"Who..." said Alisa after a long time, "...who was it that disabled the firewall?"
"Disabled the what?" Asked Gary.
"Firewall," said the silver-haired calmly.
Gary nodded in understanding, "Just one question, what is the firewall?"
A grown escaped her lips as she tried to maintain her calm. "The thing which keeps my plane from leaving the base and flying rouge outside."
The brunet couldn't help but be feel a little hurt, "You don't have to speak to me as if I'm an idiot..."
"Was it you?" Ailsa looked towards Serena who sat quietly with her eyes down on the ground.
"What—"
"I bet it was you," she cut the blonde short, "what a shocker that it was the daughter of Grace Van Black who ruined my mission! Wouldn't be the first time now, would it?"
"What mission?" She counter questioned, "you were going to leave them there to die!"
"Oh don't be so melodramatic," vexed Ailsa, "I always have a plan and it was perfect until you came along and ruined everything! We lost Spencer Hale and the m-unown because of you!"
The blonde was taken aback. Of course, she had expected nothing less from Ailsa. Serena had overheard Delia talking with Charlus in the hospital wing that his mother had a plan to rescue them and that the three of them had ruined it.
Serena felt bad for Spencer, it was her fault that he was in captivity.
But she didn't act alone, she didn't deserve the blame.
"I wasn't—"
"Oh shut up," Ailsa stood upright, fuming with anger, "I expected nothing less from you, you're a Van Black."
The blonde had yet not related herself to the family every one kept whispering about. Back in the academy, the trainers used the exact tone Ailsa was using, hatred and resentment.
She couldn't help but feel a little hurt.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.
A scoff escaped the lady's lips. "Thinking about yourself and not the others and choosing to do the selfish thing, that's what all Van Blacks do! I shouldn't have expected anything different from you. You're just like everyone else."
"Alright that's enough," Gary said, "Serena wasn't alone, we all went!"
"Shut up, Garrison!" Barked Ailsa, "I'm speaking!"
"Again, my name is Gary!"
"Selfish thing?" Serena said, paying no attention to Gary, "I went to help others! How is that selfish?"
A frown etched its way on to Ailsa's forehead. Serena had a little trouble reading her face, but there was one thing which seemed to be clear, she knew everything.
"Really?" She remarked sarcastically, "so you're telling me, you went to save old Spencer and not your boyfriend?"
The blonde's jaw dropped open, "He's not—"
"Don't act so surprised," Ailsa laughed, "you thought I wouldn't notice? The sneak in's and out's? Nothing goes here without my knowledge, Queen, it's high time you learn it!"
Serena was too ashamed to look up. She hoped for the ground to crack open and swallow her whole. Ailsa was going to open her mouth again to humiliate her, Serena had a limit and Ailsa had crossed it, hours ago.
"I'm getting out of here," she said while leaving the room.
Gary ran after Serena while giving Ailsa a side-eye.
Silence befell the room. Ailsa sat down with a sigh and rubbed her eyes with exhaustion.
"It was me," said Alain, "I disabled the firewall, I owed it to Charlus."
He got up to leave before Ailsa was able to open her mouth, "I won't tell this to Grace," he said, "but speak to her like this again and I'll make sure of it."
"Serena! Wait!" Cried Gary in the hallway.
Serena stopped with a sigh, "Gary, look I'm sorry that Ash and I didn't tell you but—"
Before she could finish, he pulled her into a big hug. "That's hokum," he smiled, "I've been rooting for you since the beginning... I'm sorry you had to go through it alone in there."
She didn't say anything for a long time. Serena accepted his hug with a smile.
Perhaps, not all Oaks are total bitches.
Sorry for the extremely short chapter, hope you like it!