Hiatus: Scene 5

Cory rushes over to her: That looks like it hurts. Let’s get you home.

Venessa nods. Dortor watches the two Hostilities and the now-paralyzed Wyverna intensely before heading out with them.

Venessa: Are…are the people alright?

Cory nods: They’re all safe now, thanks to Levi.

Venessa: What happened there?

Cory: You mean with the Hostilities being pinned against the wall? That was Dortor.

Venessa: Really?

Dortor nods: I would’ve much preferred not to have done it.

Venessa: Why? You saved me.

Dortor sighs: I do not regret saving your life. It’s a matter of me wishing that matters didn’t come to that. The ability that I just used was meant to be a last resort.

Venessa frowns: Oh, okay.

The three of them reach the top of the stairs and head to a window to slip out. Dortor and Cory climb out the window. Just as Venessa is about to climb out after them, she gets pulled backward.

Webmaster:(sarcastically) Oh, no! You missed one!

A voice emerges from behind Venessa: So did you.

Webmaster is pushed off of Venessa and forced against the wall. She appears to be gripped by the neck. Venessa turns around to see what’s happening.

Annelise:(to Webmaster) Stay far away from Venessa! Do you understand?

Webmaster nods timidly.

Annelise: I know that you won’t keep your promise. I know you lie. Just don’t forget how much a parent loves their child. Remember the lengths that they will go to protect them. Now, multiply that by five hundred and you get how dear Venessa is to me. Multiply that by five hundred million*she tightens her grip on Webmaster’s throat* and you will only scratch the surface of the lengths the Commander will go to protect Venessa and every other person in this universe. That is something you will never understand!

Venessa watches in awe and fright.

Webmaster: Let me go! I beg you!

Annelise lets go of Webmaster, who falls to the ground and scurries away. She helps Venessa crawl out the window and crawls out after her. Cory rushes toward Venessa and Annelise.

Cory: Venessa, are you alright?

Venessa nods: I’m okay.

Cory steps over to Annelise and kisses her head. Venessa notices that the people who were captured by Second Law are still standing outside the building. She walks over to Hazel.

Hazel: I owe you one, Venessa,

Venessa: Wait?! How did you…

Hazel: I recognized your voice. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.

Venessa: You were brave. I was really freaking out. How were you so…calm?

Hazel shrugs: It’s easier to be brave when you can’t see the threat.

Venessa: What do you mean?

Hazel laughs: I mean I’m blind.

Venessa: Really?

Hazel: Yeah, since I was two. It’s actually gotten me out of a lot of situations like this.

Venessa: Wait, you’ve been captured before?

Hazel nods: Yeah, uuum…I…was like you once. Those things in that building hate us. I thought once I gave my…weird stuff…up, they’d leave me alone. I was wrong.

Venessa pauses for a second: When you gave up your powers,...

Hazel: Shhh!

Venessa: Sorry! Did you go back to your real parents? Did the feds leave you alone?

Hazel shakes her head: The feds left me alone, but I still don’t know my real parents. I’m still in the foster system, but I guess that’s better than being sedated for the rest of your life.

Venessa’s face falls: Well, I guess I’ll see you around, Hazel.

Hazel: You too. Hey, who was that couple you were with? Your parents?

Venessa: No,...no, they’re not.

Hazel nods: I guess I’ll see you at school then. Bye!

Venessa: Bye.

She walks back over to the car and gets in. Annelise sits in the back seat next to Venessa.

Annelise: What did they do to you?

Venessa: The Hostilities?

Annelise nods: I see what they did to your jaw, but they’ve done something else, too.

Venessa: What do you mean?

Annelise: I felt something change in you while you were fighting off one of the Hostilities. What changed?

Venessa: I don’t know, okay?!

Annelise flinches.

Cory: You almost died in there! What were you thinking?!

Venessa is silent.

Cory: Why would you give your blood to Wyverna?!

Stolen novel; please report.

Venessa: Why did she say that the Commander hurt her?!

Dortor: Because he did.

Venessa pales: Why?

Dortor: Wyverna was going to wipe life from every universe in the Core. She neared achieving her goal about thirty-two years ago, but the Commander stopped her.

Annelise seems to be looking back on a distant, terrible memory: But not without a huge cost.

Dortor shakes his head: She had lost her essence long before then, so she tried to take his “essence”. Except, nothing can ever replace a real essence.

Venessa: She took his blood, didn’t she?

Annelise nods, a tear rolls down her face: All of it.

Cory puts his hand on Annelise’s shoulder.

Venessa sighs and stares out the window for a bit. After a while, she decides to speak again.

Venessa: Thanks for…helping me back there, Annelise.

Annelise: Of course. I really care about you, and I hope I won’t have to see you in a situation like that ever again.

Venessa: Do you feel that way? Or does Beyond?

Annelise smiles: We both feel that way, but I’m sure Beyond’s emotions about what just happened are much more complicated than mine.

Venessa: So, you’re not mad at me?

Cory: Oh, you’re still in trouble. We’re just being patient with you.

Annelise: What you’ve done…what you almost did…wouldn’t have only affected you.

Venessa: I didn’t mean to!

Cory: But you could’ve chosen not to.

Venessa: But I didn’t go through with it!

Cory: Well, you got too close for comfort! Do you not value your own life, Venessa?!

Venessa is silent. Cory sighs and puts his face in his hands. The car rolls into the driveway of the Presley home and parks. After saying goodbye to Levi and Dortor, the three head inside.

Cory:(to Venessa) You’re grounded.

Venessa: What?!

Cory: For the rest of the week, you’ll only be allowed in this house and at the Keeper headquarters.

