Chapter 17
QroGrotor
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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She turned to face her friend, forcing a small smile onto her face, though it quickly faded away.
"How is Alan doing?" she asked tentatively, unable to hide her worry.
Sarah sighed. "He woke up after you left, but... he looks pretty bad. His fever's gone up, and he keeps mumbling things that make no sense. They've already given him medicine, but it doesn't seem like it's helping much. They did say that Panacea should make a quick round today, so who knows. Maybe he'll be meeting Christmas with us after all," the blonde finished with obviously fake cheer.
Sirin winced, glancing away guiltily. Sarah must have noticed that, because she immediately reached out to place her hand on Sirin's shoulder.
"Hey, it's okay. Alan won't blame you for this," Sarah said softly.
Sirin bit her lip, shaking her head. "How can you say that when you don't even know if he'll survive?!" she snapped. Pain like this, she hadn't properly felt it since…since a time she tried not to remember.
Sarah flinched slightly at that, but held firm. "Because he cares about you just like I do. You're family now, Sirin. Almost literally, and nothing will ever change that."
Sirin wanted to argue further, but Sarah's words made her pause. Alan and Sarah both cared deeply about her, despite knowing pretty much nothing about her past. They'd both accepted her unconditionally, even after she'd almost attacked Alan over a misunderstanding. They'd treated her like family, giving her warmth that she hadn't experienced in a…since the tower. Could she really leave them when they needed her the most? When they might truly need her help?
She let out a heavy sigh, burying her face in her hands. She hated feeling so conflicted about everything. She wanted to stay with Alan and Sarah, to protect them and make sure they recovered from whatever sickness she must have accidentally inflicted upon them. But at the same time, she was terrified of hurting them even more than she already had.
Sirin lifted her head up to look at her friend. "I... Thank you, Sarah."
Her friend smiled sadly, patting her on the shoulder once before dropping her hand. She looked around at the snow still coming down and shivered despite her coat. "Well, we can't stand around here forever. Let's head home for now. I'll call Vicky on the way.",
Snow covered every surface, making it difficult to navigate even through the quiet sidewalks. It was a little eerie, actually, for the city to be so quiet. The few people still out as the morning faded towards afternoon stopped to stare curiously at the pair of girls, but most ignored them completely. Almost everyone had their own places to be today.
It took half an hour for the two girls to reach the street where their new home was located, passing by house after house weighed down with colorful lights and other festive decorations. Sirin watched as Sarah dug out her keys from her pocket, unlocking the front door stepping inside. The house itself looked exactly as it had earlier in the day, with the exception of Alan's absence. It felt empty, despite Sarah's presence.
As soon as Sirin's friend finished hanging up her coat, she headed straight upstairs. Sirin followed suit, trailing behind her friend as she entered Alan's study. Sarah sat down on the edge of the big swivel chair, staring blankly at the pile of documents on their guardian's desk. Sirin stood awkwardly at the doorway, uncertain about what she should do.
After several moments passed in silence, Sarah finally glanced over at Sirin with a tired expression. "So, are you going to sit down, or are you just gonna stand there like a statue?" she inquired dryly.
Sirin blinked owlishly, cocking her head in question. Her blonde friend rolled her eyes fondly before scooting over to make room in the big chair. Hesitantly stepped forward, Sirin carefully squeezed herself into place beside her friend. Her presence was met with a warm smile, before Sarah turned back to the documents.
"Look, Siri…" She ran a nervous hand through her hair. "Alan needs us to look after ourselves a little bit right now. We gotta figure out how we're going to deal with this situation before we head over to Dallons'. Amy will definitely ask questions about Alan's condition, and we need answers to give her if she's going to be able to help."
Sirin nodded solemnly, biting her lower lip, then slumping down to lean her head on her friend's shoulder. Nothing was said, Sarah just let her sit there for a little while, feeling her think and not wanting to interrupt. It was nice, really, but it didn't help Alan. Finally, the purplette sighed.
"When I was back... there," she began haltingly. "One of the experiments was injecting people with a... 'disease' they called Honkai. It was supposed to make their Valkyries better, make them stronger," she continued, oblivious to Sarah mouthing the words 'Honkai' and 'Valkyries'.
