revealed to me a gun she was carrying concealed on her waist.
She spoke first as I neared, after glancing briefly at my cast hand. Her voice was deep and clear.
"Sir Jack. It's good to—"
"Cut the sir. Why did you arrive in that car?"
Her eyes went wide, but she answered politely nonetheless.
"Your father lent it to me. It was the fastest—"
"It draws too much attention, if it hasn't already. Park it somewhere else."
Cassandra blinked a few times, then subtly glanced past me at my car, with the plastic rear bumper still caved inward behind the left wheel.
Which didn't count!
It was still perfectly and safely drivable despite those stooges' act of vehicular terrorism! And the damage was barely noticeable compared to that red atrocity she was just sitting on!
…After a few seconds of nobody saying anything, she looked at James, who in turn looked at me slightly exasperated, before deferring to William and Beth.
"This is a safe neighborhood, right? And also, you don't have a garage?"
"Um… yeah, it is. And we don't have garage space for a car," William answered.
"Then maybe we should just cover it up? It's useful to have another car—"
"No. If someone had already seen it and then figures it's parked here, even covered up, that could become another problem. We have three cars here already. It's enough."
James contemplated it for a moment, then looked at Cassandra again and signaled her with his eyes to me, which let her regain focus.
I watched the exchange questionably, but before any thoughts occurred…
'What's the real reason?' I suddenly read from clear yellow block-letters contaminating my vision.
I immediately stared into Cassandra's eyes.
'Think of letters yourself and send them to me to answer.'
…I obliged after a moment's consideration.
'The police are a threat. Don't want to give them an excuse that could bring them over here,' I responded in glow-stick green letters with my neatly trained block handwriting rather than my sloppier cursive.
Her expression changed subtly as she received it, then she spoke normally again.
"Alright, as you wish."
"No. James can do it. I want to talk to you and introduce you to the rest."
She looked at James again, and he gave her a nod, which made her take the car keys from her pocket and give them to him.
…Who knows how many hidden words were exchanged between them at that moment? At least a few, from what I read from their subtle facial twitches.
And just as I heard the other three walking near me, I continued talking.
"James, take Ken with you. I'm sure you'll find a suitable spot to hide it with his help."
"…Yeah, good idea. Shall we go?"
"Ah, not fair! I always wanted to drive a sports car. Can I come too?" Willow pleaded with James and me.
"It's a two-seater. Another time," James answered.
"Then let me dri—"
"Absolutely not. This car is too expensive for you to almost crash," I immediately rebutted.
"Tch. Fine… fine… I'll have to make do with your crappy car then. Guess it's your lucky day, Ken."
"…I'll be sure to give you a thorough comparison of the experience."
"Yeah, you do that. Make sure to savor it. Who knows how much luxury a peasant can enjoy in their life."
"Yeah, yeah," Ken let out with a sigh as he walked towards the passenger seat and stepped inside with James.
We watched as James started the car and drove away smoothly, the car all the while making those cringe-inducing, attention-drawing engine noises…
Meanwhile, with my good hand in my coat pocket, I sent instructions to Ken through my hidden phone by text.
Once they were out of sight, I drew my attention back to Cassandra, who was now staring at the two women by my side.
Intensely… staring… at both of them. For completely different reasons…
Awestruck by Elise's beauty…
Reference for Willow's status…
And also… a hint of… guilt?
…Oh, you've got to be kidding me! Her too, brother?!
Just… just introduce them…
"Cassandra, this is Elise, my girlfriend. And this is Willow, James's girlfriend. Treat them casually."
"H-hello. I'm Elise Ambrose, it's a pleasure to meet you," she went first while shaking Cassandra's hand, although she was a bit uncomfortable with the stranger still staring at her like a piece of art.
"I'm Cassandra Matisse. It's nice to meet you, Elise. Thank you for being so supportive of Jack," she said with a seemingly genuine smile.
"N-no. It's nothing. Jack is also very supportive of me," Elise responded, embarrassed.
Cassandra wisely didn't further engage with her, and instead pivoted to Willow with an outstretched hand.
"It's my honor too meet you, Ms Na—"
"I'm just Willow Frye over here. As Jack said, I wish to be treated casually by you too. No need to walk on eggshells with me."
"…As you wish, my lady… I mean, Willow," she said with a slightly frozen smile and still outstretched hand.
"It's nice to meet you too, Cassandra," Willow finally responded with a smile and handshake once her fake name was used.
After the... pleasantries… were done, Cassandra aimed her gaze back at me.
"The other man was Ken Sasaki, a friend of mine. I'll introduce you later. But before we continue with the rest, let's go inside first and wait until the other two are back before we further discuss things."
