Evil Maybe

Chapter 2- Ree

Master Ryan James banged his fist loudly on the table. Me, Jack, and Zeke all flinched. “I will not have this sort of behavior!” He growled angrily.

I cleared my throat. “Master James, it was just an experiment. And it could help us in the future! E.V.I.L would never know what’s hit them! Literally!” I argued.

Nobody had ever thought to try out my experiment in the whole 15 years since the cybertrans was invented.

It was my duty to experiment in every was possible with my mother’s invention. Master James sighed. “Rihanna-“ He started to say, but I held out my hand. “It’s Ree, not Rihanna, sir.” I clarified, narrowing my eyes.

“Fine then, Ree it is. Ree, experimenting with the cybertrans is what killed your mother!” He told me forcefully.

I felt anger rise up inside me. “My mother was the one who invented the cybertrans! She helped all of T.H.I.N.K! And she was going to help us again, but the energy killed her instead! I know that already, I’ve heard it a million times. But she left things undiscovered, and I want to be the one to discover those things!” I yelled.

Master James stood up. “You will not raise your voice at me young lady!” He said sharply.

Then he continued, in a gentler voice. “Rihanna -Ree- you will do great things for us. And maybe some time you will experiment more with your mother’s invention, but now is not that time.” I opened my mouth to protest, but Master James held up a hand.

“We will talk later. For now, I will be instructing all your parents to ground you.”

He looked at Jack and Zeke, silencing their cries of protest. “Yes, you as well. Both of you helped Ms. Makkay here. Goodbye now.” He shooed us away, so all three of us rose from the hard wooden chairs and walked out the door of Master James’s office.

As soon as we reached the hallway and were sure that no one could here us, Zeke and Jack erupted in conversation. “That’s so unfair! We were just helping you! And it was a good idea! I hate Master James.” Jack said miserably.

I rolled my eyes irritability as Zeke put an arm around both of us. “Well, no one is stopping us from doing it again.”

Jack’s eyes widened. “Do you want to get in trouble another time?!” He said fiercely.

Zeke sighed and said, “No, but Ree has learned from her mistakes, right? We won’t get caught this time. Stop being so serious.”

He punched Jack’s arm lightly as we walked out of the office building. I stopped listening to their bickering after a while, and just stared ahead.

I only came back to reality when Zeke hugged me and flashed a charming smile.

“See ya tomorrow.” He said mischievously and sprinted off.

Jack hugged me as well, though quicker than Zeke, and slipped away, leaving me standing at the border of the Living Sector alone.

I trudged home, playing with my ring as I went. The ring used to be my mothers before she died. It enhanced her power, and now it enhances mine. The gold band flashed in the sunlight, and the lightning bolt that ran across it sparkled. I closed my fist around it and it dug into my palm.

I still hadn’t put it back on by the time I walked through the door. I shut it behind me as quietly as possible, thinking that my dad might be napping, but as I walked farther in I realized that he wasn’t at the couch like I expected, but sitting at the table.

His head was buried in his hands, and although he made no sound, I could tell he was crying. A bowl of soup that had probably gone cold was next to him, almost untouched.

I hesitated, wondering what I should say. In the end I decided there was nothing I could do and I walked past him and to the stairs. As I passed I caught a glimpse of what he must have been looking at before he broke down.

It was a picture of my mom. Her golden eyes, so like mine, gleamed with happiness. Raven black hair, same colour as my own, fell slightly passed her shoulders and was frizzy from electricity. A round object that looked like it had exploded stood in the background, and I knew that it must have been taken when she had completely destroyed her first target.

Her hand was blurred, and I realized that one of my fathers tears had fallen on it. I gently moved his arm and pried the photo from his hand. I took it and walked up the solid marble stairs to my bedroom. As I entered, a blur of black obscured my vision.

“Flash!” I yelled. “What are you doing?!” He squeaked and wrapped his furry body around my neck. I swatted at him and he scampered away, yellow eyes bright with mischief.

“Minks.” I mutter under my breath. I flop down on my bed and my eyes flutter closed for a few seconds.

Just as I slide of my mattress, ready to go steal some food from the fridge, the door opens with a click and in enters my father. His hair is rumpled and his eyes are bloodshot. I sit up immediately.

“Dad.”

His puffy eyes find mine and he rushes in and throws his arms around me. I stiffen in surprise. It’s only been four months since my mom’s death, and my dad isn’t doing well. He used to be part of the high council, but he stopped going ever since the accident. The rest of them are giving him some time to recover, but if he doesn’t pull his act together soon, they may just kick him off the council entirely.

“I’m sorry.” He whispers in a scratchy voice.

“I’m trying to do better. You deserve for me to do better. But... it’s hard.” His voice sounds so broken. “Oh, dad,

” I say sadly. “I know. I know.”

And we stand there, embracing each other and crying quietly, held up only by the other.

We break apart after some time, but i’m not sure when. He takes me by the shoulders and looks me straight in my golden eyes.

“We’re going to get through this, ok? We can do this. We can get back to saving the world, like we used to. For you mother.”

And without another word he turns and walks out, shutting the door behind him.

I stand there, staring at the place where he disappeared. Only before I fall asleep, draped half across the chair in my room, do I realize that after he had stopped crying his dark eyes had seemed lighter than they had in months.