Final Member

Kahler told Jessica to take the rest of the week off. Their main 3 man group is already established, making her an extra member for now, leaving her with little to do.

The following week, Jessica ascends to the third floor, disappointed that she hasn’t been able to speak with Shayna. After hearing Yuuki explain her situation, the thought of ‘getting adopted’ has been racing in her mind. As a result of that, and trying to figure out what to say when she faces her, Jessica has been getting flashes of memories from before coming to Philly.

Jessica was adopted when she was a baby. Being born as an orphan in Boston, a chip was implanted shortly after birth. This is one of the few cases when a decision is made regarding the chips without any form of consent. Some are currently fighting to make it illegal to do so. Though Jessica is sure her parents would have given their consent regardless.

She was well-fed, had nice clothes, and lived in an upgraded home that contained all the latest security features. Overall it was a good life. At least it was until Jessica was of age to attend school.

Her parents decided upon homeschooling with them acting as the teachers, using many different methods they found during their research. The goal was to have a bright child with many opportunities in life.

Jessica was immediately stripped of all her freedom, forced to study for many hours each day, and locked in her own home. The chip in her wrist even had parental controls that limited its use. She was unable to decide anything for herself and that intensified the older she got.

Not knowing any better, this continued until Jessica could no longer take it. A few months ago, she tried to burn the house down to release all of her pent up frustration. However, the chip read her stress level and sent out an alert to authorities who interfered before she could snap the lighter.

She was tackled and apprehended. Her parents were so terrified, they didn’t visit her and weren’t there when she was released. Jessica was given a bag with a few clothes and was told of her next destination, Northern Philadelphia, without so much as a word from them.

Revisiting a time she would rather forget, her face twists in agony and head hangs low, all with a stinging pain that spreads throughout her abdomen. Jessica pauses and leans on the railing, to try calming down.

“It’s not worth it…waiting for a family.”

Jessica is aware her warning may be considered selfish. She doesn’t know what the future has in store for Shayna. This dangerous city has some good people. Perhaps there is a family out there waiting for her, but to see the stress of waiting affect her to such a degree, and as the only person in their group who may understand her, she wants to do something.

With determination now outweighing her anxiety, Jessica is able to reach the 3rd floor. There, she notices Shayna walking towards their base and no one else in sight. This is an opportunity Jessica can’t pass up. She shouts to her across the hall, “Shayna!”

Hearing her name, Shayna turns around and looks at Jessica with a scowl, not saying a word. Faced with a silent stare, Jessica’s nervousness shows through.

“The other day…Yuuki told me your situation.”

“She’s done that with everyone. And?”

A quick and sharp response. This is starting off as difficult as she expected. What’s the best thing to say? If one thing is for certain, Jessica doesn’t want to mention anything relating to her own past. After contemplating for a minute, she decides to go with what she learned once she became acquainted with the group.

“Aren’t you happy? Here with everyone.”

“What do you mean?”

Talking in a roundabout manner confuses Shayna, pushing Jessica to state her original thoughts.

“Being adopted doesn’t guarantee happiness.” She says while looking away.

Shayna is astounded. This isn’t the first time someone approached her in a similar manner. When she transferred here in the spring after arriving at a new foster home, a concerned classmate tried to cheer her up, but wound up making things worse and everyone in her class has avoided her since.

This was after Yuuki recruited her and when they caught wind of the situation, they avoided triggering the same reaction. Although everyone does their best to accommodate her, she feels a large distance between them because of it.

Jessica glances up only to see that her own anguish has now been transferred to Shayna.

“Are you trying to say my dream is pointless? All my hard work to get people to adopt me…pointless?”

“I’ve only known you a few days, but watching everyone else, I can tell they’ve been worried about you almost non-stop. Friends can be your family, and are sometimes better, too.”

‘Friends are family’. The welcoming atmosphere surrounding them didn’t take long to affect Jessica, bringing about feelings she never experienced before. Although she realized this almost immediately, Shayna may have yet to do so.