"Good idea. It's… a bit cold here."
We all then started to move inside as I continued chatting with her.
In two ways.
"Have you been waiting long?"
'Do you know about the threat?'
"No… only an hour or so."
'James gave me the details.'
"And… you didn't smoke?"
'Explain your power to me.'
"N-no. I quit since… Well, guess I shouldn't be surprised you noticed."
'Like what you're seeing. Visual telepathy.'
"…Yeah."
'Is that all? Can you do more with it? Mind read? What is your range?'
Beth had opened the front door for us, and we all stepped inside. Elise helped me take my coat off without me even asking her, which caused Cassandra to ask further.
"How is your hand? Is it badly injured? Are you in pain?"
'No, you have to be within my sight to send me something, which I then have to accept first to receive it. But I can send visual images to anyone else without their permission, within my visual range, although the quality deteriorates with range. I can also start looking through someone else's vision when they are within my eyesight and continue doing so even if they leave it. I could then send them things even if they are out of my sight. Although, I can only send things and see through one person at a time. But I was also wondering, with how you're seeing people, is that also your power?'
"It was badly injured, but a doctor managed to use a power to mend it well. It's only one or two weeks recovery time. And it's still anesthetized until tomorrow morning, also by someone's power."
'What do you mean, also my power? How am I seeing others?'
"I see. That's good. Are there any side effects?"
'James told me you had some complicated form of superspeed. But you also see others with detaillessness. Reduced almost. Especially their faces, except for their expressions, I think? And you're barely seeing Beth, but your girlfriend is normal.'
"No."
'No. Childhood side effect. My power is like James said. I'll explain when we're all together, so that we can at the same time formulate a plan against the shadow and stalker.'
During that mental exchange, I saw her looking away somewhat uncomfortably and slightly guilty.
…Guess I can understand, when she suddenly can see what she helped shape in me.
'I see.'
"I see. …Renji has a kintsugi-like healing power, but the healed tissue becomes gold-like. It's pretty, but the side effect is that the new tissue is fragile, so if it's only a few weeks I think your case is preferable," she said while still retaining her well-trained puppet-show poker face.
Elise had managed to take my coat off. I gave her an appreciative smile and nod, and she gave me a smile in response, before I continued walking further in the house.
"Yeah, I agree. …Kintsugi, huh? That fits him, I think."
'Your power is invaluable for covert communication. But what about combat? I saw your gun.'
"I agree. He seemed happy with it too from how he talked about it. Fortunately, he said he didn't need to use it on people much as of yet, although he looked proud saying how happy he was with how one person turned out. …But unrelated to people, he joked that a lot of objects have increased in value once he got his hands on them…"
'I can blind one person I see by constantly sending a completely black image. And the gun is to finish the job. The bullets are special. They're ethereal until they hit their target. Your father gave me the gun and bullets. Although, how James described the plan, I'd rather we just find your mother's stalker and free Ruby without having to fight at all. The way James told it, I don't like our odds at all.'
We walked into the living room. Cassandra gave a quick glance around, with some tension in her shoulders.
I know what she's looking for. What I was constantly on watch for all the time.
'The shadow's not here?'
She twitched slightly.
'Nobody else's vision is in this room right now.'
Her letters… were shakier than before. She was scared.
'Don't worry. I don't know if your power can interact with it since the shadow is invisible if it's here. But even then, I don't think it will attack with so many people. It's not invulnerable. Just watch your speech and don't say anything unnecessary to cause it to attack. Stick to your cover story of protecting Willow and helping us. Also, I hope to never fight it again, but even if we have to, James can handle it, and Willow or I can protect and buy time. I'm sure of that.'
"How is Jane?" I said as I got her attention again as the others walked into the living room.
'Alright. I'm relieved to hear that.'
"She's growing up well and becoming a nice and competent young lady. And I'm proud to say that she's also becoming a great artist. I'm sure you would be proud of her also," she said with a relieved, tension-drained smile.
And then, suddenly, I was in a public park with the sun shining high in the sky.
One where time stood still.
The water from the stream was liquid but frozen. The birds were flying but still. The people petrified. The greenery permanently bent by a silent wind.
The only thing that didn't make me panic was that the edges of my vision betrayed that I was still standing in Elise's living room.
Otherwise, I would have believed I was suddenly teleported through space and time.
"Of course. I always will be."
'That's amazing. It looks completely real.'
The painting disappeared and I saw Cassandra proudly smiling at me before I saw her letters again.
'I know. Jane has a real talent for hyperrealism.'
