Sang
I open my eyes.
I am not dead. How am I not dead? I heard a gunshot and the only gun here is Volto's which was pointed at my neck. I am not complaining, but how? I am really confused. I feel Volto's body thud on the ground.
Okay, Volto is dead. Who shot him? I am happy he is dead though. I turn towards the sound of the gunshot. It came from the doorway which means there is a new player on the scene. Who is it?
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Melody!
I rush forward and hug her tightly. What was my baby doing here? Where did she get a gun? How did she find me? Why didn't Ryder stop her? He was supposed to keep her safe. What the fuck happened? Are her brothers alright?
Melody's voice breaks through my thoughts, "Mom, mom! I was so scared! I thought I was going to be too late and you were going to die!"
I give her a loving kiss on her forehead, "Where are your brothers? What are you doing here?"
She explains, "We woke up at Ryder's and came after you. We found our fathers first, but they told us about you going to Volto. I knew it was going to be a trap. I am the fastest and made it here first. I saw Volto and you and I just shot."
I calm her, "I am so proud of you, Mel. I can't believe you saved me!"
We stayed there for a while in each other's arms. Soon enough, yells and cries filled the hallway. I recognized them as my boys. It took them a second, but they came. That fact made me a smile. I truly had a family.
"What were you thinking, Sang Baby? You could have gotten hurt" were North's first words.
I soon found myself surrounded by well-meaning boys between my sons and my ex-lovers. They hadn't even noticed the dead body on the ground. I however could not forget it. What did Volto mean about her daughter? I was just so confused. Who was Volto?
Oliver spoke up about Volto first, "Mom, who killed Volto?"
Mel answered for me, "I did. Volto had tricked Mom and I had to shoot him."
All of my men started cooing at her, "Are you okay, Melody? Are you sure? Shooting someone is dangerous. You shouldn't."
I rolled my eyes. My men obviously ignored the fact that Volto is DEAD, and focused on the fact that Mel shot someone. It wasn't even the first time. The only thing scaring her is the fact I almost died. Melody is like that sometimes.
Melody was telling them exactly what happened. I wasn't needed, Mel had all the comfort of 18 boys there for here. My curiosity was killing me. The more I looked at Volto's body, the more I wanted to know the man underneath the mask.
Who has been making my life Hell for such a long time?
Who is their daughter?
I have so many questions, yet only a dead body for answers. Ignoring the others, I silently approach the body. My boys haven't noticed my advance yet and I am going to keep it this way for as long as possible. I bend down and remove Volto's mask.
Volto is a woman!
I feel like an idiot. All these years, I just assumed Volto was a guy. I take a long look at her face. She seems so familiar to me, but I cannot place her face in my memory. When did I meet Volto? Do the boys know her?
Oliver is the first to notice me, "Mom?"
I reply distractedly, "Yes?"
He walks up to me and calls out, "Volto's female!"
All of the sudden, I have everyone crowding me and the body. I observe everyone. In my ex-lovers' eyes, I see the recognition. It seems that they will have some explaining to do. Who is Volto to them?
I immediately ask Sean, "How do you know her?"
Owen answers for him, "This is Maurine. She is on the Academy Council, one of the most powerful ones on it."
I curse, "Damn, I was right about the Academy being corrupt."
Melody speaks up, "Fathers, what else do you know?"
I add, "Maurine talked about a daughter, her Rose. She said it was my fault she was dead and that I took you guys away from her."
Nathan sighs, "Wasn't Rose the older girl obsessed with us?"
Kota replies, "Maurine was Rose's mother. Rose was in the Academy because her mother was. We met her about two years before we met you. She was like seven years older than us. Apparently, she has a thing for younger men and wanted to have several of them like a team worth. All of us ignored her persistant advances, but she was everywhere. None of us could go on a mission without seeing her."
Owen continued, "It got to a point when I reported it to the Academy Council. It had been going on for a year. Maurine assured me that we would grow to love her daughter as our girlfriend. I left that meeting really conflicted and didn't mention it to anyone. I hoped it might just be a phase, but it seemed her mother was as crazy as her daughter. After six months of this continuing, I confronted her. She tried to play off my words as a joke, but I was full willing to use all of my ressources as heir to the Blackbourne Fortune to make her leave us alone."
North added, "Instead of backing off, she just avoided Owen. When Silas asked her about it, she played it off as a lover's quarrel. None of us were interested. The Toma Team eventually told us that she had claimed all of as her boyfriends in front of the entire Academy. My brothers and I stormed to the Academy Council."
Victor mentioned, "I had found some dirt on Maurine and I brought it up. I had put a restraining order on Rose. It had gone way too far. We demanded to be left alone and instead we were given the Ashley Waters Mission. Rose didn't bother us at all during our preparation or our mission. I think she wanted to make a point that we would miss her. We didn't, instead we met you."
Silas picked up the story, "That was the best year of my life. But according to Academy records, Rose had been watching us the entire time. You came back with us after the mission was over. We never heard from Rose again. We later learned that she had killed herself."
Luke rubbed his eyes tiredly, "Maurine took some time off after her only daughter's death. She never blamed us for it. We didn't know she blamed you. I think that Rose was Volto before her death and afterwards her mother picked up the mask. Rose was just a sick, sick individual."
I stand up, "Thanks for telling me everything. We need to call the Academy and tell them everything. I might not like it, but Maurine still was one of the Council."
Owen nods, "Fair enough."
Vincent pulls out a phone from his pocket, "I'll get a connection set up and get us a direct line to them."
Melody comments, "Some of you still need medical attention."
I give her a look, "Most of you do. I won't be surprised if some of you pulled stitches."
Everyone at least still looks a little sheepish. Honestly, am I the only responsible one around here?
Vincent calls out, "I got them on the line."
I appear in front of the camera's screen, "Dr. Roberts, Mr. Bubbles, Mrs. Lillian and Mr. Logan."
Dr. Roberts says, "Sang, I thought you were kidnapped by Volto."
It takes me a second to understand that they haven't been updated, "Oh, I was. Then, I escaped, but my children got kidnapped. I found them thanks to my contacts, but it was a trap. Half of the Blackbourne Team was kidnapped. I tracked them down and found Volto. I ended it. Volto is dead."
Mr. Bubbles intervenes, "How did you track Volto down so quickly? It took us a week to find you the first time he took you."
I tell him smugly, "First, Volto was using locations that had an emotional connection to us. Seondly, it is easier to comb a city when all the criminals work for you."
Mr. Logan comments, "So it is true! You have betrayed the Academy."
I glare at them, "I have not betrayed the Academy at all! The Academy betrayed me!"
I point the camera at Maurine's dead body, "One of your own councilwoman was Volto. Dr. Roberts himself threatened my babies to keep me away."
I am only met with silence on the other side of the call.
Mrs. Lillian wakes up first, "This has to be discussed in private. Come to Charleston."
Melody half-whines, "I don't want to leave L.A. I want more time with Ryder."
I shush her, "We will meet you in Charleston as soon as possible."
I end the call an face the others, "I guess we are heading back to where it all started."