"It was agony. Every injection felt like our insides were set on fire. Most of the time, the injections would 'fail to produce the desired effects', and those tested on would... they would die. Screaming. Whilst the scientists stood there and recorded every single second of it."
Sarah's face went pale at that description, the questions she'd been gathering falling to the wayside. She reached around her friend and pulled her into a half-hug. It wasn't much, but it was the best she could to be there for her. She just hoped Sirin wouldn't have to talk about this with Amy, not if it was leading where she thought it was.
"Few survived more than a few weeks," Sirin went on. "Maybe a month, if researchers somehow forgot about them. And whenever someone was injected, those lines, like the ones on Alan, would appear. Lines of purple light across their skin, spreading in mere seconds."
"But you survived." It wasn't a question. "Could it be less effective with adults? You mentioned there being mostly children?"
Sirin shook her head, "I've seen adults succumb to it all the same. But it doesn't matter. What matters is that I was the only one of my group that didn't die. The only one who was stuck there, praying for a miracle. Praying to God to be saved and... and power answered."
"You mean you triggered then? Oh, Siri..." Sarah squeezed Sirin's hand as the girl's expression darkened.
"I…no? I don't think so. I felt power after I prayed, and I did what it told me to do. The Honkai that they were injecting me with, it stopped hurting me and made me stronger instead. I made all the scientists go away, and then went to the reactor to drain it, to give me strength…" She cut herself off, shaking her head. "Sarah, I'm a source of that Honkai now. I infected Alan and…and I infected you, too! And if I'm the cause of your infection, how many others are the same? How many people are suffering right now because of me?"
Sirin curled up, hugging her knees close to her chest as tears began streaming down her face uncontrollably. Sarah pulled her close, holding her tight as she whispered soothing words into her ear.
"I'm scared, Sarah," she whimpered, burying her face in her friend's shoulder.
"We'll figure this out, Siri. We'll do everything we can to help Alan get better again. Amy will heal him for sure, you'll see."
Sirin nodded weakly, lifting her head up slightly to gaze tearfully at her friend.
"It's okay to be scared, Siri. No one expects you to know everything about this Honkai stuff. But right now, you gotta focus on helping Alan get better. Then we can worry about everything else."
"I guess you're right," the purple-haired girl sighed. She scrubbed at her face, wiping the tears on the sleeve of her sweater before hugging her friend again. She stayed like that for a while, and Sarah let her, hugging her sister-friend close. Until finally the smaller girl pushed herself back, looking up at the blonde with a fragile smile.
"Thanks, Sarah."
"Anytime, Siri. Really," Sarah told her firmly, before glancing over at the clock on Alan's desk. It was well past noon now. "I need to call Vicky and get her to talk to Carol, but before I do that, you've got to listen to me." Having made sure that Sirin's attention was entirely on her, she went on. "The PRT takes Endbringer attacks very seriously, aftermath included. If there was a spike in people getting sick, they would've already quarantined the area and been running all sorts of tests. And Armsmaster, as far as I can read him, would've been here and trying to drag you in for questioning. He's not here, ergo, nothing probably happened. Get it into your head, okay?"
Sirin frowned slightly, but nodded slowly after a few seconds of thought. "Okay."
"Good. Now, you don't seem to be making people sick just by being near, or we'd have a lot more people sick in Brockton. It has to be some other reason, maybe when you froze him back at the shelter? If it's powering you, maybe active application also makes it 'active'?"
"If he was infected back then," Sirin thought back to the incident in question. "Alan would've been dead ten times over already. It just... doesn't make sense. Nothing about any of this does."
"There's no way to test it either," Sarah sighed sadly. "We'll have to wait for Amy and see what she says. For now, you just... go take a shower, alright? And then pack a bag, we might not be staying here overnight."
Sirin nodded and stood, making for the door out of the study. She paused at the threshold, though, glancing back at her friend to find her gazing at the wall directly across from her with an unreadable expression. Sirin hesitated for a moment, debating if she should leave, but eventually did as she'd been asked.