Her comment made me involuntarily smile. But also, I couldn't hide the slight wryness contained within it. I barely managed not to ball my fist in anger, at least. Cassandra was still smiling. Luckily, she didn't notice.
'And other painting styles? Is she good at abstraction too?'
Her face involuntarily twitched as I hit a sore spot, but she managed to keep answering telepathically.
'No, but that's okay for now. That's often the case with artists like Jane. We're slowly working towards that. Right now, she's still struggling with impressionism.'
No… No, it's not okay. Because she might never again…
"Sorry to interrupt…"
I turned around and stared at Willow, imposing herself with confidence, as all eyes in the room were now staring at her.
"I'm quite hungry. Maybe we should discuss dinner plans? Maybe delivery?"
I stared at her wide-eyed… but her words also made my stomach feel hollow. It actually had felt like that for a while, since that damn hand puzzle…
"I'm also starving. But the country's in lockdown. Nobody's going to deliver anything."
"O-oh yeah, that's right. What do we do then?"
"Um, cook something."
I looked at Elise.
"What do you still have left? …A-actually, do you have enough for eight?"
"U-um. We have a little bit of stuff left. But I… I don't know, honestly."
…Oh no. It… it was the end of the week. And normally Elise went grocery shopping with her dad once on the weekend for the entire week. But she hadn't yet in all the chaos.
Were… were we going to go hungry tonight? It's late, around 9 PM. No store was likely open anymore. Not to mention I found it too dangerous to go about at night with the country in the state it is. I might come across another robbery…
"There's gotta be something for us to cook up together. Let's take a look, shall we?"
Elise blinked a couple of times with her eyes.
"J-Jack."
"…Yeah?"
"Your hand."
…Hand?
Now I was the one blinking a few times in confusion, before looking down.
At my broken dominant hand.
Broken…
Oh… I… I can't really cook like this.
I looked into her worried eyes again.
"Um… maybe I can still help with something? Figure out what to cook, taste test the seasoning…"
"Or… you can take it easy," Elise said carefully.
"I… I just want to spend time with you, that's what makes me most relaxed. Can… can I?"
"…Oh… o-of course you can. I… well actually, I haven't cooked for so many people before, so I could use your advice. But no one-handed helping either, okay!"
"Okay. Thanks," I said with a smile.
She returned a smile too, but before we could walk off to our kitchen…
"Maybe I can offer a helping hand too? Or twelve, to be exact. No, ten, actually. Although I do also want to watch TV to see what's happening in this country since I've been out of the loop, so make that eight," Willow said to Elise.
"Oh, sure. I'd be happy if you—"
"Wait. Have you actually cooked before?" I interjected dubiously, addressing the woman whose first instinct was to have food delivered.
"Well, microwave meals, but how hard can it be?" Willow answered confidently.
…Elise and I looked at each other now with some doubt, something that didn't escape our mutual concern.
"Or… maybe Cassandra can help. I'm sure she—"
"Actually. I… I can't cook for the life of me," the artist responded, slightly embarrassed.
"Oh… Cooking isn't a part of the servant curriculum? That's quite lacking," Willow escalated with a teasing grin.
"M-my apologies. You're absolutely right. I'll bring it up when we—"
"N-no need. I was joking, jeez. You know, at my home, our food-based survival system was based exclusively on the microwave."
"R-really? You… you didn't have a private chef?" Cassandra gasped, astonished.
"No, of course not. We would be the laughingstock of the whole country if that ever came to light… sadly…"
…While those two were busy discussing the realities and apparent cultural differences of high-end households and their cooking capabilities, I signalled with my eyes to Elise that it was her call whether to accept Willow's help. And she had made her decision.
"In that case, Willow, you can start learning and help us now. And Cassandra too, of course."
"Ah, okay! Don't worry Elise, you won't regret it!" Willow eagerly accepted.
Cassandra, however, was looking at me with more reluctance.
"Don't worry. You don't have to if you don't want."
'Be on standby near Willow's clone. She can protect both of us if something happens. You can wait for James and talk more with him.'
"…Alright. I'm actually more interested in the news too. Thank you."
'Alright. But my relationship with your brother is strictly professional.'
…Don't think about it. Don't think about it! …At least I didn't detect she was lying about that now.
Although my comment about James had made her poker face strained. …Don't think about it!
I gave Cassandra a nod, and thereafter Willow asked something again.
"William, is it alright if I watch TV?"
"Sure. I'd like to watch some too."
"Cool."
Then, a flashy silhouette appeared out of Willow and crossed the room at near-light speed, and another Willow suddenly stood in the living room.
…Everyone except me suddenly looked slack-jawed between the real grinning Willow and the straight-faced clone now casually grabbing the remote and sitting down on the couch.
