Two weeks later, Anais woke up drenched in sweat. It really was the beginning of another awful day for her. Not only, had she dreamt about her past experiences in the asylum, but she woke up feeling sick and emotionally drained.
She rather enjoyed having her friends and new-found family at her side. She has had a lot of joyful and emotional conversation with both Hank and Dawn that made their connection even deeper.
One night after a frightening nightmare the girl couldn't help herself from running in the couple's room, crying her eyes out. After some cuddling, she had explained her nightmare in between her sobs. Hank had been the most affected by her confession and had tried to comfort her as best as he could have while keeping his bulging anger out of his voice.
He kept repeating soothing sentences: " You're okay, now. ", "I'll protect you from those bastards ", " They won't lay a finger on you ever again ", " Shhhhh, it's okay, you can go back to sleep ", and such.
Other nights she would jump in their bed, happily and recite poems and quotes from her favorite books or show them her happy memories within her mind waves connection.
Some days, Dawn, Anais, and Rachel would talk about relationships and joke about boys. That subject had to be dropped after one week since Anais' own possible romantic relationship with Jason seemed to be on a stand-still. It really made her sad to not only see him interacting with Rose instead of her, but to not being able to hear his thoughts anymore. He didn't want to talk to her, well... he didn't seem to want to for now, so she lent him his space, backed off and blocked all his thoughts from her.
Dawn did warn her that what she was doing was not healthy, but she didn't really care at this point. She did what she thought was right for them both.
Boy, was she mistaken!
As far as she knew Garfield and Rachel's relationship hadn't evaluated much since she first caught them making out. They were both pretty secretive and dodge any question relating their current relationship. Were they cute or annoying? Anais couldn't tell the difference, really. She was happy for her sister and her friend but seeing them being so considerate and cute made her stomach clench in discomfort.
She couldn't understand her body's weird reaction and didn't care enough to ask her motherly figure.
After some time, she learned her limits and other's boundaries. She no longer ran in her adoptive parents' room at night, to give them their well-deserved sleep and, well... privacy, and stayed away from Jason as much as possible. She didn't like the ravine that dug itself in their bond, but figure that there wasn't much she could do to mend it.
Those moments all led to this dreadful day. Approximately two weeks after Rose moved in the tower, Anais felt her irritation start to inflate at an alarming rate. Lately, she had been eating bowls of fruit one after the other, reading shitty romantic novels about a woman saved by her soulmate.
What a bunch of fucking non-sense...
She sighed, flipping a page, nervous to know if someone would object their wedding. Suddenly, Rachel burst in her bedroom a frown on her face as she stared down on her little sister seemingly angry at her.
" You were supposed to join us for breakfast, Ana! " She scolded her, taking the strawberries from her grasp.
Anais whined and tried to get them back to no avail. She sighed and continued reading her book. Seeing her sister getting impatient, she still said:
" I woke up three hours ago. " She calculated after glancing at the bedside table's clock. " I was hungry, so I went to get a snack. "
" And you brought in your bedroom, how many bowls of fruit? " Rachel asked glancing to the snaked pile of them on her sister's side. " Ten? "
" Eight. " Anais corrected, flipping another page.
" Ana... " Rachel sighed. " I don't think it's good for you to eat so much of it. "
" Why not? It's better than Dick's healthy recipes. Plus, it's the only thing my stomach can handle in the morning without pushing it back the way it went. "
Rachel frowned, concerned, and sat down beside her. Knowing that her sister wouldn't go away anytime soon, Anais sighed and put her book down.
" Since when have you been sick in the morning? " Rachel asked her, taking her hand in hers.
Anais shrugged.
" A few days. " She answered. " It's been a while since I felt this shitty every time, I eat something. " Sighing, she stood up and went to her wardrobe. " Training is in 10 minutes, right? " She asked rhetorically.
Seeing that the white girl wouldn't continue the subject, Rachel stood up and waited for her in the hallway. It didn't take long before her little sister, dressed in sport clothes, joined her. Smiling to each other, they both made their way to the training room, where Jason and Garfield were already fighting themselves.
Seeing the boys' bodies move swiftly on the practice mat made the little girl want to run back to her bedroom. She really didn't want to fight today; she was way too sleepy for it.
Smiling at the boys when they finished their little spar, she slowly walked to them and handed them their water bottles.
" I don't think I can train today. " She stated mostly to Jason without looking at him. " I don't feel so well... "
Jason quickly drank another gulp of water before looking at the sickly-looking young girl. Analyzing her briefly, he noticed that her eyes were red and swollen, she had bags under her dark eyes, and her skin was whiter then usual. Usually, he would encourage her to force herself but, today, he decided to let it slide.
" Sure. " He simply answered, giving the bottle back.
Taking the boys' bottles, Anais smiled softly, looking at the floor.
At least I will be able to go back to sleep...
" But you'll have to stay here to watch and analyze our fights. You might not fight yourself but having feedback after each fight could be helpful. " He explained, coldly.