Upon reaching the hallway, Sirin took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down before heading towards her room, where she proceeded to gather some clothes before making her way to the bathroom located down the corridor from her room. After entering inside, Sirin stripped off her garments, depositing them neatly in the laundry basket before turning on the water faucet and stepping under the warm stream. She closed her eyes as the soothing warmth of the shower cascaded over her skin, allowing her muscles to relax while her mind drifted aimlessly through a myriad of different thoughts and emotions.
After about ten minutes under the hot spray, Sirin turned off the water and stepped out of the tub, grabbing a towel off the rack and wrapping it around herself securely before exiting the bathroom. She could hear Sarah talking to someone, probably Victoria or Mrs. Dallon, on the phone, as she headed towards her room to dress herself in clean clothes.
She chose a pair of black jeans, a plain white t-shirt, a pair of white socks and a navy blue hoodie with the image of a stylized crown on its back. Once fully clothed, Sirin headed downstairs where she found Sarah sitting on the couch in front of the television, flipping through channels aimlessly while idly chatting with Victoria via speakerphone.
"No, Vicky," Sarah sighed tiredly, sounding exasperated as she listened intently to the blonde's rambling coming through the phone's speaker. "Alan isn't dying... No, you don't need to bother your sister, she already visited him." She paused, waiting patiently for Victoria to finish talking before replying with: "Well, he's definitely sick and won't be home for Christmas, which is why I've asked- No, Alan wouldn't want to ruin your celebration... Look, you and Amy can visit after, if you really want to. We can hang out at our house. If you two will want that, of course. I'll understand if you'd prefer to spend the day with your family."
Sirin approached Sarah carefully, noting the smirk on the blonde's lips, and the smugness in her voice as she spoke with Victoria, even if there was a hint of relief in there.
"Alright, Vicky," Sarah finally relented. "We'll, hopefully, see you later then." The moment she ended the call, Sarah let out a small chuckle and shook her head fondly as she stretched lazily across the couch before noticing Sirin standing nearby watching her curiously. "That girl is half golden retriever, I swear. She'd be wrapped around my fingers in days if I really tried."
"I don't think you need to," Sirin argued as she sat down on the floor next to Sarah's feet, her attention focused on some Christmas cartoon being played on TV. "I think she likes you for you without any manipulation."
Sarah rolled her eyes in amusement at Sirin's words before leaning forward and ruffling her purple hair affectionately, grinning widely at the purple haired girl's offended squeak. "Yeah, well, that doesn't mean I can't use her naivety for my own benefit."
"You're a bad person, Sarah Livesey," Sirin stated flatly, trying to hide her smile.
"Nah, I'm not bad. Just opportunistic."
"Hm," Sirin hummed noncommittally as she focused on the screen again, her thoughts drifting back towards her earlier conversation with Sarah regarding the excuses they needed to come up with for Amy. "So what are we telling her about Alan anyway?"
"That you can try draining him, with her supervision," Sarah offered with a shrug.
"Will she really agree to that?" Sirin asked doubtfully, glancing sideways at Sarah whose expression remained neutral as she continued staring blankly at the television. "She barely knows me and... there's a chance I could kill him by doing it. Or make his condition worse."
"I don't see us having much choice here," Sarah admitted quietly. "Amy is probably the best healer on the planet, and Alan's illness doesn't respond to any medicine. Either he dies anyway, according to what you told me, or you try."
Sirin swallowed nervously as she considered the implications behind Sarah's words.
"You're right," she muttered under her breath before hesitantly looking up at the blonde once more. "Are you sure Amy will not ask too many questions? I don't-" Sirin trailed off, unable to finish her sentence due to anxiety. Sarah immediately reached out and grasped one of her hands firmly, giving it a reassuring squeeze as she waited patiently for Sirin to compose herself enough to continue speaking.
"I don't want to lie to her," Sirin explained slowly, her voice sounding shaky despite her efforts to keep calm. "And what if she figures something out? What if I accidentally reveal too much?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Sarah reassured Sirin in a gentle tone, causing the purple-haired girl's tense posture to relax slightly. "For now, let's focus on making sure Alan gets better. The rest will work itself out somehow."
Sirin nodded wordlessly in response to Sarah's suggestion before resuming watching the cartoon being broadcasted on television. After several minutes had passed, however, Sirin turned towards Sarah and cleared her throat loudly to gain the blonde's attention.