Venessa: What about school?!

Cory: You’re staying home from school for the rest of the week.

Venessa: So, what?! You’re just putting me on house arrest?!

Cory: After what you’ve done, I think it’s a fitting punishment.

Venessa storms off to her room where she sobs into her pillow for a few minutes before Jesse enters.

Venessa: What do you want, Jesse?!

Jesse puts his hands up: Whoa! You’d better cool it! I heard you got in huge trouble with the Keepers!

Venessa: So?!

Jesse: Look, I’m serious! You can’t be saying stuff like that! After trying to help the Hostilities, you should probably lay low. I don’t know what happens to people who help the Hostilities, but I know what happens to the Hostilities when they cause trouble.

Venessa: What makes you think I helped the Hostilities?! Is that your power or something?!

Jesse shakes his head: I have three powers. One is electricity control and one is invisibility. My third superpower *he taps his head with his finger* is eavesdropping. I’ve found out a lot of cool stuff that way.

Venessa rolls her eyes.

Jesse: Anyway, good luck, Venessa.

Venessa: Good luck?! What do you mean ‘good luck’?!

Jesse: I think luck’s the only thing that can save someone who helped out Wyverna.

He leaves the room.

Venessa:(to herself) I didn’t help Wyverna…did I? What does happen to people who help the Hostilities?

Venessa remembers the destruction of the town in Thailand and begins to cry again. Annelise enters the bedroom.

Annelise: You’ve had a rough day, haven’t you?

Venessa:(sobbing) He’s gonna kill me!

Annelise: What?

Venessa:(sobbing) I helped Wyverna, and now he’s gonna kill me!

Annelise: Beyond?

Venessa nods:(sobbing) I’m gonna die!

Annelise sits down beside her: No, you’re not. He won’t kill you, Venessa. And you didn’t help Wyverna. You almost did, but you didn’t.

Venessa: But Jesse said…

Annelise: Jesse was listening where he shouldn’t have been. He has a tendency to think he knows more about a subject than he actually does. It’s something he’s working on and we’re trying to help him with it. But, rest assured, even if you were to help Wyverna, you would live.

Venessa: Annelise?

Annelise: Yes?

Venessa: You look like you’ve been crying.

Annelise nods: I have been crying.

Venessa: Why?

Annelise: You really scared me back there. I…I can’t imagine losing you, especially to Wyverna.

Venessa: Then, why didn’t you come in there and help me?

Annelise smiles sadly: It’s not my time to face Wyverna yet. There need to be certain things for it to go according to plan.

Venessa: Variables?

Annelise nods: I came as soon as I possibly could. Webmaster should be terrified of the consequences of hurting you again.

Venessa: How were you able to do it?

Annelise: Do what?

Venessa: Pin Webmaster against the wall. You don’t have super strength, do you?

Annelise laughs: No, I don’t have super strength. When you’ve been on enough missions, you learn to fight Hostilities even without noticeable destructive powers.

Venessa: Could you feel what Webmaster was feeling? You seemed a little…I don’t know…unlike yourself.

Annelise: In what way?

Venessa sighs: I don’t mean this in a mean way, but you don’t strike me as the kind of person to hurt anything. Not even Hostilities. And here you are, just choking and scaring the living heck outta one of them. It kinda scared me.

Annelise: Well, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just…when someone hurts one of you guys, something takes over me. It’s out of love, I promise, but it can be intense. I don’t injure Hostilities to see their pain. I fight them so that they don’t hurt you.

Venessa: Did Webmaster…did she hurt you in the past?

Annelise seems to be looking at a distant memory: She did, yes. Indirectly. But that’s not why I hurt her. It wasn’t revenge. I know what Webmaster is capable of, and I wanted to make sure that she knew the consequences of hurting a future Keeper and one of my children.

Venessa: I’m your foster child. I’m not your child. I have real parents out there somewhere, and they’re probably waiting for me.

Annelise sighs: I know I didn’t give birth to you. I know we’re not related by blood, but I care about you more than you’ll ever know. *she smiles* I told my first child that, too.

Venessa: But you’re not my mom, Annelise! Look, I just wanna find my mom and dad! I want a normal life! I wanna be normal!

Annelise flinches and grabs her chest. She seems to be in deep thought for a few minutes.

Annelise: But you won’t give up your powers. As unfortunate as it is, the U.S. government won’t let families keep their powered children.

Venessa: Then, we’ll hide! There has to be a way!

Annelise shakes her head: They would find you. And you couldn’t escape to another country. It’s…it’s happening everywhere now. Every country is hostile to powered people.

Venessa:(weakly) Then, why haven’t they gone after the Keepers?

Annelise: Because they’re trying to pretend we don’t exist. Everyone is. After…what happened thirty years ago…

Venessa: The Night of the Red Sky?

Annelise nods: Ever since, the world has been trying to recover, and their way of doing that is keeping the details vague and pretending that the Hostilities don’t exist and aren’t a threat. That means that an organization that protects people from Hostilities can’t exist.

Venessa: Is that why powered kids are taken away from their parents and forced to give up their powers?

Annelise: That’s right. But there’s a price to being normal: you’re an easier target for Wyverna and her allies. She’ll leave “regular” people alone for a long time, but that’s because she has them where she wants them. They’re not a threat to her. Easily disposable.

Venessa: So,...I can’t go back to my parents?

Annelise shakes her head: I’m afraid not. It hurts to see these things happening to gifted kids, and I’m really sorry that you can’t find your parents. Just know that you have people who care about you and will try to help you fix whatever is broken inside.