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── omg me updating again? unheard
of !!! this is for Jatriciaa for all their
unwavering support! hope you enjoy ~ ──
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❝ i've been crushed in a landslide
drowned in a riptide
i've never felt quite like this ❞
𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐱 | 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐝
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𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒. 𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐒. 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆. 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍.
"Just close your eyes. Everything will be okay, you do trust me, right, Thalia?"
"Ah!" Thalia exclaimed in horror, eyelids flying open as she realized she was enveloped in darkness, hands clutching at her chest, feeling her heart thumping against her bones. No, it couldn't be, the voice she'd heard....no, just no. "V-Violet?" Thalia called out softly and in that moment, she was five years old and lying in a hospital bed again. In that moment, her voice wavered the way it did whenever Violet gave her that look of pity and sorrow that would cause Thalia's fragile heart to shatter because she just knew something went wrong. Gone was the facade of the fearless heroine she'd put up for everyone around her, she came undone right then and there ── eyes welling with tears as she pulled her knees close to her chest, curled up in a small ball as she looked around timidly.
"Of course...you can't be here, you're fucking dead," Thalia drawled out flatly, sighing to herself as she staggered to her feet. "Unless...I'm dead too," Thalia thought aloud as she lumbered across the muddy ground, dragging her bruised and battered body towards the daunting, gleaming light that shone through a crack in the cave, "then that would make a lot more sense."
"Ready or not, here I come!"
"This just gets creepier and creepier," Thalia whispered to herself, the sound of her own voice reverberating off the ends of the cave she was in. She couldn't even see the ends, she felt like she was trapped in an endless abyss, the only sound audible other than her own voice being the eerie whisper that sent chills down her spine. "It sounds so much like you..." Thalia murmured as she trailed off, kicking a small pebble as she continued to make her way towards her source of light.
The sound of what seemed to be Violet's voice rang in her head as Thalia felt a sharp pang in her temple as she recalled the hide-and-seek games the two once played in Australia. Their biological parents had owned a small farm out in Perth and the farmhouse made the perfect place for a four-year-old Thalia to be relentlessly chased around by her eleven-year-old sister. Life had been...blissful back then, perfect, idle ── such a shame that things had come down to this.
"I would die for you, TT, you know that...right?"
"Fucking hell," Thalia swore angrily, clutching at her messy hair angrily, nearly ripping her own hair out as though that would shut the voice up. "You weren't actually supposed to die, you idiot...people overexaggerate to show their love...y-you weren't actually supposed to do that," Thalia cursed under her breath in dismay. Though she never wanted to admit it, she felt it deep in her gut ── Violet was gone. There was no way Violet would've left the hellhole that was the Soleil property and not taken Thalia with her, there was no way Violet would've left her when she made such atrocious proclamations she did anything to make come true. "It should've been me...not you."
As Thalia trudged along the dirty path, voices cried and wailed throughout the cave, gradually getting louder as Thalia let out a scratchy groan, hands clutching at her ears in a desperate attempt to shut the world out as the voices screeched and screamed to grasp for Thalia's attention. Of course, when someone else's voice slipped into the mix, naturally...Thalia's interest was piqued.
"You are a horrible example for your sister! She worships the ground you walk on and here you are, strolling in at three in the goddamn morning acting like you own the place?! Grow the hell up, Violet!" Matteo Soleil's voice boomed as Thalia groaned, feeling herself succumbing to the pain this memory brought her. She was eight, sitting by the steps after having snuck out of her bedroom to loiter by the steps to wait for Violet to come home so Violet would tuck her in properly and kiss her teddies good night. Matteo never knew how to do that.
"Technically, I snuck in through the window...I didn't stroll," Violet snapped back snarkily, flipping the bird at the elder man as she tried to step past him, Matteo's arms placed sternly on his hips as he narrowed his eyes at the rebellious teenager. "What? I'm back now...okay? No need to get your panties in a twist."
"Oh, just quit the backchat, would you? I'm not amused, Violet."
"Does it look like I am?"
"When are you going to realize that your actions have consequences?"
"When are you going to realize your words will always fall on deaf ears? I have zero respect for someone like you!"
"Someone like me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"You know damn well what it means! Fuck you and all your bullshit, I'm sick of it! I'm going to expose you someday, your fake act of being some kind of benevolent saint is going to crumble when I'm finished with you! Everyone's going to realize that you're nothing but a bastard!"
