Soul Stitched (book one)

Chapter 79: Crystal

        "What?" hissed Wilt. Mac cleared her throat and looked over at Cashmere.
        "I've been meaning to tell you, honest. But I didn't know how..." said Mac. Aqua grunted. "I think you owe us an explanation." Aqua said. We all nodded. Mac leaned against the walls.
        "Okay, well, after the fire that killed my mother, I went looking for my dad. My parents were already divorced for a few years so I was probably a stranger to my dad, but I-I needed somewhere to go. I thought Cashmere had died in the fire so I ran, I was so scared." said Mac. "Eventually, I found my dad all the way in PA. He was living alone in a small house and he smelled pretty nasty. But I put up with him for a few months until that boy Cryptic called me up." Mac explained.
        "Wait, wait, wait. My dad was alone?" Wilt asked. Mac nodded and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ears.
        "Yea, why?" Mac asked. Anger rolled across Wilt's face and black fog started to swirl around her feet. We all took a step backwards.
        "My mother wasn't there?' Wilt asked. Mac shook her head quickly. Wilt closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "He actually kicked my mother out of her own house?" Wilt shrieked, eyes flying open making us all jump.
        "I-I guess, I never saw her." Mac rubbed her forehead. "Oh! He did mention something about an old girlfriend. They went to court or something, I'm assuming he sued her or something..?" Mac was stumbling over her words.
        "Court! Frank sued her?" Wilt shouted. Mac shrugged.
        "Don't ask me, all I know is that he successfully kicked her out. He wouldn't say any more. I can't even believe I went back to him after all he put me and Rosie-" she stopped herself.
        "Who's Rosie?" I finally spoke. Cashmere shot me a look that said, don't ask.
        "Never mind." I said. Mac looked upset but pressed her lips together tightly.
        "W-we should go." Cashmere broke the silence. Aqua sighed with relief.
        "Ya, but wait. That still doesn't explain why Mac didn't catch the virus." said Aqua. We all looked over at Mac.
        "Oh, right. Well, our grandmother who had powers-she gave birth to Frank who gave birth to me and Wilt, of course. So I guess Frank had some of the powers too and a tiny bit of that came to me, I guess I'm only immune, same with Frank." said Mac.
        "Great, Frank is still alive?" Wilt growled.
        "I guess. Anyway, can we please-please find the generator and just end this?" pleaded Mac. We all nodded and took off down the hall.

I lagged behind with Wilt as the others tried to navigate their way around. It wasn't working too well.
        "I miss him, too." I whispered. Wilt looked down, suddenly interested in the carpet. She didn't respond for a long time. Finally, she said, "I just don't know what to do with myself anymore. He should be here, Crystal. When he was here, I felt safe, complete. I felt like I have a purpose. But now- I'm nothing." her voice broke. I reached for her hand, but it was to comfort me as well.
        "You are not nothing, Wilt Shade. You do have a purpose. Look at yourself." I said. "Half of the world is dead and oh look, hello, we're still alive. Isn't that saying something? Plus, we-the nobodies from our home, we are saving the bloody world! Wilt, this is what we're supposed to do, we are going to save everyone. Don't back out now, Wilt. Don't make Cryptic's last wish to be in vain." I squeezed her hand.
        "But what happens after that? Crystal, how can I live with myself? How can I live knowing that it was me, that it was because of me that he's dead?" Wilt cried.
        "It wasn't you, Wilt. It was him, it was his choice, his decisions. I'm sure that if he were to do this again, he wouldn't change his actions. I'm sure he'd die for you all over for you because he loved you." I said.
        "Love it stupid." Wilt said. "You pour yourself into someone, knowing that one day, they won't be there anymore." she mumbled. "So why do it to yourself?" I put my hand on her shoulder.
        "Because, Wilt, sometimes we can't help ourselves."  I whispered. Wilt looked up and smiled sadly.
        "Yea, I guess."
        "Hey, guys! You may wanna see this!" Cashmere waved us over. We walked through the hall and stopped in a doorway. We peered in a gasped.
        "Is that Blake?" Mac asked, pointing to one of the doctors lying on the floor, dead. I walked over and frowned.
        "So he was working for Dr. Shep?" Aqua said, horrified. Cashmere bent down and picked something out of his lab coat. Some sort of card with Blake's picture on it.
        "This is an access key for the building we were tortured in, I recognize it, all the doctors and guards wore them."
        "Yup." I scowled at Blake's dead body. "It's like we can't trust anyone." I then looked up at the control panel. It was the size of a long table with hundreds of random buttons and dials. Some blinked, some didn't. What did this control panel control you may ask?

The generator.

A deadly silence settled over us.
        "No way." I said.
        "Yea way." said Wilt.
        "It's huge!" exclaimed Aqua.
        "It's here." Cashmere whispered.
        "We've come all this way and here it is." Wilt said.

All we have to do is shut it down and end this virus.
        "It cannot be that easy." I said.
        "Oh girls, it never is." said a voice.