Heroes and Villains

26 - Family Brothel

Michelle

It takes a few days before I’m fully recovered, but I guess it could have been a lot worse. If not for Hamato Industries’ special medicine, I never would have recovered in less than a few months and I would be covered in horrible scars.

Not that I am ever going to thank that enterprise out loud but if not for their advanced technology, my scarring wouldn’t have been kept to a minimal.

Of course, Cain wants this too. I wouldn’t be able to continue performing if my skin looked like it had been chewed and spitted out.

Anyway, now that I am fully recovered, I can finally start practicing with Jack! I can’t hide my excitement. It’s been so long since we’ve shared moments like these. Moments like the one where I first started falling in love with him.

I haven’t heard from him since he came to see me but I am not going to wait around for him to show up again. By the way he presented himself to me last time, I fear the worst.

So, as soon as Jaden tells me I’m good to go, I get out of my secluded room after quickly putting on a t-shirt and a pair of pants.

I think I am doing a perfect job of sneaking out when a large black man stands in my way.

“Where are you going?” Cain asks me in his thunderous voice.

I gulp, standing up from my crouching position. “Hi, Cain” I innocently greet. “I was, uh… Going to catch some sunlight. Jaden says it would be good for me”

“You are not going anywhere” He states and pulls me by my arm back into the bar.

“But, Cain, I-” I start, trying to reason with him

“I specifically stated none of you girls are to leave this place. It is too dangerous out there right now, especially for you” He tells me and I look at him as he continues dragging me to where my new room is.

“Because of who I am?” I ask.

“I’ve told you” He says, not looking at me. “If dad manages to capture you, it’s over. He will get what he wants”

“What exactly is it he wants?” I push. “You make it sound like it is a bad thing but is Itsuki that bad of a person, really? He saved all the mutants”

“He only saved the mutants because it fits his own agenda” Cain says, stopping in his tracks and looking angrily at me. “That’s what he thinks I don’t know, that’s what Ricardo thinks I don’t know. This is all just a stupid plan to get to the meteor”

“The meteor?” I ask, wondering why it all comes back to that rock.

“Listen to me, Michelle” Cain says, looking seriously at me and making me want to shrink into a little flee. “No one out there does anything for anyone if it doesn’t serve them some kind of purpose. Everyone just wants to suck you dry until you have nothing left to offer, especially my dad”

“What does that have to do with me?” I ask. “What does that have to do with the meteor?”

“I spoke too much” He says, finally letting go of my arm. “Why were you heading out? You better not be thinking about turning into a cat again”

“No, I was just…” I start but find that I am embarrassed to admit what it was that I was doing. How do you tell this brute that I have a massive crush on his little brother?

“You were going to see Jack, weren’t you?” He pointedly asks and I look at my own feet.

Knowing that I can’t deny it, I nod.

“Come” Cain says, surprising me. “I want to show you something”

I look curiously at him as he turns his back to me and heads off, clearly wanting me to follow him. I quickly catch up.

“Where are we going?” I ask him.

“You and Jaden used to live with the mutants before, right?” He says and I look shocked at him. “You were like family, yeah?”

“Jaden told you that?” I ask, still surprised he knows so much about our past.

He smirks and for a moment I can see why Jaden is so smitten with him.

“Jaden tells me a lotta things” Cain says.

“I knew it!” I affirm. “You ARE having s*x!”

“Hey!” He says, stopping in his tracks. I immediately regret saying anything as he looks threateningly at me. “If you think all I want is s*x, you’re dead wrong!”

“Forget I said anything” I tell him, my voice a pinch higher than usual due to my fear.

He seems to let my stupid comment slide for now and continues leading the way through the bar.

“So, uh” I start again, more carefully this time. “What does the mutant thing have to do with where you’re taking me?”

“You really are dense sometimes, you know?” He insults me. “Didn’t I tell you the mutants are living here now?”

My mouth hangs open in realization as I finally understand where he is leading me. He is taking me to where the mutants live. I am going to be able to see them again.

I stop in my tracks as I realize something and look at my clawless hands. They only recognize me as Kat, ergo, Kitty Girl. They have no idea who Michelle Rose is, or that Kitty Girl is human for that matter.

Cain realizes I have stopped following him and turns back to fetch me.

“Hey” He starts. “Don’t start with your dramas, ok?”

I look up at him in confusion.

“Jaden has also told me you weren’t exactly human during the time you lived with them” He says. “I assume they have no idea who you are right now”

I nod, no longer impressed by how he knows so much about my past. He and Jaden really must spend a long time talking.

“They can’t know, you hear?” Cain says and I frown, not understanding what he means by this. “No one can know”

“Know what?” I ask, figuring he means the mutants can’t find out I am human but wanting to check.

“That you are alive” Cain says, surprising me yet again. “As long as everyone continues assuming Kitty Girl is dead, you will be safe”

“That doesn’t sound very-” I start to complain.

“I won’t take no for an answer” Cain interrupts me brusquely. “You can’t reveal yourself or turn into Kitty Girl”

“Yeah? And how long will that last?” I ask, crossing my arms as I am getting a little upset with this conversation.