"No, no, shut up! Shut up!" Thalia exclaimed, the voices seeming to get louder, slipping within the confines of her mind as they taunted her from the inside of her own head. "Please...no," Thalia begged desperately, tears trickling down her blood-caked face as she closed her eyes frantically, praying that it would shut the memories out but if anything, thrusting herself back into darkness seemed to only immerse her further in her past trauma.
"You insolent little brat!" Matteo roared angrily as Thalia physically flinched exactly the way her eight-year-old self had done when she was peering through the staircase railings and watched as Matteo's stiffened palm struck Violet across the cheek. Ever indignant, Violet refused to let her hand cup her stinging cheek, instead spitting at Matteo viciously as she stormed off without another word, barely getting towards the stairs when Matteo grabbed her wrist violently, pulling her towards him. "I'm not finished with you, you stupid girl!"
"Get off me, asshole!" Violet shrieked instinctively before biting down on her own lip so hard that her lips cracked open, blood trickling down her lips as Matteo lugged the girl towards his room. Groaning incoherently, Thalia buried her face in her hands the same way she had when she was eight, feeling the hot tears on the skin of her palms as she cried hysterically, feeling her hands disobey her own mind as she peeped through her hands to see Violet staring right back into her eyes.
It felt so real, so goddamn real ── like all of that hadn't happened a whole decade ago.
"Vi..." Thalia whispered hoarsely, her throat scratchy from screaming, the words barely passing her chapped lips before Matteo yanked his office door open violently. "No...no, that should be me...n-no," Thalia pleaded desperately, trying her best to force herself to charge headfirst into the crossfire the way Violet had so willingly done whenever Thalia's childish younger self pushed Matteo's buttons. "No...please..."
'Run', Violet mouthed, her bloody lips parting to form a single word the way they had ten years ago, 'run.'
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"Ah!" Thalia woke up with a start, kicking off the covers as she jolted awake, grimacing in pain when she felt an aching sensation course through her veins. "O-ouch..." Thalia murmured feebly, forcing her heavy eyelids to open as she noticed the brown-eyed boy seated in an armchair he'd dragged to her bedside. Chin propped up in his palm, his elbow on the armrest, Chase's eyes were closed, the poor boy's energy evidently as depleted as hers. His other hand rested on her right hand, his fingers laced through her lazily as she could feel his warm skin on hers, causing butterflies to flutter within her. "Chase?" She whispered softly, not wanting to wake him but still wanting to see his eyes open just so she could make sure he was okay.
"T-Thals?" Chase slurred sleepily, rubbing his eyes as he winced, causing Thalia to notice his bandaged wrist as she fell silent, green eyes clouded with worry as Chase's lips parted in a small smile, the lights of the room they were in dim but just enough to illuminate the dried blood coating his lips. "H-hey, I'm okay...I promise, you lay down, you took quite the hit...do you remember what happened?" Chase queried patiently,
"W-where am I?" Thalia asked in return rather than answering his question, confused when she looked around slowly and found herself met with unfamiliar wallpaper before realizing this was the floral wallpaper that lined the walls of the Steins' guest room. She recognized the wallpaper from the short amount of time she'd spent with the Steins shortly after her mother's passing, back when the PRIDE parents passed her, Violet and Elias around like suitcase children when their father was hospitalized for his overdose.
"My guestroom, I hope you don't mind, I didn't know where else you could go," Chase replied softly as Thalia nodded, knowing Chase was just doing what he thought was best for her, squeezing his hand with all the energy she could muster as Chase felt a pang in his heart, knowing Thalia was in this position because of him. "I don't think I've s-said this to you b-but...thank you...for everything. I'm sorry I let my dad...hurt you," Chase whispered guiltily as Thalia shook her head weakly, "I shouldn't have asked you over, I should've remembered...you know...who my dad is."
"You know I would rather be here than leave you alone to fight these battles," Thalia countered softly, a quiet determination to her face as Chase smiled meekly at her, hoping his simple expression would convey the message he couldn't string together in coherent sentences. "I meant what I said...or wrote. You know, in your birthday cards every year?"
