For one week, Abigail never left her room. Emily and ánh took turns on bringing her food and forcing her to eat it. She pretended to sleep whenever they came around, only to be left alone.

  I can’t deal with this pain anymore… She has no more tears left in her eyes. The thought of using her ability has recurred in her head for the past few days. Everything would be okay if she did it. No more pain. She’d smile again, ugh, even. Face reality with the right attitude. She’d have the strength to get out of bed and push forward.

  I’ll just do it. Everything will be okay. Just do it. She takes a deep breath and her mother’s face pops up in her mind. All the memories from those days, when her mother stayed by her side when Abigail was overcome with side effects and her parents had to stop her from using her ability.

  How much pain she caused them. On Veronica and Zachary, surely as well. Thinking about them, Abigail goes back to sleep instead of activating her ability.

  Emily opens the door and sees her sleeping. She closes it again and heads downstairs to the basement to meet ánh.

  She sits next to her. ánh types on her computer, still trying to bring back the forum.

  “ánh.” Emily looks at her.

  The girl stops typing, turns her chair facing Emily.

  “I’m out of my depth here. I want to help her…” Emily smiles. “I feel like I’m failing here. No matter how hard I try, nothing I say, nothing I do is right. Look, ánh. I know…” she smiles, once more to hide the tears. “That you don’t like me-”

  “Emily…” ánh grabs her hand.

  “No, I get it, really. This isn’t me starting an argument.” She faces ánh and smiles. “I notice that when you walk in the room, her reaction is different from when I walk in. I think I should move here and you should go be with her. I’m not her person, ánh, and that’s okay. I’m no one’s favorite person. No one thinks about me that way, not Abigail, not Aminu, not…” she looks away and nods her head while shaking her hand. “Not even her.”

  “Emily…”

  “I mean it, ánh. Please move there. Be there for Abigail. You can help her get better. I can’t. If I could… but I can’t.”

  ánh gets up and slowly embraces Emily. They stay there for what feels like forever. Emily holds her tighter before softly pushing her away.

  “I am sorry for how I treated you. You don’t have to forgive me, ánh, you don’t have to say anything. Just, please know that I am sorry. I was jealous. You are incredibly kind. You haven’t allowed your hardships to bitter you. You are strong. I look up to you.”

  “Emily… No one’s perfect. L?a th? vàng, gian nan th? s?c”

  “What does that mean?”

  “That everything that you’ve been through has made you a better person. You’ll overcome this, too. Abigail loves you, Aminu loves you, Jade, I’m sure she does too. The past is in the past. We can go in wherever’s direction we want to go from here.”

  ***

  It was past two in the morning when Veronica and Zachary Lewis Parker nded with their parents’ coffins on the United States of American soil. To avoid any presence of the media, they left their jet in Eurasia and chartered a different pne to bring them home.

  Zachary bought the most exclusive funeral service that money can buy to guarantee their privacy. He knows his mother would like to be buried in the same grave as her parents and his father would like to be buried next to his wife.

  I’ll need to find a security team. As soon as the media realizes that we are here, they’ll go to the cemetery too. Zach puts his coat on and boards out of the pne.

  Katryn is waiting for them in a car. She hugs him and nods to Veronica.

  “I’m sorry.” She says. Knowing that no words can make up for their loss.

  When the car reaches their mansion, a swarm of reporters surrounds them. Zachary orders the driver not to stop and the security team gently pushes the people away so they can pass through the gates.

  Veronica immediately runs to her bedroom. Shuts the door behind her. Zach heads to Abigail’s room, smiles while remembering their fondest moments growing up. He heads after to his parents' room, sits on their bed and finally breaks in tears.

  I’ll take care of them, mom, I promise. He muffles the sound of his screams with the pillow. I’ll look after my sisters. Abigail will come home. Vero will be okay.

  He gets up, wipes the tears off his face and crashes on his bed. Less than three hours ter, he wakes up, grabs a coffee and sends several emails to the board of the foundation and the board of their company. Meetings on the next week, he doesn’t suggest or ask for, he orders it.

  Two days ter, they bury their parents. Just the two of them and Katryn. The security team prevents the reporters and any bystander from coming near them.

  Around the same time, across the city, in a much modest part of town, a team led by Saif Ahktar push through the door of the pink-haired hacker. They grab the boy and their two friends and force them inside the SUV, destroying their computers and trashing the entire pce in the process.

  After the funeral, when Vero, Zach and Katryn return home, Thomas and Mary Roberts are standing in the living room.

  “Zachary…” Katryn says.

  “Please make us some tea, Katryn.” He faces her. “Please.” He turns to his sister. “Veronica, go to your room.”

  Veronica doesn’t say anything. She has barely spoken in days. She doesn’t even nod and just heads upstairs.

  “Thomas.” He looks at him. Notices the man is wearing all bck. Turns to Mary and sees the same. “Mary. What are you doing here?”

  “Cher, please hear us out…” Mary sits down on the couch.

  Zachary slowly approaches them and sits in the chair facing them.

  “You weren’t here, dear. When Abigail and Emily…” her voice breaks.

  Thomas reaches out for her hand. “When they were taken. Our world colpsed.” Thomas puts his hand on her head and slowly caresses it.

  “So did your parents. They turned vengeful.” Mary swallows her saliva.

  “They were tired of waiting for the government to act and hired some low-lives… They showed them lies after lies, all to get your money to them. These people, they promised them the world, they promised that if your parents gave them the money, they’d find them Abigail.”

  “What my parents said on the video-” Zachary says.

  “The lies they fed them!” Mary sniffles.

  “Let me finish, god dammit!” Zach shouts and gets up. He puts his hands on his hair, pushing it back.

  “Of course, dear. Go ahead.” Mary wipes her tears with a cloth.

  “They said you were part of it, Mary! Yet, you stand here, saying what, now?!” He paces back and forth in front of them. “How am I supposed to believe you?”

  “Zachary… we have known you since you were a little boy! We were heartbroken when your parents said those things about us on the video. Heartbroken! Our best friends…” Thomas gets up and puts himself right in front of Zach. “I didn’t believe when they supposedly died. Your parents didn’t do drugs! So, I investigated, Zach. I wanted to know the truth! We are here today to tell you that we have it.”

  “We wanted to tell you first before the news break, cher. That’s why we are here.” Mary gets up and puts her hand on the boy’s shoulder.

  Thomas shows a video of the pink-haired boy, in tears, shouting, admitting that he maniputed the Parkers, that he stole from them, that he hired a hitman in the Nethernds because they refused to pay more and were threatening to end his life.

  “Your parents did everything for Abigail. They wanted her back and safe. That made them vulnerable to these vultures. We are here for you, Zach, you and Veronica. You are family to us,” Mary says and hugs him.

  The boy cries on her shoulder, hugging her tight.

  ***

  It’s almost dinner time, Marianne is in her room, orders in some service room and calls Aymee Ortiz.

  “Aymee, are you still working?”

  “Yes.”

  “I left some papers on my desk. I needed to review them before tomorrow. Can you send someone to give them to me?”

  “I’ll go there, Dr. Olsen. See you soon.”

  Someone knocks at the door. She opens it, greets the worker and grabs her food. She turns around, puts the food on the table. When she turns around again, Alexander Williams is standing in the hallway.

  “Let’s talk.” He comes nearer and sits on the chair in front of her.