Anais sighed, but nodded, nonetheless. It was to be expected, Jason was as strict as Dick on their training regiment. Maybe that was why Jason had been a role model in fighting...
Jason fetched their wooden weapons and blindfolds. Garfield walked over Anais and gave her a small blow on her shoulder, trying to reassure her. It worked for a moment as she smiled looking at Garfield's goofy expressions.
He would be good with kids... She couldn't help thinking to herself.
Her guts twisted awkwardly. The white-haired girl sighed and sat on one of the room's benches. She stayed silent as she watched the other teenagers prep themselves. They tied their blindfolds on and drew their weapons out, each prepared to attack the other.
To make the spar fairer, Rachel and Garfield had been paired up against Jason, who was accustomed to fighting in the dark. Everyone in position, Anais clapped her hands together, signaling to the others the start of their fight.
Jason, as expected, was doing pretty well for himself. He was able to attack, block and dodge most of the attack the couple threw at him. As for Rachel and Garfield, they were improving every day. They had learned to trust their senses and each other to attack simultaneously. That was a big improvement from the first times they had to fight paired up, they always ended up hitting the other thinking it was Jason or her.
Thinking about their progress made Anais smile softly, she was proud of them. Without realizing it, the fight was almost over. Jason suddenly kicked Garfield back and hit Rachel directly on the back of her skull, making the girl fall on the floor in pain.
" Houston, we have contact! " Jason screamed in victory, before getting his blindfold off.
Anais quickly got up and jogged over to her, only to stop in her tracks when she felt her sister's mind waves act up. A buzzing sensation went through all her body as Rachel wanked the blindfold off. Exposing her heart, burning red.
" Are we still sparring? " Jason asked concerned.
Dreading what would happen Anais tried to touch her, but Rachel powers overflowed suddenly from her body, throwing the little girl across the room. Hitting a column and the floor, Anais groaned in pain as she saw in her blurry eyes her sister grab Jason by the throat, choking him a few feet of the ground.
" Rachel. " Jason tried to get her hand off him.
Panicked, Anais stood up and ran to them, hoping in every fiber of her being that she could stop this. She suddenly felt a rush of power through her body. She jumped as high as she could, pushing Rachel successfully away from the boy. Both girls fell on the mat, Rachel under her. The older girl still wanting to hurt Jason, looked towards one of the weapons stands turning it towards the boy with her mind.
Anais, scarred for her sister, shook her shoulders as hard as she could. Not seeing her come back to reality she suddenly screamed her name:
" RACHEL! "
A strange light covered the little sister's body in an instant. Suddenly, the walls trembled, the floor cracked, and the windows exploded. Everyone stayed silent, too stunned to even utter a single word. Rachel opened her blue eyes, confused as to what had happened.
Jason groaned, getting a small piece of glass out of his temple. He struggled to stand up, panting, and stalked to the sisters that were still laying on the ground.
" You stay away from me, you fucking freaks. " He warned them, anger making his voice deeper.
Anais didn't like in the slightest how the boy was now looking at them with disdain and fear in his eyes. She was about to defend argue back, when steps made her look at the entrance door.
" Everything okay? " Dick asked coming in the training room.
The man looked around him, noticing the dilapidated state of the room. He sighed and scratched the back of his nape.
I guess it's not...
" No, it's not. " Jason answered, confirming the man's thought. " Look, I don't like being left out of whatever plans you relics are cooking up out there, all right? "
" You didn't miss anything. " He chuckled. " But I bet I missed a lot in the last hour or so... " He turned his head to the silent teenager. " Gar, I need you. "
" And what about me? " Jason asked irritated.
" Keep practicing. " Dick simply replied before getting out of the room, Garfield on his toes.
Groaning in pain Anais helped her sister get up on her feet. Smiling reassuringly at her she wiped a stray tear that ran down Rachel's cheek. Jason, confused and angry turned to face the sisters. Anais smiled at him making him frown in irritation, he walked over to them.
" You need to have that shit looked at... by, like, a fucking priest. " He spat at the elder's face.
He walked off, needing some alone time. Anais growled at his back and turned her attention to her sister. Rachel stood there, shocked at Jason's harsh words. She couldn't believe that she tried to killed him with a second of hesitation.
Rachel shivered, horror filling her blue eyes.
I wanted to kill him... She realized, terrorized.
Anais took her big sister in her arms, kissed the jewel sticking out of her forehead – her heart – and dragged her to her own bedroom. She pulled Rachel on the bed, sitting beside her and sighed.
" What a fucking good day! " She mustered sarcastically making Rachel giggle.
" That's an understatement, if I ever heard one. " She said. " I can't believe I tried to kill him... "
" I would have thanked you, if you had. " Anais tried to joke.
The purple girl smiled grateful to her little sister. At least, she tried to cheer her up and had stayed with her after her... mishap.
" Well, wanting to kill him isn't really new to me at least. " She continued, scoffing. " It would be so much easier if he weren't there... " The white head confessed.