Right, birthday cards, Chase thought bittersweetly, a larger smile creeping its way onto his face as he bit his lip to hide his genuine contentment at the thought of the birthday cards Thalia wrote him every year since they'd become friends as little kids. Even across the past two years in which they hadn't spoken and he'd only dropped her a text when her birthday rolled around, he would help his mother check the mailbox every evening and on his birthday, her card would be resting in there. Though her words grew to be as elegant as she as she grew older, there was something that never changed, something she'd always signed since the very first card.
I will always be by your side.
"That doesn't mean taking the brunt of my dad's rage for me. You know I can't let you do that," Chase interrupted sternly. As sweet as her message had been, no matter how much it had wormed its way into his iron-guarded heart over the years, he couldn't let Thalia suffer any more than she already had. Her life was miserable enough as is, him adding to her burden wouldn't make him any better than all the people he despised for wronging her. "This one's my battle to fight, Thals...and I'm so sorry you got caught in the crossfire."
"Please don't apologize," Thalia murmured sweetly, shaking her head dismissively as she thought back at the thumping sounds that reverberated across the house, the pounding sound of doors slamming and the scars that Violet tried to hide under thick coats of make-up. "You know I can't live with myself...knowing that I had a chance to step in and I didn't. For years, Chase, I watched you suffer in silence...that was my chance to show you how much I care about you. I would do anything for you, Chase."
"I know you would," Chase argued patiently, "but you shouldn't have had to make that decision. That's my father we're talking about, his fiery temperament something I should have never let you face. I...I promised you...since we were kids...that I would never let anything bad happen to you, I broke my promise. I...I break it time and time again and you know, this was my chance to prove that...I'm worth your care and concern, that I'm──"
"You have nothing to prove to me," Thalia interjected kindly, "I don't need saving, Chase...I'm not some damsel in distress."
"I know but...Thals, you don't know how...fucking terrified I was when he started yelling. I wanted so badly for you to just be gone, to be safe because I can't even keep myself safe from him, how the hell was I supposed to help you? When he grabbed the Fistigons...I didn't want to believe he was going to fire it. B-but then I saw you lying there..." Chase trailed off miserably, "and my heart stopped. I...I thought I lost you."
"Sorry, Chase...but you're stuck with me for the rest of my life," Thalia replied cheekily, an airy giggle slipping past her chapped lips as Chase pursed his own lips together to muster a small smile for her sake. "I'm okay, I promise...what's more important to me is that so are you," Thalia continued sweetly, her sincere words causing Chase's heart to skip a beat as he smiled gratefully at the girl, unable to voice how grateful he was that she had been there with him. As Thalia saw Chase watching her intently, he leaned down, leaning closer to her as she smiled shyly at him.
Just before he could do what he'd been wanting to do since the two reconnected (and admittedly, even before that), the door to the guestroom flew open, revealing a distressed Karolina and an anxious Gert as Chase shot upwards frantically as Thalia waved meekly at the two girls who'd walked in.
"My God! Thalia!" Karolina shrieked in panic before Gert quickly shushed her as the blonde raced over to Thalia's side, peering worriedly at the weakened girl who lay on the guest bed. "You're alive...thank the heavens," Karolina sighed in relief as Thalia smiled timidly at Karolina, who was visibly more relaxed now to see Thalia awake.
"Sorry we're late...Karolina was stopped by Frank and I just waited for her to get past," Gert sighed, embracing Chase quickly before turning her attention to the exhausted girl sprawled across the guest bed.
"W-why are you here?" Thalia asked worriedly, wondering why the blonde and the purple-haired girl were here in the first place as Karolina explained the eerie call she'd received from Chase, Chase quickly adding that this was after Thalia had passed out. "P-passed out? What? I don't remember much," Thalia mumbled in confusion, "all I remember is Mr Stein...C-Chase, what happened?"
"You saved me...from my dad...l-like I was telling you earlier. He tried using the Fistigons on me, he did once and you and I got blown away by the blast. He was towering over me, about to blast me again when you...you did something, the same weird thing that happened with Old Lace the day we'd accidentally let her out of the Yorkes basement. There was this sudden gust of wind...like you'd commanded it...that caused my dad to lose his balance and crash into the car before my mom shot him," Chase said, skimming over the details of his verbal argument with his father as Thalia tried to process all the information.
"You must have powers," Gert deduced simply.
