Collateral

Chapter Sixteen - Reyna

"Tell me that isn't Arsen."

"Mr. Ashford, I'm sorry--"

"Tell me that isn't my son!" 

Reyna hung her head, tears welling in her eyes. "I can't, Mr. Ashford, I'm sorry."

Arsen's father stared at the TV screen for a moment longer while the news replayed the clip of Arsen falling again and again. 

After a major misunderstanding, a boy at the age of eighteen, whose name is yet to be revealed, was shot by local cops. Unfortunately, he died on the way to the hospital. In the aftermath, riots are beginning to spark and the people are demanding a change. We will keep you updated as we receive more information.

Reyna grabbed the remote and turned it off. 

"Don't listen to that." 

"It's all lies!" Arsen's father shouted. "How do you mistake an eighteen-year-old boy for a hardened criminal?"

Reyna composed herself, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I don't know, Mr. Ashford. You could sue, go public. The media is going to find out it's Arsen soon anyway. You could convict the officers--"

Reyna knew that they weren't police officers at all, and wondered how no one else could see that. "That wouldn't do any good," he said bitterly. 

Reyna glanced around and saw Holly sitting on the stairwell, quietly sobbing. She made her way over to the girl, kneeling next to her. "You alright, princess?" She whispered, trying to use her nickname for the girl to console her and immediately regretting it. It was a stupid question, of course she wasn't alright.

"Ye--yeah," sniffled Holly, turning her face away to hide her tears.

"Hey, princess. You need to be strong, can you do that?" Holly nodded. "Your father's going to need some time to get over this. To accept it. You need to be there mentally." Reyna tapped her head. "Okay?"

"Okay," Holly confirmed. Reyna used her sleeve to wipe away Holly's tears. 

"Princesses don't cry, Holls." 

Reyna stood. 

"I'm going to be back, okay, but I need to do something. Can you hold down the fort for me here for a little?"

Holly nodded. Reyna's heart almost broke at the sight of the little girl, tear tracks on her cheeks and red, puffy eyes that held no hint of the playful joy they formerly had. 

"Princesses don't cry," Reyna repeated more firmly. "You gotta be strong."

"Got to," Holly corrected, her voice raspy with gaps between the words when she had to gasp for air to control her breathing. "It's got to."

Reyna smiled. Holly was beginning to sound like herself again. "You got to be strong."

"What the hell, Magnus?" Reyna yelled, her eyes a wildfire. 

"Once it was in my awareness that Arsen was--different--I had an obligation, a duty, to tell ADAM!" Magnus yelled back. 

"Let's calm down, lads," Damon drawled before turning around and punching Magnus in the face. 

He stumbled back in shock but didn't fall. "Oh, so that's how you wanna play?" He roared. 

"You killed him!" Damon snapped. "Probably because he was getting too close, right?" 

Magnus looked genuinely surprised. "Close to what?" 

"The truth!"

Of course. It all made sense, Arsen had some crazy vendetta against Magnus. He got his own team to back him. "Accusing Magnus was a mistake on Arsen's part," Reyna cut in. "None of us killed Ilana." She looked to Daren for help but saw he was drifting towards Damon, Calix, and Rylan.

Magnus seemed to notice too. "Daren?"

"You are hiding something, Magnus. You have been for a while." Daren looked him straight in the eyes. "I don't want to support an assassin." 

Magnus looked like he wanted to throw something. Reyna felt the same--how could Daren just turn on his friend?

"I was keeping faith in you," Daren continued, "because there was no evidence. We all looked so hard but there was no evidence."

Reyna held her head, groaning. "Just shut up, all of you, Arsen's gone. Who even told you anyway?"

Magnus paused, thinking. "It was anonymous."

"And you didn't stop and think if you were wrong--"

"I just wanted him gone, okay?"

"And it didn't matter to you either that someone knew about ADAM?"

"God, Reyna," Magnus shouted, "I didn't think it through!"

"Ugh." Reyna turned away so they couldn't see that she was on the brink of tears. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, shared grief. She turned, seeing Calix. His eyes blazed with emotion. 

"You okay?" He asked. His voice was low. 

"I'm fine," Reyna said sarcastically. "Never been better."

Calix tilted his head at her, gaze softening. Reyna couldn't stand for someone to look at her like that, with such pity. She was strong, she wasn't any damsel in distress. She didn't need saving. 

Princesses don't cry, and Reyna was the queen. 

A month had passed and Reyna had a eulogy at Arsen's funeral. The riots had died down within a week. People weren't motivated enough. 

She hadn't cried. 

She wasn't going to. 

Arsen's father had tried to move on somewhat, for Holly more than anyone. Still, he was basically shut down. Reyna had taken on the role of caring for Holly. 

It was still too soon. 

Usually, Reyna hated having regrets. Those were the things that stayed with you on your deathbed. 

Her biggest regret that would stay with her forever would be never telling Arsen how much he meant to her. 

She was never the best at expressing her feelings, although everything seemed easier around Arsen. 

Still, she could never get the words out.

They were just three simple words, but the weight they carried--nothing would've been the same. 

And Reyna didn't want to ruin what they had, she would rather have him as only a friend than not at all. 

So she stayed silent. 

And so she held her breath underwater to keep their friendship afloat. 

Now it was too late. And the words lay heavier on her than ever. She held onto them, it felt wrong. If she couldn't say them when he was alive, what gave her the right to say them once he was dead?

And what happened to the world?

Absolutely nothing.

It kept on spinning, circling the sun. Tilted on its axis. 

And that was when she realized how little effect Arsen had made on the world. 

A small ripple of protests across the country, but what did it do? 

Absolutely nothing. 

It was all useless. In ten years, no one would remember.

This all went through Reyna's mind as she was smearing peanut butter across a slice of bread for Holly's lunch.

She dipped the knife into the jar. 

Someone knocked on the door. Reyna called for the person at the door to wait, it was probably another reporter. Though they were much more sporadic and rare, every now and then people still showed up at the doorstep inquiring about Arsen. 

She finished making the sandwich and made her way over to the door.

I wonder who it is.

They're knocking again. Patience is a virtue, people.

I hate repeating myself, but I guess I have to tell them I'm on my way.

Oh, they're talking. Sounds a little like Arsen. 

Although how could I know, I can barely remember.

I hate answering the door. 

I'll glance through the peephole and hope I won't be staring down the barrel of a g*n.

Oh, it's Arsen.

Wait--it's Arsen?

Reyna opened the door almost robotically, jaw hanging open.

"Hey, you're Reyna, right?" Arsen said, talking quickly in a hushed voice. Reyna could only nod in shock. "I know this is really sudden, but do you happen to have twenty dollars?"