(Episode II) (Act 4)

“We’re so happy that you’re okay…” Jack Sr. said, in his rather youthful voice.

“Yeah…” Jackie looked down, then away. “I’m sorry. I’m so stupid.”

“Dear…” Dawn said, in her motherly tone, complete with subtle head tilt.

“No, I messed up. Completely, utterly messed up. I don’t deserve any…Empathy or whatever.”

She blinked back the tears, looking directly at them even if she couldn’t see them clearly. “And what’s more, I betrayed you both. I lied. I ruined years’ worth of trust, and for what in the end?”

They were nothing but blurred multiples of circles of different sizes, and yet she could still make out her father holding his wife tight while she wiped her eyes.

Jackie croaked as the emotion stilled itself in her throat, “Punish me however you see fit. All I can even hope to do is beg for your forgiveness as I’m on it.”

She then felt the familiar large thumb that gently made tears go away. It’s been years since they did that.

Jack was close to her, leaning in from the side, eyes welling and red, “All that stuff is fine and good; we’ll worry about it when we worry about it. But now? What we want you to do, baby girl? We want you better. And that’ll make the pain go away more than anything.”

Dawn nodded, with a face covered with wiped tears of her own, “And that’s an order, if you truly want one.”

Jackie wanted to cry for a different reason with a different set of emotions, but only nodded in return, “Understood…”

“Things…” Jack started, “Things… Are going to be fine. We’ll figure it out. I’ll soak up anything and all siVis…whatever if that means making this work.”

He turned his head and saw Leslie at the door still, and turned to him without missing a step, “Hey son--!”

Dawn sighed her usual one, and quickly looked to Jackie, “Don’t worry, we’ll be right back in… 20 minutes? I’ll do my best to cut it to 15:78.9, but I’m not a miracle worker…”

Jackie laughed, “It’s fine, it’s fine…”

With her parents pre-occupied, she turned her attention to Maddie’s side of things. It was almost what she expected.

The male was balding, his greasy locks hanging from around the spot that still had strings of hair futilely trying to reconnect. Portly, wearing a navy and brown waistcoat and slacks combo. He looked like a man who’s seen it all: the perfect complement from what Jackie could gleam from Maddie as a person.

“…Mind telling me what happened or…?” he began, Jersey accent that’s not strong, but present.

“I did something incredibly dumb,” Maddie stated matter-of-factly, that smirk of hers.

He raised his hands from his pockets with a smile of his own, but more…bemused, versus whatever Maddie has in her mind, “Deeetails…?”

“Listen Frank,” Maddie could only chuckle this out, “I can’t even describe whatever the fuck happened, you’re outta luck man.”

“Jesus, Madison…” Frank sighed out, a phrase he said with perfect utterance, practiced. “I’m glad that you’re not fucked up, but you’re not leaving me with anything. The whole neighborhood’s asking about you and what they saw of you.”

“Tell ‘em that I’m basically more interesting and better than them now,” Maddie joked. Jackie hoped it was, “Oh and I’ll survive when everyone else gets turned into the schumucks outta a scary movie.”

His face continued to be bemused until it fell serious. He rubbed the back of his neck, before sighing, “…Want me to tell your parents or-?”

“Tell them anything, I don’t give a shit,” Maddie said way too fast to be nonchalant.

“Thought so. Just wanted to give ya’ a heads up.”

Jackie decided to bail from that, she can’t get too personal… She cranked up her awareness and looked towards Aiko’s spot and the rest why there was a crowd was answered.

Too sharp, too soft, it was still a chore to turn the knobs of something that once was something imaginary—or so automatic and beyond her that it pretty much had to be. She had to close her eyes shut, grinding her teeth until she figured it out. She opened her eyes again, clearly missing deadair, from what she’s tuned into.

Her mother, father, and three siblings was around her, with the girl of their hour simply was fiddling with something else on her bed. Not meeting their eyes akin to Jackie? Or…Just not interested in talking with them?

The other siblings, one no younger than 5, one 12 and the other 9, all boys. They talked with one another, played with the bed themselves, and overall made noise before the parents found their nerve.

“…Hi, honey…” her elderly father carefully greeted her, thick Japanese accent.

“Hi,” Aiko returned and only returned.

The couple could only look at each other, expressions wrecked with unease.

“…I hope that you are okay,” her father continued. “We were every worried that it was something worse like warping. At least… You have a very interesting power to you, now.”

“Can you fly?” the younger brother chimed in.

“Could you be like a Kamen Rider or like a superhero?” the second youngest asked right after.

“Are you just dead now?” the oldest inquired morbidly.