Confused and concerned, Rachel frowned.
" What do you mean? " She asked her.
" Well, first of all, I would have so much more energetic and happy without him. Especially in those last two weeks... It's been, quite frankly, hell. " She explained, her voice cracking at the end of her sentence.
" But you wouldn't have been this happy before if he wouldn't have been here. " Rachel pointed out sadly. " If you think you're emotionally drained, girl... Can we switch bodies? " She asked to change the subject. " I've been trying to sleep for the past five day but I'm always making nightmares and waking up in the middle of the night. " And I doubt my powers going wild helped at all. " The teenager sighed, exhausted.
" Your powers are manageable Rach. " The petite girl said looking out the window. " Mine on the other end... "
They stayed silent a while, hugging and rubbing each other's sore muscles.
" Have you seen what I did to the training room? " Anais suddenly asked.
" Hm. " She simply answered.
" It wasn't normal. " She stated. " I'm not supposed to be able to do that sort of things... " She nervously nibbling her nails.
" Well, I once blew of the basement of a church. " Rachel told her. " Not so long before we met, actually. " She smiled at the girl.
" Still... " It seriously freaked the young girl out. " The white feathers and, now, this! I can't even control my telepathy as well as I could. "
Frowning, her sister took her hands in hers, circling her thumbs around her bruised knuckles. Anais sighed and let her head fall on her pillow, thinking about what was going on with them exactly. Nothing made sense at the moment and it really was beginning to get on her nerves. Feeling her eyelids start to get heavy, she gently pat Rachel's thigh with her foot.
" Could you go fetch some drinks please? " She asked politely.
" Yeah, sure. Do you want something in particular? "
" A zero-sugar Monster energy drink, please. "
" Okay. " She agreed, standing up. " Coming right back. " She assured her little sister with a gentle smile.
Rachel silently made her way to the kitchen. It was now one o'clock and the sleepiness was beginning to weight on her. She drowsily turned on the filter coffee maker, poured water in it's bin and grinded her favorite coffee grains. She put the filter in the machine and poured the coffee powder on it. Satisfied, she closed the lid and pushed the 'start' button.
Waiting for her coffee to drop in her glass, she quickly got the sugar container out of one of the cupboards. Her glass now full, she stopped the machine, put the filter in the trash and spilled the sugar in the steaming drink.
A silhouette in the corner of her eye, made her look up from her beverage.
" I don't think we got introduced. " She said kindly to the girl in front of her. " Rachel. " She presented herself.
" I'm Rose. " The other answered back, calmly.
" Pretty name. " The purple girl complimented.
" Yeah. Maybe too pretty now. 'Patch' has a nice ring to it. "
Rachel stayed silent, sneakily watching the leather covering the other girl's right eye. Rose sighed and sat on one of the vacant chairs. Looking around the adjacent living room she said:
" I don't get this. The whole living situation. Is it some kind of Euro hostel or something? " She asked, genuinely confused.
" No we're just friends. " Rachel retorted, after a moment she continued: " I saw what happened. " She admitted.
" Saw what? "
" Dick has access to the city's surveillance cameras. I saw everything... Guy with the sword? "
" My dad. " Rose said roughly.
" I'm sorry. "
The Asian woman shrugged, unbothered.
" No 'Dad of the Year' mug for him... That thing on your forehead, it's... " She tilted her head interestedly. " Bold choice. "
Rachel sighed, briefly looking away.
" Not my choice. My dad put it there for me. " She simplified.
" Where is he? "
" My sister got rid of him. "
" 'Got rid of' as in... killed him. "
" Yeah. She beheaded him. " Rachel chuckled.
" Your sister, was she with Dick when he brought me here two weeks ago? "
" That's her. " She confirmed with a small smirk. " Is that what you want to do to yours? Kill him? "
" I did... but, uh, you know, I thought everything would be different if he just went away. "
Understanding the other girl's feelings, Rachel shook her head, sighing heavily.
" Doesn't always work. " She told her before taking a sip of her coffee.
" Guess we, girls, are all members of the Bad Dads Club. "
" Platinum members. " Rachel agreed.
" Benefits kind of suck. "
" Members are pretty cool. "
Both girls smiled at each other before Rachel raised her glass.
" I should probably get going, Anais is waiting for her Monster. "
Seeing Rose's intrigued glace, Rachel took one of the drinks out of the fridge and showed it to the other girl.
" Her energy drink. " She clarified, making both girls laugh. " Well then... " Rachel said, leaving the room.
She stopped in her tracks and turned around.
" You can come if you want. " She invited her.
" I don't think your sister would like that... " Rose awkwardly declined.
" She won't mind. " The purple teenager insisted.
Sighing she walked over to her, took her hand and dragged her in the hall all the way to her little sister's bedroom. Knocking softly, she opened the door slowly and smiled at Anais who was now hugging the plushy they had bought together one month prior.