"I think I'm going out," she announced suddenly, startling Sarah who glanced over at her with raised eyebrows.
"Really? Where do you want to go?"
"To buy food. If you're sure Amy and Vicky will come over, we need to have something to eat prepared, right? Do we have enough money left after buying presents?"
Sarah pulled out her phone and after checking the balance on her bank account, grinned broadly. "More than enough."
"Then... Do you want to come with me? Or do you want me to go alone?" Sirin asked tentatively as she stared anxiously at the blonde who shook her head firmly in response to Sirin's question.
"I'm not letting you go out on your own right now. But you're right, we're going to need something to serve as snacks when they visit," Sarah sighed heavily as she stood up from the couch and stretched her arms above her head, groaning softly when her joints cracked loudly after having remained in the same position for too long.
"Alright, let's get dressed and figure out what we're buying on the way. Shouldn't take too long."
Sirin nodded eagerly as she rose from her seat and was about to blink directly to the front door, but managed to stop herself at the last moment. She couldn't risk using her powers yet, not until after Amy had either confirmed or denied their suspicions. For all they knew, Sarah and Alan's conditions would grow worse a day after they'd manage to heal them.
"Oh! Wait a sec," Sarah exclaimed suddenly, causing Sirin to pause in the process of opening the closet to grab her jacket. "Before we go outside, I wanna show you something!"
"What is it?" Sirin inquired curiously, tilting her head slightly to one side as she gazed questioningly at Sarah who grinned mischievously before pulling a large object wrapped in paper from underneath the sofa.
"Tada!" the blonde announced proudly as she presented the gift to Sirin, who blinked owlishly at the unexpected sight of the brightly colored package. "Merry Christmas, Siri."
"Is that for me?" Sirin asked uncertainly as she glanced between Sarah and the package in her hands, unsure of how to react to receiving a present so unexpectedly.
"Of course! Who else would it be for?" Sarah laughed loudly as she watched Sirin's expression change rapidly from confusion to delight before she reluctantly accepted the gift, staring at it intently while trying to guess its contents without opening it prematurely.
"Well? Are you gonna open it or not?" Sarah inquired impatiently, smiling eagerly when Sirin nodded in response to her question and began unwrapping the brightly colored paper wrapped tightly around the item hidden beneath it.
"Holy shit," Sirin muttered under her breath as she finally uncovered what appeared to be an expensive smartphone complete with headphones and a protective case decorated with a graphic of a crown similar to the one on Sirin's hoodie.
"Do you like it?" Sarah questioned eagerly as she watched Sirin admire her present with wide eyes, grinning widely when the purple haired girl finally tore her gaze away from her new phone in order to throw her arms around Sarah in a tight embrace.
"Thank you so much!" Sirin exclaimed excitedly as she hugged Sarah tightly, burying her face into the blonde's shoulder while Sarah chuckled amusedly at her reaction. "I love it."
"Good. Because you're stuck with me," Sarah replied cheerfully as she returned the hug briefly before pulling away from Sirin's grip and motioning towards the door leading outside. "Now come on, we need to get those snacks. I'm hungry."
Sirin nodded in agreement as she followed Sarah towards the exit where they stopped briefly to put on their coats before stepping out of the house.
The shopping trip turned out to be rather uneventful for both Sirin and Sarah. The two girls had managed to find everything they needed with relative ease despite the crowds of shoppers gathered in every store they entered in order to purchase last minute gifts for their loved ones. Sirin had managed to pick out the ingredients needed for what she wanted to try and make, plus some extra ingredients which could be used in other dishes she might've decided on later on. By the time they were done with shopping, Sirin felt confident that they would be able to cook something good enough that everyone would enjoy eating it when Amy and Victoria arrived at their house later that evening.
Those hopes were quickly dashed when it turned out that Lisa belonged to the rare subspecies that could set water on fire when attempting to cook. Luckily, it did not affect her ability to cut the ingredients, causing Sirin to immediately put her friend onto a boiled beetroot cutting duty.
After half an hour of trying, the end result was surprisingly edible.
"This isn't half bad," Sarah said appreciatively after taking a spoonful of what Sirin had called a "vinaigrette" and chewing it slowly before swallowing with a grin. "Not something I'd eat everyday, but definitely something I'd have as a side dish occasionally."