"So, shall we? There are still three more where that came from," Willow smugly said to Elise.
"Oh. Um, yeah. Let's go," Elise answered with a few blinks.
Afterwards, she, Willow, and I walked toward the kitchen.
…With Willow involved, the kitchen wouldn't exactly turn out like Elise's and my private, relaxing paradise, but Willow did provide eight additional hands to make dinner be served all the quicker. So the trade-off was at least worth it.
…I hoped.
***
"Willow two, cut those more finely. Willow three, how much longer for the chicken? Willow four, can you start setting the table?" Elise's clear voice rang through the kitchen while she was making the pasta sauce and tossing the stir-fry alternately with her hair put up in a cute ponytail.
"Uh… uh…," the real one, Willow one, stuttered with a strained face while looking lost at the boiling pasta.
"About two minutes for the chicken. Willow four, the plates are in that cabinet. I'll tell Willow two how to cut those," I answered head chef Elise.
"Alright, thanks Jack. Willow, you're doing great! Keep it up!"
"Ugh…" Willow whimpered.
I took a moment to take in the sight of angel Elise running Hell's kitchen, while covering my amused and proud smile with my hand.
Elise was running everything like clockwork and adapting flawlessly. I did plan everything out, but wow.
The gazpacho was just blended and currently cooling in the fridge. The main courses, a cheese-based pasta dish and vegetable stir-fry over rice, were coming along, and the chicken pieces were about done in the oven, addable to the main courses to make it non-vegetarian.
Although… this was about everything Elise had left. We even went through all of the canned stuff…
At least we had enough to make pancake batter, and sugar for a caramel, but even then, for tomorrow's breakfast we would have to supplement the calories with plain rice… not a breakfast combination I was looking forward to…
We had to go shopping tomorrow… Hopefully, everything would be fine regarding that…
But despite that, Elise. Wow, just wow. That she had this in her. She looked completely in her element.
Maybe… I thought it would be fun in the past if she also worked with me in that diner, but seeing this, maybe there was more potential than that?
…The future, huh? Maybe… with her… although she was also very studious. I… I never asked her what she wanted in the future. …Yeah, I should.
…But for now, I had to focus on line cook Willow. I had to make her salvage the vegetables that were currently at a size that I was surprised they didn't have their own gravitational field.
So I approached the vegetable cutting clone with a kind smile.
"Willow two, stack them like this, hold your fingers like this, and slowly run the knife along them."
…The clone nodded after a moment. And moved… somewhat as I instructed, until it froze again. I glanced and saw that the real Willow's face had become even more strained.
I repeated my instructions as calmly as before, which made the clone start doing it correctly.
"…Sorry," Willow said softly under her breath, which I caught.
"Hey, don't be. You're doing great, much better than I did when I first cooked. …You know what my mother did with one of my first creations. She took three bites and said: You call this a meal?"
"Pfft, I can imagine… Ah, no, no, no, don't distract me! I'm distracted enough as is!"
"We can set the table later." "You don't have to set the table now." Elise and I replied simultaneously.
"Oh, haha, you two already are like… No, stop! You two are making it worse! It's not…, your president is making a speech."
"…What about?"
Willow's face became even more comically strained.
"Ph-Philadelphia. He asked… everybody to stop the violence, the city's surrounded now. Glad we… got out. Also… other cities… are next… if needed…"
"…And your clone that's still over there. Nobody has come into the building?"
I saw her deliberate over a response, but give up partway and simply shake her head.
And because of that, Elise also noticed Willow's struggle, which causes her to stare at me.
"Jack, stop your mischief. Let her focus. You can ask later, or go watch the TV too if you're so interested," Elise reprimanded me with scary calm.
…Damn, caught me.
"Alright… alright. You're doing great, Willow. Keep it up, and ask if you need any help."
"Grrrg, I… I will…"
And so, Willow carried on, and the meal continued to be finished, while I sometimes assisted when needed.
And all the while, I used some mental bandwidth to consider the other problem besides dinner.
Cassandra.
Why had father sent her? What were his goals? What did Cassandra believe her goals were?
The shadow, obviously. Her power, at least if she wasn't hiding anything, which I didn't think she was, was invaluable against that. And those bullets… ludicrous. One person spots the shadow in the room, and she can immediately shoot it through cover, wall, even people in the way, presumably.
So why had father sent a servant with a power and weaponry that looked exactly like his counter?
Because she was the one that let me make the link to Jane currently being a hostage?
But that didn't hold up. He could have just sent another servant anyway. He only had to mention her once, not actually send her. Let alone giving her that weapon she carries.
