The Aberrations of S.I.D.E.

No. 49: Has He Changed?

Emile motioned for him to go on.

"Fast-forward to when we last saw him, when he had that little meltdown after Remus tried to throttle him," Logan continued. "In that instant, he seemed much more like the antisocial twelve-year-old who would leave class on seemingly random occasions—judging by his behavior prior to leaving class, those were panic attacks. Not to mention, the information he dropped points to him having been in an incredibly dangerous situation already. Living with that woman's influence hanging over his head could not have been healthy, especially seeing as he lost the only positive adult role model in his life at age ten."

"Hmm, yeah, good point," Virgil said, nodding along. "You think failing might've kickstarted something in him?"

"Not just the failure—though that is an incredibly good point," Logan told him. "Well done, Virgil. But I think whatever Augustina did to punish him for failing could have given him the push he needed to make a change in his life. Not to say he couldn't have gotten that push if we hadn't left him behind the first time—and yes, I will remind you, we had that chance, and we chose not to take it because certain members of our crew were still angry at him—but all signs point to him having tried to do better. We haven't been present in his life for nearly a year, so there's no way of knowing how much he's changed. But those emails indicate that he's trying. And if he's trying, we should help him."

Something struck Virgil. "Wait, wait, wait—if we left him behind the first time, does that mean he's going through... whatever Augustina is putting him through because of us? If we'd saved him back then, what—"

"It doesn't do well to dwell on what might have been," Logan interjected. "We have to focus on the now, and what we can do looking forward. Besides, Janus, didn't you say he had a friend who seemed like a good influence? A friend who had a crush on him, no less?"

"Yeah, Janus, you've been awfully quiet," Roman said, raising an eyebrow. "Have anything to add?"

Janus raised both of his middle fingers into the air, a sullen expression on his face.

"Noted. Thank you for your contribution." Logan cleared his throat. "That friend could've helped him out as well, emotionally speaking. And beyond any theoretical growth, Augustus has up-to-date inside knowledge of the Divinity Circle, unlike his brother. Getting him out isn't just the right thing to do from a moral and logical standpoint, it's the right thing to do from a strategic standpoint as well. I guarantee you, the only reason the Circle is becoming so bold is because fairly soon, they will likely become a threat not only to the Academy, but to the world at large. So we'll need someone who knows how it operates."

Patton let out a cheer and hugged Logan. "There's my genius!"

"Yes, Patton, I was very proud of that, I love you," Logan said under his breath, patting him on the head.

"But that doesn't change anything!" Remus protested. "He still—"

"I'm not saying that Augustus still has some very big and very sincere apologies to make," Logan said, holding up a finger. "But maybe we give him the chance to actually say them, hmm?"

Emile looked up from his sheet. "All right, that's two people so far who are willing to do this. Roman? Virgil? Anything to add?"

Virgil hesitated. "Well... Logan did make some good points, and I'd feel pretty guilty if we left him. But personally... I would still hold off on trusting him. And I'd have to meet him in person to know for sure."

"So you'll be staying behind?" Emile said gently.

He nodded, biting his lip.

"That's all right, Virgil. Roman?"