"I don't understand, h-how can I have powers?" Thalia exclaimed aloud, turning to Chase, the two engrossed in their own conversation as Karolina and Gert listened in intently, neither of them quite understanding what was happening. Gert turned to Karolina, looking at her as if to wordlessly ask if Karolina was aware of Thalia's powers as Karolina shook her head, slightly hurt that Thalia hadn't bothered to mention this to her when Thalia was the first person Karolina had told about her light powers.
"D-do you remember what happened in the basement with Old Lace?"
"Kind of," Thalia mumbled uncomfortably, trying her best to recall that day's events. "I remember that day...with Old Lace...or at least I think I do, I just kinda like...flung my hands forward and she flew into the wall but then I flew backwards too so I thought it was just something weird...like an adrenaline high? I don't know...I wasn't really thinking straight," Thalia admitted sheepishly, rubbing her temple tenderly to reduce the throbbing pain.
"It's okay, hey...take your time," Chase comforted softly, "hey...it's okay. Do you remember what happened in the garage?"
I...I can't really say I remember...knocking your father off his feet into the car...or anything. All I remember is the art studio," Thalia said softly as Chase felt his cheeks heating up at the mention of the rather intimate moment the two had in the art studio as Karolina and Gert both raised their eyebrows, looking to Chase for an explanation as he shrugged awkwardly.
"What's the last thing you remember, Tal? If you do have powers...no time like the present to learn how to make them work. Well, I mean like...after you get better, you should probably try mastering them...it just gives us better odds against them," Karolina said, trying to jog the visibly exhausted girl's memory as Thalia sighed, racking her brain for any signs of what happened just an hour before.
"I remember...Chase and I walking down the pavement because he helped me clean up the art studio...t-then he asked me to drop by his house and check out his Fistigons...those glove-like gun things he used when we went to save Alex," Thalia explained, mostly for Karolina's and Gert's benefit. "I just remember being in the lab, watching Chase fix 'em together and do some minor touches...then Victor walked in. Then my memory kinda just...goes blank," Thalia sighed, irritated with herself for being unable to remember, "I know I got knocked out...b-but how? W-what?"
"My dad blasted me with one of my Fistigons, Thalia. I tried to protect you...you dodged it but the impact made you fly backwards. When my dad was about to blast me again when I was lying on the floor, you knocked my father off his feet, sending him crashing into a car like you did Old Lace with a gust of wind or something before my mom shot him," Chase retold that night's events once more patiently, trying to let the events sink in as Thalia frowned, unable to remember all of that.
"What did you do?" Gert queried sharply, wanting to get to the bottom of Thalia's powers, "perhaps, if you recreate your movements, we can see how your powers work."
"She flicked her wrists forward...kind of like this," Chase supplied dutifully, holding his hands out in front of him, flicking his wrists and fingers forward swiftly as Thalia sat up slowly and copied his movements, moving her wrists as quickly as possible. The sharp movements caused a gust of wind to be summoned from behind Thalia, flinging Gert against the wall as Thalia instinctively lowered her hands, causing Gert to crash down against the floor with a thump.
"Oh my stars, I'm so sorry!" Thalia exclaimed frantically, reaching forward to assist Gert but Karolina got there first, helping Gert to her feet as the lilac-haired girl pursed her lips together, dusting herself off in silence. "O-okay...so that's how my powers work," Thalia whispered softly, consciously focusing on the idea of bending the air as she lifted her hands off the bed. her palms pointed downwards as she felt her body being peeled off the mattress as she let out a squeak in surprise, hands trembling as her body levitated. "Woah!"
"Holy shit," Chase marveled, completely stunned. Though he was the only person who'd ever seen Thalia's powers in action, he'd never seen her manage to be able to defy gravity entirely as he found himself mesmerized by Thalia, who stayed completely still as wind howled, starting to blow the curtains like crazy as the gentle breeze turned into more of a chaotic hurricane. Wind roared and the curtains swatted Chase across the face, the tissue paper from the box flying around the room as Karolina brushed her hair out of her face. Amidst all this chaos, Thalia remained motionless, eyelids fluttered shut as she stayed stiff as a board, completely unaware of what she'd done. "Thals!"
