Phobia: Reign of Terror (Renegades Fanfic)

Epilogue - Moving Day

Everything that followed Phobia's scythe stabbing into her sister's chest was simply a blur for Nova. She remembered a bright figure showing up, Phobia disappearing, and Max appearing in the door to the catacombs. He took Evie from her, though she looked mysteriously better, the wound somehow closed.

    The next morning, Nova found herself in a foreign bed in an unpainted room. She immediately bolted up, throwing off the covers and rolling to the floor. Once she was on her feet, she realized she had stood up too fast. A wave of disorientation slammed into her and she stumbled back onto the bed. The door to the pale white room opened, and in walked a familiar figure. Hugh Everhart was wearing a loose gray sweatshirt and black sweatpants, and Nova had to admit that she was still put a little on edge whenever she saw him, she had tried to put a poisonous dart in his eye. She actually wondered if that would have killed him, considering how Agent N hadn't affected him even when he swallowed it.

    "Well, I'm glad to see you're up," Hugh said, "sort of."

    "Sort of glad or sort of up?" Nova replied jokingly.

    "Definitely sort of up. The boys are all downstairs, and breakfast is pancakes and eggs. Family breakfast tradition." He quickly shut the door and left her to herself. Where was she? Hugh had mentioned the boys and downstairs, but very little made sense as her head spun. She elected to go to the door, the headrush fading and her vision coming into focus. Upon opening the door, she actually recognized the place she was in. She had once crept right past this very door when she was stealing the vitality charm from Simon Westwood. She had spent the night at the Everhart mansion once again.

    It didn't feel like she had slept, but rather simply been numb to the outside world. She had been numb since Evie... Nova didn't want to think about the little girl that had fallen to her knees with a pale blade through her midsection. It felt too much like Max, and Nova wasn't sure how she could possibly keep going if she had only just gotten back Evie, only to lose her again.

    Nova found her way down the stairs to the familiar foyer and she made her way to the kitchen. She passed the door to the basement and smiled, remembering the night she had been able to sleep beside Adrian. Evidently, remembering his handsome face summoned him to her presence, because Adrian came out of the kitchen and gave her a smile. He set down his plate, which was adorned with a half eaten strip of bacon and the remnants of a scrambled egg, and closed the gap between them in one step, practically launching across the space thanks to the springs on his feet.

    Nova could hardly breathe as Adrian wrapped her in a massive hug, his cheek resting on the top of her head. Nova was very suddenly aware that her hair was a mess and her clothes were a mess.

    "Ugh, and I'm going to have to live with these two?" a younger voice said at the end of the hall. He made something akin to a gagging noise and Nova laughed as Adrian released her.

    "Your telling me," said a young girl in the kitchen. Nova knew the healers were good, but there was no way... Evie couldn't be recovered already, it wasn't even that likely that she could at all.

    "I mean, they're cute together, but every day?" Magpie, Evie Artino, appeared around the corner, still shoveling a pancake into her mouth as she stared down Nova. "Hey, Sis."

    "Hey, Sis." Nova wasn't sure what else to say.

    "Glad you're not dead."

    "Same here."

    "Alright." There wasn't much to be said now, but they would definitely keep trying for as long as they could.

    Breakfast was silent for the most part, but Nova could tell having her there was not exactly normal for the Everhart family, not to mention the presence of Magpie. Simon smiled and greeted her with a plate of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Nova immediately wondered when the last time she'd had a normal breakfast was. Had she had a normal breakfast since Ace took her in?