Two days before Christmas, every news channel talked 24/7 about the Parker family. The troubled bringing up of Mark Parker. How his parents were involved in drug misuse and petty thefts. How he maniputed poor, gullible, immensely rich Rebecca Lewis into marriage. How Rebecca had never tried any drug before meeting him, and his intoxicating personality made her fall for him immediately.

  Poor Veronica, the autistic child that they never wanted to have. Their firstborn. Many quotations on their therapists, showing regret that they found out her autism too te to do anything about it.

  How they adopted Zachary, the lovely, red-haired, five-year-old golden boy of theirs. Hoping to make up for their ck of luck with their biological first child.

  Shortly after, Abigail was born. Luck once again evaded them. A deviant. That was, according to their therapists, the straw that broke the camel’s back. Their behavior turned more and more erratic. Hidden in pin sight, though. Their mask rarely slipped. Their drug abuse was contained. Even their children weren’t aware of it.

  They turned their backs on their country and made friends elsewhere, especially in Eurasia. Everything to make sure their wealth was untouched, their secrets kept away from the spotlight.

  The pedophilia came as a shock. There were rumors, one of their business partners said, but they couldn’t believe it. The evidence, though, that circuted online left no room for doubt.

  Were their kids harmed? In that aspect, everyone resonated with a solid ‘no’. It was impossible. Despite all their fws, Rebecca Lewis and Mark Parker would never touch their children.

  They couldn’t care less if the guns they provided abroad killed countless children. Their children, they wouldn’t harm. Everyone else’s didn’t matter.

  They were ‘above anyone else’, a therapist said, and several magazines ran that headline.

  The news of their death surprised no one. They needed their next fix and in Eurasia, hiding from the government of the United States of America, just couldn’t approach any of their contacts in fear that they’d send them back. No, instead they went themselves to buy the drugs and things went incredibly wrong.

  ‘A tragedy’ some of their friends said, ‘despite’, of course, added, despite everything that has been confirmed about them. Despite their treason, their crimes. Poor Veronica. Poor Zachary. Poor Abigail, that was still in the hands of the terrorists.

  Abigail wakes up at five in the morning with a massive headache. She hadn't felt this in quite some time. She gets up and walks outside the room, silently, not to wake Emily up. She might as well start her day. She’d wake up in one hour, anyway. She heads to the kitchen, grabs a gss of water and turns on the television.

  Some reruns of old shows. Abigail ughs through her pain. The pressure in her head hasn’t subsided yet, while watching the comedy pying. She sits down on the couch and remembers watching that same show with her parents and siblings.

  Vero never understood any innuendo. She ughs again, remembering the confused look on her sister’s face when everyone ughed at the same time but her. Zach always took the time to expin it to her in detail.

  The episode ends. Abigail turns off the television and gets up. When she turns around. Emily is standing there. Her face is completely pale.

  “Emily, why are you awake already? It’s five!” Abigail goes closer.

  “I…” Emily’s eyes fill with tears.

  “What’s going on?!” Abigail puts her hands on her shoulders. “Talk to me!”

  “I’m so sorry, Abigail.” Emily blurs it out. Tears stream down her face.

  “What?”

  “They’re gone. Your parents. They were killed.” Emily hugs her.

  No. That’s… impossible.

  “I’m sure it was them. It wasn’t a drug deal gone wrong. That’s all lies!” Emily wipes her runny nose.

  Abigail takes a few steps back. No. They are alive. Her headache is still there, but she doesn’t feel it anymore. No. She shakes her head.

  Emily tries to hug her again, but she pushes her away.

  “Abigail…”

  Abigail runs upstairs and lies in her bed. Wishing it were all a nightmare.

  ***

  Veronica and Zachary moved to a different hotel. Hoping that they can evade the journalists.

  “As soon as we have their bodies, we are heading home. I’ve called home and asked Katryn to send us the jet,” Zachary says.

  “Home.” Veronica sits on the floor.

  “Yes. Home.” Zachary walks toward her and sits in front of her. “Vero.”

  Veronica shakes her leg continuously. She doesn’t look at him.

  “I don’t need you to look at me, Vero. I just need you to listen. Can you do that for me?” Zachary taps on the floor.

  She nods.

  “We only have each other now. We can only trust one another. I am your big brother. I love you. I won’t let anything happen to you. Trust me.”