Unless she had a hidden goal only she could fulfill.
She might believe the shadow is real. My mother might really be kidnapped. There really was someone hunting this family like I said over the phone. And she might really believe she was here to help.
With one caveat…
Me.
She was likely also here to make a judgment about me.
… And maybe to dispose of me, if necessary.
Because I could do nothing about her power and weapon if she decided to attack me. I couldn't dodge a bullet if I were blind or if it were shot out of my sight through a wall.
Although I hadn't sensed hostility from her. Maybe she already made a preemptive judgment before I arrived from her conversation with James.
And James… that's likely the real judgment criterion. The goal my father sent her for. To determine if I am not moving against the Marwood family and turning James against it.
They had basically already given it away with that car. I was already suspicious, especially when it was mentioned that father personally lent it out. I'm glad my paranoia had served me well.
The fast sports car. The perfect extraction vehicle. A two-seater that no other car could catch up with when Cassandra and James, or preferably Willow and James, decided to flee back to the mansion.
Luckily, when Ken returned he swiped the hidden phone still in my coat that Elise took off, and had secretly texted that he managed to carry out my instructions and sabotage the car without James being aware. He had apparently altered the wheels somehow so they would deteriorate before it would ever reach Washington, forcing the car to a safe stop. And since he also improvised, Ken had also managed to hide his phone in the car too, so we could track it in case a breakaway was made. That's why he had that hidden phone for himself now.
So the possibility of anyone fleeing was accounted for by a brilliant Sasaki-engineered safeguard if that situation were to occur, although… it would always be James himself that would choose to return to father. I didn't see Cassandra kidnapping him.
Poisoning his mind, however, she had the perfect power for. They had already been having mental conversations with nobody being the wiser, probably even now while watching TV with James and Ken who had already come back. Not to mention she was also hunting the shadow, therefore implying that the shadow was not father, further reinforcing James's disbelief about the real culprit.
And me moving against Cassandra to stop all that? Knock her out and tie her up? Then James would also come to the conclusion that I had betrayed the family and father was right, so not an option either.
All in all, I thought it was mostly that she was here to ensure James would stay under my father's control, and to prevent me from interfering with it.
My brother's deconditioning by my hand had basically become impossible now. Another checkmate. All my efforts had turned out useless.
Is what father would think, if I hadn't already done something inconceivable to him. Leaving James's deconditioning in Willow's hands. Cassandra most likely hadn't received instructions regarding that, or even conceived of the possibility.
So nothing at all had changed. I would let Willow do her thing, and meanwhile just go about going after the stalker in New Freedom to perform my lie while dragging Cassandra along with it so she doesn't become suspicious and shoot me.
And maybe I could get Cassandra on my side too meanwhile? She did seem to care and feel some guilt regarding me and Jane. Maybe I could exploit that and move her also against father?
I had to still be careful of the shadow still stalking us as usual, of course. And I had to prevent Cassandra from communicating with my father. Luckily, I already had an excuse ready that the police could track phone communications, so I would just ask her to hand it over for safety reasons.
But anyway, I was closing in on my father. Soon, after finding the stalker and timing it with Willow having deconditioned James sufficiently, I could finally move to deal with him.
That was the conclusion I gathered as I watched Willow two about to finish chopping the last of the green onions for garnish.
Dinner was about ready. The day was almost over. It was near 10 PM already, the time my father should go to sleep…
Although he might surprise me. Luckily, with Willow's, Ken's, and Cassandra's powers now in the equation, I had forged a plan regarding nighttime security. I just needed to communicate and coordinate it with Cassandra telepathically to inform everyone about it, and maybe already make a layout for tomorrow's plans. Definitely shopping first…
Then a shower… and Elise… we still had a private talk waiting…
And finally, cuddles and sleep. What I was most looking forw—
"AAH!"
My head snapped out of thought at Willow's horrified shriek.
Before my eyes, Willow two disappeared in a shimmer as it cut its finger, the knife dropping onto the chopping board.
Crash
I heard ceramic shatter as Willow four had dropped a plate it was carrying.
Elise reacted with a startle too, now starting to look at Willow.
But I already gathered everything that was happening.
Willow's face was horrified with terror.
Shadow! Not here! Living room!
I swiped the knife and ran as I screamed.
"Willow, protect Elise!"
I was already out of the kitchen and turned to the living room.
I scanned everything.
No shadow?!
Everyone was staring at the TV?!
Cassandra, Ken, William, Beth, all horrified. Willow clone expressionless.
James… disbelief?
I looked at the flatscreen next.
Red.
The camera was still rolling.
The president's head had exploded mid-address.