"I'm not that good at making it," Sirin replied modestly as she poured herself another cup of tea and took a sip from it, savoring the refreshing flavor of chamomile and cinnamon tea before turning to look at Sarah with a mischievous glint in her golden eyes. "But since I'm pretty sure you've never had anything other than fast food or frozen dinners during the past years, I'm not surprised."
Sarah scowled playfully at Sirin's teasing remark but refrained from retorting with a sarcastic response of her own since she knew Sirin was only joking around. "So, what else are you planning to make?" She asked instead, changing the subject while reaching for another piece of beetroot salad from the bowl placed in the middle of the dinner table, unaware that Sirin's gaze had drifted towards Alan's bedroom door where it remained fixated intently on its surface as she pondered her answer.
"Dunno," Sirin finally replied after a few seconds had passed in silence. "Dressed herring, maybe? It's supposed to be easy."
"What exactly is that?" Sarah inquired curiously, raising one eyebrow in disbelief as she stared at Sirin suspiciously. "I've never heard of such a thing before."
"It's a national dish," Sirin explained simply as she continued sipping her tea absentmindedly, lost in thought while her mind wandered towards memories of the previous years that were together with her mother, before she died after being infected by Honkai. A story that Sirin doubted more and more. "Something my mama used to make for New Year and Christmas. We have everything to make it, I think. Fish, onions, mayo and something else."
"Sounds kind of boring," Sarah stated bluntly, causing Sirin's attention to return to the present as she turned to face the blonde girl sitting beside her with a frown on her lips.
"It's actually pretty good," Sirin argued defensively, causing Sarah to chuckle softly at her friend's reaction.
"Alright then. Let's give it a try."
Sirin nodded enthusiastically as she rose from her seat and headed towards the fridge in search of ingredients for making dressed herring while Sarah resumed eating the salad that she'd been enjoying earlier on. The blonde was certain that there'd be enough salad left for their guests once they'd arrive. She wasn't a glutton, after all.
"I didn't think it would be this easy," Sarah commented casually after swallowing another spoonful of salad, smacking her lips appreciatively as she finished chewing her latest mouthful before speaking again. "Seriously, I've always assumed dressing up something would be very complicated and time consuming."
Sirin shrugged nonchalantly as she carefully wiped off the excess dressing from her fingers using a paper towel before tossing it into the trashcan nearby. "Not really. It's kind of like building a cake, you just need to know the layers. I mean, if you just slap some stuff together you won't get anything good."
"Makes sense," the blonde agreed easily, before finally putting the spoon down. "So, how about you head back into the living room and relax, while I take care of the dish-"
The sound of the door bell ringing interrupted Sarah mid-sentence, prompting her to glance curiously over at Sirin who was already moving towards the front door with a surprised expression on her face.
"Must be Amy and Victoria," Sarah mumbled, throwing the last glance at the vinegret as she got up from behind the table and followed her friend. "But why so early?"
"Maybe Amy thought it'd be better if we got done with this quickly," Sirin guessed aloud as she reached out towards the doorknob. "Let's not keep them waiting."
With a quick motion of her hand, Sirin unlocked the door and pushed it open before stepping outside with a friendly smile on her face. As they've successfully predicted, Amy and Victoria Dallon stood before them in their casual clothes: jeans and white jackets with the New Wave logos emblazoned upon them, complete with white winter hats, woolen mittens and thick scarves covering most of their faces.
"Hi," Sarah greeted cheerfully as she approached the pair and shook hands with both girls, grinning broadly when Victoria opened her arms for a hug, before turning towards Amy who simply nodded politely at Sarah without saying anything. "Come in!"
"Uh, yeah, about that," Victoria began hesitantly as she scratched her chin awkwardly, glancing uncomfortably between Sarah and Sirin. "Mom kinda sorta told us to bring you over, so you don't spend Christmas by yourselves... Sooo... Yeah. We're here to kidnap you? Do not resist and all the good stuff?"
"Vicky," Amy grumbled, fixing her scar so that only the girl's brown eyes were visible. "Less jokes, more explaining."