"Thalia, stop! Wait!" Karolina exclaimed as she started to lose her balance, almost crashing into the shut door of the guest room as Chase staggered towards Thalia after having been blown off the bed by the sudden strong gusts of wind, grabbing her hand in a weak attempt to snap her out of it as Thalia came crashing down onto the bed almost immediately, cursing in pain as the panicked teens rushed over to see her as her eyes snapped open in fear.
"Did not know...I could do that," Thalia laughed dryly, lifting her right fingers up slowly as a gentle breeze brushed past her exposed skin as she smiled, amused by what she'd discovered. "I don't know...I'm not very good at...controlling it though. When I start...I kind of lose control," Thalia mumbled flatly as Karolina and Gert nodded grimly while Chase sighed, trying to think of something to help Thalia.
"You okay?" Chase asked worriedly, stroking her arm gingerly as Thalia nodded meekly, sighing defeatedly. "We're gonna figure this out together, okay? You don't have to do this alone, I promise you," Chase assured her quietly as Thalia smiled sheepishly at him, silently grateful for Chase's kindness. Holding onto Thalia's trembling hand gently, Chase brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly as she offered him a blissful grin. "I got you."
"Thanks, Chase," Thalia mumbled quietly, cheeks flushing profusely as Karolina and Gert exchanged knowing looks. "Enough about...whatever the hell is going on with me after Mr Stein's...episode, where is everyone else? Are they okay?" Thalia asked worriedly as Gert filled Thalia in on what happened and how the Yorkes had shipped Molly off to live with a cousin.
"Because she knew...isn't it?" Thalia asked as Gert nodded grimly, agreeing that it was too much of a coincidence that the Yorkes suddenly sent Molly away just when Molly suggested she'd seen something she couldn't see. "Damn...I'm so sorry, Gert," Thalia whispered, looking apologetically at Gert, who shook her head, not wanting to give the girl any more reasons to stress before Gert's eyes fell on Chase's hand resting on Thalia's, making Gert's heart burn with jealousy as she tried to play it off with a fake smile.
Karolina then continued to explain that after she'd gotten that ominous call from Chase, she'd tried to reach Nico, Molly and Gert, only getting a proper response from Gert as the two girls decided to drop by the Stein residence to check in on Chase and Thalia after Chase clued Karolina in that something was wrong.
"A-after you saved me, I was awake...a-and I found you passed out on the ground so I h-helped you up the stairs into our guestroom. I saw the other parents while I was helping you but I couldn't...I just couldn't leave you in case they tried to do something to you so I stayed in here with you...then you woke up and yeah," Chase fumbled awkwardly, trying his best to explain as he chose to leave out the part about him cradling her head on the floor of the laboratory when he'd thought he'd lost her for good.
"Yeah...now Gert, Old Lace and I are here...to make sure you're okay," Karolina added in, smiling supportively at the brunette, whose eyes widened at the mention of Old Lace, Thalia raised her eyebrows only to clap her hand over her mouth as she almost shrieked at the sight of the dinosaur she and Chase had accidentally let go when they were snooping around in the Yorkes' residence. Old Lace growled at Thalia, perhaps channeling some of Gert's anger towards Thalia as Chase shot Gert a look, standing in between Thalia and the dinosaur so she wouldn't be terrified as Gert reluctantly told Old Lace to back down.
"H-how the hell I missed that when you two came in...I don't know," Thalia chuckled humourlessly. "You...control a dinosaur...and surprisingly, that is the least weird thing that has happened today," Thalia sighed, sinking back against the fluffy pillow, her hand still under Chase's as he held onto her, sitting back by her side. "I am in severe pain right now...I feel like I have a rod stuck up my ass or something," Thalia whined as Karolina snickered, rolling her eyes at Thalia, who grimaced, allowing herself a small smile as she looked over at Chase, who was watching her fondly, so grateful that Thalia was alive.
"Oh my stars...I have to go home," Thalia exclaimed suddenly, "I was supposed to be home hours ago! Elias is going to freak out if I don't get home! And my dad...he might go ballistic and Elias won't have anyone to protect him! Shit! " Thalia started to feel panicky as Karolina rushed to comfort her, not wanting Thalia's anxiety to hinder her recovery. Gert and Chase helped to keep Thalia restrained, not wanting her to over-exert herself when Thalia had just regained consciousness.