Shayna hasn’t always been this defensive around people. She loves waiting and talking with Marquise each morning. She loves Yuuki’s random actions, which make every day interesting. She loves how much Andres helps her with her ability. She loves that Kahler accepted her and gave her something to do. Shayna already knew all of that, but the stress continued building up this year and it took over her entire mindset.

Jessica said exactly what she needed to hear to wake up, though she would rather not admit it. Still, she’s not an ungrateful person and is sure to let Jessica know she appreciates her help with a simple “Thank you.”

Jessica is so surprised she can’t help thinking That’s it? She figured they would end up arguing back and forth or Shayna would yell at her and not agree on any point. It’s hard to tell if anything was truly resolved, but watching Shayna’s back as she walks to their base, Jessica can’t help feeling a sense of relief.

In addition to finally speaking with her, she also conquered part of her own life that continued to plague her. Why worry about parents that want nothing to do with her? They’re no long part of Jessica’s life, and there are no plans to go back either. Jessica would still consider this to be the most stressful moment ever since moving here.

Shayna opens the door to room 313 with Jessica following close behind. Before she takes one step through the doorway, she hears Shayna shout “Andres!” And watches her run over to someone unfamiliar.

It’s a young man with lightly tanned skin. He’s wearing a large, baggy jacket and hood covering his head with the rim of a hat sticking out above his eyes. It may seem like a strange style, but it’s not unusual in the city. She assumes this is the sick person she heard them mention a few times.

“Hey Shayna, thanks for workin’ hard to cover my share too.”

“It wasn’t easy, you know.” She says with her arms crossed.

“I’m sure.” The man then looks at Jessica and his eyes glimmer at the sight of her. “You must be Jessica! I’ve been wantin’ to meet you. I’m Andres, nicknamed Smooth. I’ll be working with you and Yuuki tonight.”

Jessica simply says “nice to meet you” in return. He already knows her name so she doesn’t feel the need to introduce herself.

Yuuki then pops in after taking Marquise home. As Andres said, only Yuuki, Jessica, and himself will be going out. She plans to take Shayna home and then they can begin. The time is 4:45 pm, just a few hours before sunset—

Starting in Fairmount, along Corinthian Avenue and Parrish Street, the trio came across 4 murders within 30 minutes. A man walking down the sidewalk was shot after turning the corner at the end of a block, a young couple were killed in their home, and a convenience store owner shot a thief in self defense. People are able to protect themselves often throughout the year, but the senseless murders always outnumber them.

This is the first night Jessica is working extensively and she feels useless since she has yet to use her ability after practicing a few days ago. The only thing she can do is stand and watch. She understands Yuuki’s teleportation is more reliable and tries to convince herself that she will serve a purpose at some point.

Similarly, Andres is disappointed he hasn’t had much of a chance to speak with Jessica. He wants to get to know the new team member he just met.

Then after one and a half hours, saving 16 people, they take a break on the roof of a 25 story hotel. Yuuki is talking with Andres, mostly checking his condition since he was out for over a week, while Jessica is sitting on the roof, looking over the city.

Once their talk ends, Andres approaches Jessica and takes a seat next to her.

“I hear you been out for 3 days. What you think?”

This is the second time someone asked Jessica her thoughts on this and by now she’s seen enough to be able to give a better answer.

“The best way I can describe it is…I’m having fun. This is far more than I’d be able to see if I continued my regular routine.”

“I totally got you!” Andres gets excited by her words, “ ‘Sides when my parents took me to the doctor, I was never allowed outside, so I just saw the street I lived on or the hospital. Nothing between.”

“It sounds like you’ve always been sick.”

“Yup, it’s a chronic illness. I’ll never be cured. Stuck to suffer my entire life. Makes me glad they have virtual classes. Though I sometimes fall asleep during.”

Andres laughs, but it turns into a cough, leaving him to catch his breath afterwards. Despite the pain, he smiles. Forever living in a broken body, stuck in this desperate situation, he is able to laugh about it. It must have taken a long time to get used to living this way. To see it in a different light compared to any other people who would simply look at him with pity. He refuses to let anyone even consider that.