  “Abs.” Veronica whispers.

  “I can’t hear you, Vero.”

  “You. Me. Abs. Team Parker.”

  “Yes.” Zachary swallows the tears away. “Team Parker. We’ll get Abigail back. Together.”

  ***

  Around lunch time, Sofie, Emily, ánh, Rachel, Megan and Alex are in the living room. Watching the reporting on the Parkers.

  “I’ll grab her something to eat,” ánh says while walking to the kitchen.

  “How is she?” Rachel asks.

  “She hasn’t left her bed since this morning. I’m worried. We should all be worried.” Emily replies.

  “We are.” Rachel faces her.

  “Not about Abigail, Rachel Moore. About our own safety.”

  “What do you mean?” Alex asks.

  “The Parkers are trillionaires. They have contacts everywhere. Everyone owes them some favor. Eurasia works with them. They were killed in Eurasia. These people killed them there…” Emily’s nervous ugh comes out.

  Alex swallows his saliva.

  “We don’t stand a chance against these people when even trillionaires get axed,” Emily ughs.

  God, I made such a terrible mistake. Emily shakes her head.

  “God, this is depressing.” Sofie rolls her eyes and leaves the room. Megan goes after her.

  As depressing as it may be, my dear. She has a valid point. Alex taps his fingers on the couch.

  “We can handle them.” Alex smiles at Rachel.

  Things must be truly bad for Alex to be optimistic. Rachel smiles back.

  “Megan destroyed their b. Without the Parkers' funding, it will take some time for them to rebuild anything. We know who they are now. Emily, focus on Abigail. We’ll focus on bringing them all down.” Rachel says.

  Is this naivety or borderline suicide? Emily smiles.

  Megan follows Sofie to the gym. When she enters, Sofie turns around and closes the door behind her.

  “We should focus on what matters, M. Your abilities. Bringing them back.”

  Megan shakes her head. “They’re gone. For good.”

  “No. They aren’t. You have to try.”

  Megan shakes her head again. “I have.” Her green eyes face the blue in her sister’s gaze.

  Sofie goes nearer to her, holds her hand with hers. She smiles and hugs her. “Remember,” she whispers in her ear, “when you couldn’t control your ability unless we were together?”

  Megan nods while resting her head on her sister’s shoulder.

  “We are together. There’s nothing we can’t do.” Sofie gently pushes her away. “Trust me.”

  Megan takes a deep breath in. A deep breath out. Again. She closes her eyes.

  You can do it, M. Sofie’s heartbeat increases. She looks at her right and sees the weights flying through the air in the direction of her head. Hitting her. She falls to the ground, bleeding. She shakes her head, and the image is momentarily gone. She taps two fingers, two times on her leg.

  Megan’s right hand turns blue. She smiles. It turns back to its natural color and a white light shows instead around her.

  “And the death one?” Sofie asks.

  “Gone. Good.” Megan smiles and hugs her sister.

  ***

  At the Roberts mansion, Mary and Thomas are in Mary’s office. She sits down while he stands with his arms crossed.

  “They’re gone for good.” Mary says.

  “Their choices led them here, Mary. All the things they said, at least now no one’s talking about it.”

  “They were our friends.”

  “Were they? Friends?” Thomas smirks. “Are friends supposed to use each other?”

  “Are any of the people that sit at that table your friend, Thomas?”

  “No, Mary. I only care about my family. That’s it. There’s no one else in my life that I care. We have built this life for ourselves despite everything.”

  “I haven’t forgotten about that. When we met, I knew right away that you’d always look after me.”

  “And I knew that you’d never betray me. Mark and Rebecca put that in jeopardy. Our idiotic son put that in jeopardy.”

  “Still, my love, I think of them, or thought of, as friends. Even if we don’t experience friendship as most people do. Even if they were means to our ends. And I am grieving their death. Perhaps I’m only pretending to grief. Who knows?”

  “You’re allowed to grieve. I’d suggest you use your time more wisely than that. Zachary and Veronica will return in a few days. We should pay them a visit.”

  “Visit them? Why?”

  “Because, my love, maybe their parents haven’t told them anything yet. Maybe we can convince them that their parents truly lost it after Abigail’s abduction. That part of what’s being said, it’s true. That they were on the verge of a breakdown. Paranoid. That we tried to help them.”

  “So they’ll…”

  “Give us the funding back.”