"Don't worry...I think you aren't in any shape to go home just yet. I'll go check on Elias after I leave, I promise I won't get caught by your dad...or let Elias get in trouble with him," Karolina assured as Thalia relaxed slightly, too exhausted to fight anymore. "Just stay here...okay? And get better...because that's what's most important for you right now. You gotta stop putting yourself behind...come on, you're everyone's priority right now...okay? Love you...please take care of yourself for God's sake," Karolina sighed, leaning down to kiss Thalia's forehead as Thalia beamed weakly at her best friend.
"I love you too, thanks for being here, Kar...you too Gert...and you, Chase," Thalia mumbled sleepily, already wanting to rest more as Gert offered Thalia a tight-lipped smile while Karolina grinned at her. "Thanks you guys...I'm so glad we're friends again," Thalia said tiredly as she closed her eyes, "I'm gonna...maybe take a nap."
"You'd best do that," Karolina ordered teasingly as Thalia opened her eyes for a few seconds so she could show Karolina she was rolling her eyes before closing her eyes, only surprised to hear Gert's phone ping with a message.
"Shit...it's Alex. We gotta go. T-Thalia, can you walk?" Gert mumbled, "he says it's urgent so...you should probably come...if you're in shape for it." Thalia started to nod as Chase shook his head, worried for the girl's safety.
"Come here...let me help you," Chase insisted as Karolina walked over to the window, opening the guest room window as she climbed onto the windowsill, slowly stepping off it as she started hovering in the air, arms lighting up so bright as the three others turned their attention to Karolina. "Jesus," Chase cursed, still startled when Thalia grinned, proud of Karolina. That's my girl, Thalia thought triumphantly as Gert climbed out after Karolina, trusting Karolina to fly her down as Chase stood up, opening the window slightly wider as he looked out, nodding for Gert to summon Old Lace as Karolina flew upwards once more, struggling to keep Old Lace afloat with her as the girl and the dinosaur slowly reached the ground.
"Chase, I'm fine," Thalia argued, sitting up too quickly as she grimaced, almost blacking out once more as Chase shook his head in dismay, helping the girl to the window as Thalia sighed, annoyed that she was being babied by Chase as she flicked her left wrist ever so slightly, focusing on lifting both her and Chase off the ground as Chase yelped in fear once the pairs' feet left the ground.
"Do you trust me?" Thalia asked mischievously as Chase nodded, afraid what would happen should he say no, also amazed by Thalia's control over a power she barely understood as she wrapped her arms around his neck, Chase holding onto her waist as the two came out of the window on their own, much to Karolina's surprise and Gert's dismay.
"Come on, no time to lose," Gert interrupted, motioning for the group to follow her as Chase helped an exhausted Thalia, Karolina and Old Lace running behind Gert as the four teens and the dinosaur made their way to Timely to meet Alex and Nico.
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"Easy," Chase whispered, climbing out of the car first and extending his hand to help Thalia out of the car as Karolina and Gert raced over to Alex and Nico, who were leaning against Alex's car and waiting for the group to come. Holding onto Chase, Thalia was depending almost entirely on Chase to keep her on her feet as the two staggered over, making Nico and Alex both look worriedly over at Thalia, whose skin was still ghostly white as she coughed several times, finding it hard to breathe.
"Woah...Thalia, are you okay?" Alex asked anxiously as Thalia nodded feebly as Nico and Alex stepped inside to make way for Thalia and Chase. Chase lifted Thalia onto the hood of Alex's car so she wouldn't have to stand up with her jelly knees, standing in front of her as she sleepily draped her arms around Chase's neck without thinking twice, zoning out of the conversation as Karolina walked over in concern, keeping her hand on Thalia's shoulder.
"Anyway...I've got it all here...all the proof we need to put them away. Forever," Alex spoke up, explaining his reason for calling all the teens here in the first place, holding up his laptop as Thalia tried her best to pay attention, vision a little blurred but she could still make out the silhouette of the laptop. "Where do we send it to first?"
"Nowhere," Chase interjected, much to Thalia's surprise as she sat up slowly, almost falling off as Nico and Karolina quickly grabbed the clearly barely conscious girl, who now was completely baffled by Chase's change in demeanor and felt sick to her stomach thinking about how quickly he'd switched up.
"Wait, no...what are you talking about?!" Thalia exclaimed in surprise, taken completely aback by Chase's sudden switch of sides. "We were just saying...y-your dad isn't going to change, Chase...he nearly killed you!"