Once Andres’ breathing steadies, he switches his view to the scenery before him. “Until recent, I’ve never gotten a good look at the city. There’s a lot of ugly in Philly, but I think there’s just as much beauty.”

Even with all the death, destruction, and stench there are those who would call this beautiful? Maybe only people who were raised here can understand.

As Jessica looks at Andres, she’s drawn to his emerald eyes that have an alluring glow to them from the surrounding lights. Andres turns to face her, causing her to get nervous since he noticed her staring at him.

However, in reality, he was looking past her. He shouts Yuuki’s codename “Sky” to get her attention and she hurries to their side. Andres steadily stands up, eyes locked in one direction, as he pulls Jessica’s arm to help her stand with them.

“Both of you stay behind me.” Yuuki says, now right in front of them.

Confused by their actions, Jessica turns around to see what they are referring to. It’s a man, standing on the other side of the roof, possibly in his 20s or 30s, pointing a knife directly at them. The man doesn’t say a word. He merely stands in place.

This is a 25 story building, why would someone come up here with a weapon like that? A knife is of no use unless they were meeting someone.

Seconds later, the man screams and rushes towards them at high speed. Almost simultaneously, Yuuki does the same. When he’s close enough to attack, Yuuki blocks the knife with her sheathed sword and swerves to her side, raising her left leg to give the man a hard kick in the stomach.

The force from Yuuki’s movements push off her hood, allowing her long, black hair to flow through the air. The strands shimmer in the light making her look nothing short of elegant despite the brutal assault.

The kick causes the man to go flying a few feet. As she lowers her leg, he lands on his back and his body immediately disintegrates, leaving the knife behind.

This is the first time someone intentionally attacked them. Watching all of this unfold, Jessica isn’t sure what to think. Then all of a sudden, they hear clapping and a man’s voice from above. Descending from the sky is a man with blonde hair and blue eyes.

On high alert, Yuuki jumps back to get closer to the other saviors, with Andres moving to stand in front of Jessica.

“You’re as hasty as ever, I see.” The man says as he lands on the roof. He speaks in a calm tone, lacking any sort of malice, making it difficult to sense his intentions.

Instead of responding, Yuuki simply says the name, “Michael.”

“That is one of my names, but to state it without any hint of respect.” The man’s demeanor suddenly shifts, staring at the group with a menacing look in his eyes. He then tries to calm himself and switches back to speaking as he did before. “No, that’s not why I’m here. I noticed you had someone new with you. I felt I should introduce myself.”

“I’m sure there’s more to it.” Yuuki says as she stays on guard.

Jessica has hardly been able to follow their conversation. She’s been distracted by something that startled her once this ‘Michael’ came into full view. The same eyes, the same hair, the same face, this man looks exactly like Kahler. It’s an exact duplicate wearing different clothing.

The fact that both of them treat Kahler as their trusted leader, yet appear to completely despise this man who looks no different, Jessica can’t comprehend the situation. Although she intended to keep quiet, she can’t help making her confusion known.

“What’s going on…?”

“He enjoys sending souls of the dead to attack us, making them seem as if they were alive.” Yuuki explains. “Isn’t that right?”

Michael grins from ear to ear at the sight of terror on their new friend’s face. Satisfied with the results of his short visit, Michael decides to leave, disappearing in a flash of light. He leaves them with an ominous message; “Have fun while you can.”

Once the man is gone, Yuuki stands up straight, lowering her guard while she considers the point of his visit. Whenever someone new joined their group, Michael would appear to greet them, but it couldn’t have been just to scare them.

Jessica doesn’t hesitate to clarify what she said earlier, demanding a more clear answer.

“When I questioned the situation earlier, you knew what I was actually asking you.”

Jessica faces Yuuki with a mix of fear and anger.

“The reason Kahler looks like Michael, you’ll have to ask Kahler himself. I have no way to explain it.”