“As long as it takes” He firmly says, leaving no room for arguments. Not that I wanted to argue with this very large man. “Now come. Don’t you want to see your family?”

I can’t really refuse that. I badly want to see the mutants. I need to know that they are alright. I need to see it with my very eyes that they made it out alright.

So, I remain quiet the rest of the way as Cain leads me into the corridors leading to the girls’ room, but cuts to his own office, standing in front of a blank wall. I am about to ask him if he wants to barge headfirst into it, but he pulls one of the chandeliers (something only he can reach) and the wall in front of us quietly moves aside and reveals a hidden corridor.

I act impressed as he casually walks into the new corridor as if he does this every Tuesday. Then again, he probably does.

Still silent, we go down the inclined corridor and I hear the wall behind us close again. Fortunately, the corridor we are in is as lightened as the other ones. It’s not dungeonly like most of the hidden corridors in these kinds of stories.

I guess Cain wanted the mutants to live comfortably. More comfortably than I could imagine, it seems.

Once we reach the new lair, my jaw drops at how well done it is. It is far from being a replica of the lair in the sewers, but it couldn’t have been better thought. It almost looks like a penthouse.

There are beautiful huts for each family. An area just for plumbing, with included toilets, showers, and sinks. This may not sound very fancy, but believe me, it is for the mutants.

There is even a playground for the children.

One thing is for sure: this place is way bigger than the previous lair and it was certainly built to home all these people. This must have taken a really long time to come up with. I remember Cain saying it took he and his brothers a few years to find the money to build this, but I can’t remember how many.

“Wow…” I mumble, impressed at what I am seeing. “Cain, this is…”

“Impressive, isn’t it?” He says, visibly proud of what he accomplished. “At least it is safe in here. I don’t think anyone will remember to come looking for them uptown”

“I hope you’re right” I say as I look around at all the familiar faces and yet they can’t recognize me.

They wave at Cain as they pass, smiling gratefully. It is clear they know who their benefactor is. They also look curiously at me, a stranger in their new middle. At other times, they would be scared of me but because I am with Cain, they probably feel that they can trust me.

Jensen approaches us and greets Cain with a fist bump. They really developed quite a closeness for someone who only knows each other for a couple of days. Of course, saving an entire kin does help the case…

Then, he looks at me, and his expression changes.

“You brought one of the girls here?” Jensen asks, looking at me up and down. He has always been the mistrustful type of guy.

“She is going to start helping us with the food supplying” Cain tells him and I look at him.

“I am?” I ask and he pats my back with so much strength I feel the air jump out of my lungs.

“Of course you are!” Cain exclaims, grinning. “This is Mia. She was injured, so she can’t perform for now, but I want her to still be useful”

“Lucky me” I mumble, not looking very pleased.

“Great” Jensen says, not realizing what’s going on. “We could use the help. It’s not very easy to go grocery shopping uptown. It’s all so… complicated”

“Tell me about it” Cain says. “Well, Mia here will help you with it. She needs to rest for now but tomorrow you can introduce her to the girls”

“Seems like a deal” Jensen says and looks at me again. He squints at me and I stand up straight, afraid he has realized something. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

“I-I don’t think so!” I say, my voice a pinch higher with my nervousness. “I’ve never met a mutant before”

“You look familiar” Jensen says, still suspicious.

“I just have one of those faces” I throw an excuse, hoping it will stick. Thankfully, it does and Jensen looks back at Cain.

Cain just shrugs. “You can trust her, Jensen” He tells him. “Mia has been one of my girls since I first opened the bar”

“I’ll trust her” Jensen wields. “But I’ll keep my eye on her”

“Fine by me” Cain says, waving at the kids who are playing nearby. They giggle and wave back happily. Cain is famous around here, it seems.

“Good” Jensen says and looks back at me. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, Mia”

I nod and watch him go after fist-bumping Cain again. I should have guessed Jensen would become Leader after Gideon passed away.

“Now that that’s settled, there’s one more thing I want to show you” Cain says.

“Another job you want to push me into?” I ask but flinch, afraid of the comeback.

“Sort of” Cain says, not even a little bit upset. He starts leading the way through the walls of the new Lair and points me to another corridor that seems to lead further uptown.

“This corridor leads to the mansion” Cain tells me and I look surprised at him. “Hey, it was the best way I could think of to provide food for this place”

“So, you want me to use this corridor to get the mutants more food?” I ask.

“Yes and no” Cain says and I am seriously getting tired of his charades. “This corridor also leads to Jack”

Surprised, I look from Cain to the corridor.

“You’re right. He needs to see someone right now” He tells me. “You may not be exactly the person he is waiting for, but it may be just what he needs”

I look into the corridor, thinking about Cain’s words. He must know about Jack’s feelings for Kitty Girl and how badly it is affecting him now that he thinks she is dead.

“Thanks, Cain” I finally say, stepping into the corridor. “I’ll do my best”

“I know you will” Cain says, smiling. “You two were made for each other, after all”