"There's so much we don't understand...but right now, my dad's life depends on PRIDE," Chase argued back, "if something happens to them now, my dad dies. This video can't get out...not now," Chase rushed to explain as Thalia raised her eyebrows at him, confused by Chase's abrupt change in stand on the matter.
"After how he almost killed you, Chase...then Thalia saved your ass...and now she's literally about to fall off the bonnet of Alex's car...you still think our parents don't deserve everything they're going to get when Alex releases the video? My parents had the audacity to ship Molly off somewhere...Thalia barely survived what your father did to her, w-which part of you thinks any of that screams people worth saving?" Gert exclaimed in annoyance, disgusted by Chase. Much as she was jealous of Chase's visible care for Thalia, she couldn't believe Chase was backing down now. When the evidence, the concrete proof was right in front of them.
"I agree with Chase," Karolina said, which also stunned Thalia, who turned to Nico, looking at Nico worriedly as Nico shook her head, not wanting the visibly ill girl to stress anymore as Nico motioned for Thalia to move closer to her, knowing how much it must've been hurting Thalia to see her two best friends there backing out. Though Nico didn't have the fondest feelings for Thalia after seeing how close she and Karolina were, Nico felt bad to see the look of betrayal that flashed in Thalia's eyes when Karolina and Chase stood up against the teens' plan.
"Woah woah...since when? Literally a few hours ago, we were all for locking up our parents! Hold the fuck up," Nico yelled, furious that the two had the balls to back out right now, when they were so close to their goal. "You two can't seriously want to back out now," Nico scoffed as Thalia nodded adamantly, wishing to push through with this so their living nightmare would finally be over.
"Since I spoke to my dad...and I think he could help us," Karolina confessed sheepishly, quickly filling the group in on the talk she'd had with Frank Dean, which if anything, made Thalia even more nervous as she couldn't help but wonder what Frank Dean could possibly do with the information.
"I'm sorry, did we have a discussion while I was knocked out?" Thalia asked bitterly, "because...what the hell are you guys on?"
"You're not alone, sister," Gert muttered in frustration, "I was conscious and even I don't know what Chase and Karolina are on about."
"I'm just saying...PRIDE is Victor's lifeline right now," Karolin snapped back, "and we don't have to use violence to take them down! Won't that make us just as bad as them?"
"This isn't violence," Nico argued, rolling her eyes as she scoffed at Karolina's supposed mediator mentality. "We're fighting fire with fire...since trying to diffuse the situation isn't working. They need to burn for what they've done, can't you guys see?"
"That's my dad we're talking about!" Chase spoke up in irritation, "you expect me to watch you guys take him down, knowing he could lose his goddamn life?"
"He's not a fucking dad to you," Thalia interjected, the sharpness of her tone causing all of the teens to glance at the otherwise soft-spoken girl. "I've watched you be abused by your father day and night...I've tended to all of your wounds...I know he's not a good person, Chase! It's not just your father we're taking down, we're taking down all of our parents! It's not a personal vendetta, stop treating it like it is!"
"What the hell would you know about parents?!" Chase exploded in outrage, "we're not even taking yours down, yours are already six feet underground!"
The second the words slipped past Chase's lips, he knew he'd messed up. Thalia's eyes that were initially narrowed in his direction were now widened like she was a deer caught in headlights, blinking rapidly as she dipped her head down awkwardly, pursing her lips together as she intertwined her fingers uncomfortably. Karolina's mouth hung open as she stared at Chase, Nico flipping him the bird as Alex walked over to Thalia's side, placing his hand on her thigh.
"Low blow, man," Alex muttered bitterly, breaking the awkward silence that hung over the teens, "that was just cold."
"I didn't lie," Chase insisted determinedly, his already wounded ego refusing to let him back down, "and I don't care what you guys say. I want out of this, we're not doing this shit."
"No, no way! No one is backing down now!" Alex exploded in frustration, his heart set on getting justice for everything their parents had done. He couldn't have such key evidence and just live on, not turning it in and knowing he could've done the right thing if he'd just stepped forward. "We've come too goddamn far to chicken out now! Fine, if you two won't pull through, the rest of us will," Alex said firmly as Nico, Gert and Thalia nodded, backing Alex up on this as Karolina turned helplessly to Thalia, who couldn't even meet Karolina's eyes anymore. She couldn't meet anyone's eyes. She simply sat there, unmoving.