Their mother tapped her foot loudly, to get them to settle down. Business shoes, as both were wearing dress shirts with their suits off; draped in the mother’s arms and over the shoulder with her dad. Both with salt and pepper hair and generally the same size, but the father beats her by mere inches.

“But now that this is over with… Maybe stay home more? Maybe take this as a sign?”

Aiko sighed loudly, annoyingly, and made it long. “If this is about being afraid of me or taking things to a new level…”

“Exactly what we’re worried about,” her mother said, again putting her foot down, without doing it.

Aiko again sighed dramatically. “Fine. As I recover, I’ll be at home and we can talk about it, I guess.”

The couple looked at each other again, torn.

Aiko’s father caved all the same, “Thank you…”

Jackie winced, and it wasn’t because she was holding on for too long—whatever that meant, and she let go. She can only hope for the best as she homed in on River.

“…I’m not going make this into a thing about your…whatever it is you’re going through,” he continued, failing to be professional with the sheer annoyance with his voice. “Not even going to make this about work, that in fact, they called me during an important rush. It’s mom and dad. They’re worried sick.”

Whoever was before her was disappointed. Just before the bed, stand-offish in body language and in expression. He had work clothes on, skinny, with long brown hair, and not the colorful hazel River has and glasses of his own, but not broken like River’s. He shook his head as River returned with it her usual look, somehow emptier.

River only stared up at him. Seemed like she was only doing just that, so far.

“And I know you know what that means, because all that smarts you got in there. I know, I know, ‘but you’re not’. Either way? They could be in here next and unlike you with your new superpowers, they might not handle it. So please. If you don’t have any self-respect left for yourself; at least get better for them. And me.”

“Sure,” the word barely came out of River’s throat, it rumbled with hurt.

Jackie tried to seek refuge in Tracy’s place and yet nobody was there with her. She only looked up at the ceiling, hands across her stomach, wearing a face mixed with anger and sadness. Jackie couldn’t hear much, this could be the end of her rope with this, but she could hear bits of her muttering. “I knew it”, repeated.

Jackie snapped back, just in time for her parents to return to her. Their patient and kind smiles meant so much more to her, now.

“Your nurse said that all he needs is another look over and plug the stuff in,” Jack said, with a smile. “Then, you’re discharged. We’ll be back home.”

“Sounds good…” Jackie said, sensing the tangible instances of pushing the “we’ll figure it out” narrative. “See you soon. And really, thank you. You guys are the best.

Her parents waved, exiting out before Leslie got to issue the announcement to clear the room. What was a room of many resized back to six. Jackie glanced quickly at each girl; Maddie returned to her music to clear her mind, Aiko looked annoyed as she made her own fun, River with a distant look and Tracy alone and unmoving.

“You all better be glad that you have someone,” Leslie cut in, per usual, as he held the open door. “Hopefully you’ll figure things out and help them along in that, you owe that much to them.”

“Can you like—eat your own tongue and wash it down with the blood that comes spray out?” Maddie opened her eyes and her permanent scowl was pushed further, indicting that she really is. “And hey, you know how to stop that, so you won’t die after.”

Leslie rubbed his face, as if he had the decency to be angry, “I’m not going this, saying it? Just because I enjoy kicking people when they’re down: but telling them things when they are. It’s harsh, and to be honest, I’m incredibly anti-social so I don’t know how to conversate well. But take it from someone that’s your own age—”

“Whoa, you’re 17?” Aiko sat up.

“Yeah no Safari; I am fucking with you there,” Maddie agreed.

Leslie shrugged, “18, going on 19. Turns out the world needs medical help and can’t afford pickyness. A lot of medical help. During these times and me being a genius sort of helps me along. Anyways. You guys honestly are the most put together siVis ones we’ve had in a year so far. Only you. So, don’t take this as me bitching at you; take this as something you have to keep in mind and use.”

A terrible scream was rushed into the hallways, Leslie had to look.

Two doctors were wheeling in an out-of-shape teen, absolutely in pieces. He didn’t know where he was, maybe not even who judging how each piece of him was misshaped and dark. He can only wriggle his head wildly, the only part of him that fit properly on the gurney.

They were a blur, but Jackie and the girls saw enough. And before Leslie could say something, his face in a pitiable grimace, the female doctor screamed at him, “LESLIE, ALL HANDS UNTIL WE’VE CALMED HIM DOWN!”

Leslie shouted that he’ll be there, before turning to the girls again with this, “See?”

At once, all of them nodded.

Leslie was in a hurry to say the next bit, before he darted off, “So after I’m done with this; strip, all of you—I’ll be feeling each of you out before you go—”

Jackie blinked, rapidly before she shakingly turned to the girls, always dumbfounded with wide eyes, it fucking feels like. Being hit by two cases of mortal terror was not good for her health.