Annihilated | (Adventure / Conclusion to United)

Chapter 32: McKenna's POV

Xander and I walk through the portal and we end up back in my family's apartment on New York City. Xander looks around. "Whoa," he says. "Where are we?"

"New York City," I say.

"And this is where you live?" Xander asks. I nod. "Wow."

"My parents are the leaders of the Shadowers," I say. "It has its perks."

"I'll say," Xander says, walking up to the big window overlooking the city. "This is nothing like my house in Poland."

I sit on the ledge next to Xander. "What's Europe like?" I ask. "You know, before all the destruction."

Xander sits next to me. "It was nothing like this. It could just be where I came from, but I only saw things like this when I went to Abigail's or Elysia's." He looks down at the floor. "I can't quite do that anymore. It's my fault. Jack was right."

"No he's not," McKenna says. "Jack can be a dick sometimes."

Xander chuckles. "Clearly you haven't met me and Jack isn't a jerk. Leo really trusts him. Also Cassie didn't seem like the kind of person to deal with jerks. I know she didn't put up with me."

"Aguamites aren't - weren't so nice," I say.

"How so?" Xander asks.

I lean back against the window. "They always thought they were 'all that' and they liked to be the ones in charge." I sit up. "I never liked them."

"Did you have bad experiences with one?" Xander asks.

I nod. "But they're all gone now, so why dwell on it?" I stand up.

"I guess you really don't know how you felt about something before it is gone forever," Xander says.

I look at him. "What do you mean?" I ask him, sitting back down.

"You remember Abigail, correct?" Xander asks.

"Yes. She and Leo made a viewing portal before everyone was brought back into America," I say. "I still have no clue how they did that. Neither of those kinds can make viewing portals."

"Well now that we know Leo is a Novus, maybe that's not the case anymore," Xander says. "I do hope he is okay though. He's starting to grow on me. Abigail trusted him so I don't see why I shouldn't."

"Did you love her?" I ask.

"Abigail? Yes. I loved her more than anything in the world," Xander says. "The only reason why I agreed to help out Sofia was to protect her and Elysia."

"Things didn't end up working out," I say.

Xander nods. "I was the one who put them in danger. I was the one who killed Abigail. I think about that moment all the time. It haunts me. I see her every time I close my eyes. I hear her shouts of agony, the zinc slowly killing her. I want to end her pain and remove the zinc, but Sofia doesn't let me. She forces me to watch Abigail die." Xander closes his eyes and a tear slips down his cheek. "She's gone because I'm a coward."

I put a hand on Xander's shoulder. "We will win," I say. "You'll avenge her by helping Leo kill Sofia."

Xander nods and wipes his cheek. "I think we need to go and find Scarlett and Jack."

I nod in agreement.

"So, where do you think they went off to?" Xander asks.

I've got a few ideas.