"Fine," Victoria huffed before turning back towards Sirin and Sarah who exchanged puzzled looks with each other before facing the duo once again. "You see, mom figured that since Alan has adopted you, and since he won't be coming over since he's been in the hospital, it'd be rude of us not to invite you two for Christmas dinner. So we're here to kidnap you and drag you along to our house. Whether you like it or not."
"I'm... not against it? I think?" Sarah replied uncertainly, glancing sideways at Sirin who seemed equally unsure how to react to Victoria's unexpected announcement. "I mean, we kinda prepared food and all, but..."
"Oh, you can just bring it with you!" Victoria exclaimed excitedly as she clapped her hands together before continuing, "I'm sure mom'll appreciate it even more!"
"Sure, okay. Lemme go get the food, I guess?" Sarah agreed hesitantly while heading back inside the house without waiting for an answer. "Give me a moment."
"How are you doing, Sirin?" Amy asked suddenly once Sarah disappeared from their sight, causing the purple-haired girl's attention to shift towards the healer who regarded her thoughtfully as she awaited the answer. "You look a little pale."
"I'm alright," Sirin replied calmly, offering Amy a small smile that appeared surprisingly genuine despite her nervousness at the current situation. "Just a bit tired."
"Maybe I should have a look at you too, while we're at it," Amy suggested immediately after hearing Sirin's response, causing her to stiffen involuntarily at the suggestion.
"There's no need," Sirin responded, taking a step back into the house to grab her winter coat. "I'm fine, really."
Amy frowned slightly but refrained from arguing any further when Victoria glanced at her and shook her head slightly as if saying "Don't push her."
Even as Sirin put on her coat, it took another three minutes for Sarah to join them, a bag with three plastic containers in it in hand.
"Okay, let's go," she said as she closed the door behind herself, not noticing Sirin's disapproving gaze fixed on the red spot left by the beetroot on her lip. "We've got everything, right? How are we doing this? Did you guys bring a car?"
"We flew here," Amy grumbled, throwing Victoria an annoyed glance. "We could have taken the bus too, but Vicky said it was faster this way."
"And it was," the taller girl protested, but didn't insist on the matter after noticing the frown forming on Amy's lips. "Alright, fine. Sirin, can you open a portal to our house? Save time and all that?"
"Umm..." Sirin hesitated slightly when she noticed Victoria looking at her expectantly, as if they were waiting for her to open a portal right this second.
She could do it. Opening a portal was as easy as breathing to Sirin. It required nothing more than a single thought of her will for Honkai energy to tear a hole in space and create a bridge connecting two distant places together, allowing the user to instantly travel from one end to the other.
The problem was the risk associated with the usage of her powers. And that meant she needed to change the topic quickly.
"Why don't we walk? It's a wonderful evening," Sirin started, glancing towards the nearest street lamp decorated with Christmas lights shining brightly against the dark sky, the orange glow reflecting off her golden irises. "Besides, Sarah could use a little exercise."
"Hey!"
"Are you sure? I mean, Amy could use some exercise herself," Victoria frowned, ignoring her sister's threat of stabbing. "But it's also kind of cold outside. We can-"
"Right, off we go. How about we stop by the kiosk here, at the crossroads? Sirin really adores the ice cream that's in there," Sarah interrupted the blonde before squeezing past the fellow blonde and making sure she didn't slip. "Any objections? No? Great! Onward, ladies! Dinner awaits!"
Even if she knew that the appearance that Sarah put up was fake, her cheery voice was infectious enough for Sirin to fix the scarf on her face so that no one could see the smile that was slowly creeping its way on her face. Even if pain, fear and rage capable of immolating everything in its path was still there, bubbling just under the surface and ready to be unleashed, this made things easier. Made it seem brighter.
Perhaps she could do this after all.
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A/N: Apologies for the long delay. The life was not kind to me, and the very fact that I'm here is a miracle in and of itself. Got that bad.
I won't lie and say that the next chapter will come out next week, as I honestly have no idea what exactly will happen even tomorrow, but I'll try to get back into the swing of things. Slowly but surely, this story will continue. Thanks to everyone who gave this story a shot, because you gave me a reason to focus too. As always, all of my thanks to Snowfire. You are an incredible person and a friend.