“But will he actually tell me?”

“No one knows.” Andres intervenes. “All of us have the same question, but none had the courage to ask ‘em.”

Jessica is baffled, “And you’re still okay with aiding him? You don’t find this suspicious at all?”

“You said it yourself earlier; ‘I’m having fun’. We feel the same. We’re ‘fraid the answer will change everything. Destroy the joy we have now.” Andres says.

“That’s–”

With each new piece of information, new questions emerge. From the start, Jessica suspected there was more to their work than ‘cleansing the city’, but there was no reason to inquire further. Now, after getting to know everyone and finding something she enjoys, she can’t deny feeling the same fear Andres described.

“What a welcome for my first day back.” Andres makes a light hearted joke to try and lower the tension.

His comment causes Yuuki to loosen up, though only slightly. She shrugs her shoulders and holds out her hand, “We should report back.”

Right away when they arrive, before Kahler is able to ask his usual ‘how did it go’, Yuuki informs him of Michael’s visit. She’s sure to include his farewell message.

“ ‘Have fun while you can.’ It sounds like he plans to take action ahead of schedule.” Not liking what he hears, Kahler lets out a huff. “We’ll have to be more careful from here on. Stick with the 3 man groups, covering as much ground as you can with your teleporting and let me know any time he appears.”

“You think he will interfere again?” Yuuki asks.

“I’m not sure. He enjoys playing around at times, but doesn’t normally act without purpose. Either way he’s very unpredictable so it would be good to be more cautious.”

As their conversation unfolds, Jessica stares intently at Kahler, remembering Michael’s face, comparing the two again with fresh eyes. There’s no doubt they look exactly the same in every way possible. She clenches her fists, lacking the courage to ask. Andres didn’t need to point it out for her to realize what knowing the truth would do. She decides to ignore the issue just as everyone else does.

**********************************

The day after their latest adventure, Yuuki teleports Jessica to school, but instead of conversing, she leaves to get the other members. Jessica surveys her surroundings to see an empty, tidy room, meaning Kahler most likely went to bed already.

His daily routine appears to be: staying up through the night doing school work and going to bed by the time school begins. He leads their group and can awaken abilities, but beyond that, she doesn’t know what his own ability is nor of his ultimate goal.

And now there’s their apparent enemy called Michael. He must be who Yuuki referenced the other night, the person who takes and uses unsaved souls, but is it really just to mess with them? There must be more to it than that.

Jessica attempts to clear her mind. There’s no point in trying to solve this mystery with what she currently knows. She can only set it aside for now, but her lack of sleep makes it difficult to focus on anything else.

Jessica walks into the hallway to see Andres leaning against the wall. From what he said himself, she thought he only did virtual learning and never came to school. When he notices her, he approaches with his usual, carefree smile.

“What are you doing here?” she asks.

“I had Yuuki bring me here for a bit. I wanted to make sure you were okay after last night.”

It took one look for Andres to see she’s in the same mood from when they departed. It’s barely been 12 hours since then so it’s no surprise.

“What’s there to say? Discussing this won’t get me anywhere.” she says with a shrug.

“That’s not true. The big mystery will remain such, but all else is wide open. If you’re like us, you probably have no one to talk with, right?”

“Yeah.” Jessica readily admits. Another pathetic factor in her life.

“I heard you don’t carry your cell with you, maybe I can dig up an old email? Though I think installing SL on our computers is an option.”

Listening to Andres come up with a way for them to communicate other than in person, Jessica is in awe of his optimism. He probably has to take many extra steps each day with his condition so why would he expend more energy to help her? Perhaps there is no deeper meaning. Jessica once again tells herself, Stop thinking so much.

“Sure.” Jessica says, catching Andres’ attention. “I don’t know how often I’ll reply, but let me know the easiest way.”

Hearing those words motivates Andres even more. He promises to figure it all out tonight. Jessica never spoke with anyone despite the necessities being programmed in the chip in her wrist so she can’t hide she feels the same excitement.