"It's the right thing to do! We can save lives, Chase! Karolina...come on!" Gert begged desperately but Chase was set on destroying that footage so his father would be safe. "Chase, wait, no, don't!" Gert yelled in a panic when she saw Chase's shoulders tensed as he lunged for Alex.
"Give me the fucking laptop, Wilder!" Chase ordered, trying to snatch the laptop from Alex's hands as Alex only held the laptop tighter, sidestepping away from Thalia as Chase crashed against the bonnet of Alex's car. "Hand it over, Wilder!"
"Not your decision to make, Chase. The rest of us...actually have morals and want justice for what our parents did to innocent people," Alex sneered, holding onto the laptop with his dear life as Chase tried to rip the laptop out of Alex's hands.
"Wilder! I can't let you do this!" Chase shouted, tackling Alex to the ground as the girls screamed, yelling and pleading the boys to break it up as they tussled on the ground, Alex shoving Chase off him, standing up weakly with his laptop in his hands just as Chase stood up as well, placing his hands on Alex's chest, sending him flying backwards into Gert's car as the laptop crashed onto the floor.
"Stop!" Thalia cried out abruptly, tears prickling in her eyes as the two boys dashed for the laptop that wasn't broken yet. She felt more helpless than ever as she was stuck on the bonnet of Alex's car, knowing she was in no shape to intervene and the other girls were too petrified to move. The two boys continued to violently grab each other, each one trying to find an opening to secure the laptop.
"I said...break it up!" Thalia yelled, having had enough of the boys' shit as she angrily hopped off the bonnet, knees almost giving way as the girls watched in shock as fractures appeared in the ground beneath the feet as Thalia pushed her arms forward forcefully, causing both boys to fly apart from each other, Alex crashing into Gert's car as Chase fell onto the road, Alex yelping in fear when he met Old Lace's eyes, laying his eyes on Gert's dinosaur for the first time as Thalia felt her knees go weak, the already weakened girl now completely depleted of energy as she collapsed, knees buckling, Nico barely having enough time to catch her as Karolina and Gert helped Nico to lift the unconscious girl onto the bonnet of Alex's car once more.
"W-what did Thalia do?" Nico asked in confusion, still being unaware of Thalia's powers as Gert gave Nico a quick run-down on Thalia's discovery of her air manipulation powers, admitting however that she didn't know where the fractures in the earth had appeared from as Karolina looked worriedly at Thalia, who was completely unconscious as she lay on Alex's car.
"N-no!" Alex shouted in panic, attracting the three girls' attention as they saw that Chase reached the laptop a fraction of a second before Alex could, Chase lifting the laptop over his head. "Chase, don't do it, man!" Alex begged desperately but Chase ignored him, violently throwing it onto the floor as the impact caused the laptop to be smashed into smithereens. "God damn it!" Alex shouted angrily, about to lunge for Chase as Gert and Nico held him back, seeing that Karolina was too preoccupied with trying to wake Thalia to help them.
"Are you fucking kidding me? What's wrong with you?" Nico yelled in outrage, infuriated that Chase had destroyed their key to putting their parents away forever. Gert was completely shocked, Karolina too busy peering over at her unconscious friend to react to Chase as Alex groaned, sinking to his knees in defeat as the two girls reluctantly let go of Alex, hoping Alex wouldn't explode once more.
"I'm sorry," Chase said softly as he panted, looking up from the smashed laptop to find all his friends glaring at him, minus Karolina, who was tending to Thalia, who was passed out and didn't know what Chase had done.
"You've ruined everything," Nico said quietly, storming away from Chase as she walked over to Thalia's side, helping Karolina to get the currently unmoving Thalia into Gert's car as Gert turned her back on Chase, helping the girls and Alex with Thalia, leaving Chase standing alone to wonder if what he'd done was truly worth losing his friends.
"Karolina?" Chase called out quietly, "come on..."
"I was on your side," Karolina admitted meekly, "but the Chase I know would've never said that to Thalia. She's my best friend, Chase...I'm going to side with her. I thought she was your best friend too."
"She is!"
"Friends don't go for each other's throats when things get rough. Let alone best friends."
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