Extraordinary Mistakes

26. Foolproof

"Where are you headed, Abigail?" Mark asks when he sees his daughter walking toward the front door of their house.

"To visit Emily...?" Her eyebrow's frown. It's highly unusual of him to keep tabs on her.

"Shouldn't you be resting? With everything that happened yesterday..."

"I'm still shaken, dad, but it's probably better for me to keep my head occupied anyway. And I want to be there for her. It was awful for me, but I can't imagine what she went through."

"Ok, I see your mind's made," he smiles, "if you want to... you can take the Shelby."

Mark means his most precious car, a vintage model that Rebecca gave him to celebrate the birth of their first child, Veronica.

Her eyes glow and she hugs him. He laughs and asks only for it to be returned intact.

Rebecca parks the Bentley when Abigail passes in the direction to the garage, showing her the Shelby's keys.

Abigail turns off the engine outside of the Robert's house and takes her time to get out of the car. Rehearsing what to say to her friend.

Emily, we need to talk... I'm afraid... The attack on the Institute...

Ten minutes later, she gives up and decides to improvise instead. She rings the bell and Mary hugs her and holds her face.

"Abigail, cher, come in! Emily's upstairs. Go ahead."

Mary heads to the office where Thomas is. She closes the door behind her.

"Thomas, we need to talk," her tone dropped from the usual chipper, "yesterday... was it the Council?"

Thomas looks up from his laptop to meet her eyes.

"How can you ask that?!" He lowers his voice, but his tone remains as sharp. "Emily could've been killed! How can you think that's something we would've done. That I would've allowed it! Of course not!"

"The Council organized the attack on the Day of Peace. I just thought this one was their work as well."

"Don't. Edward, the president, they are grateful for everything that Emily has done. They would never hurt her or us. This was the work of a terrorist group."

"This was stupid of me. You're right. I can't believe the thought even crossed my mind."

"You can't go around thinking those things. This is what the terrorists want, to create chaos. I mean, after what they did to each other. Killed the entire Ariston community out of spite. Is it so strange that nothing has changed?"

***

Abigail sits on the side of the bed. Emily's still in pain and slowly stands up a bit.

"How are you?"

"Terrible... I'm in pain and couldn't sleep last night. Every time my eyes shut... they were there. I've never felt so powerless." She looks at the bracelet. "We're building a better world, and all of this will be worth it, but I almost didn't make it. And the thought of being unable to defend myself was-"

"I'm frightened."

"Yesterd-"

"No, for our future!" Abigail lowers her voice. "If it wasn't for Rachel Moore, the Angel of Death, and Amy Anderson's son, you wouldn't be here now."

"How... how do you know that they were the ones who saved me? Amy Anderson?" Emily tries to think it through. "Oh, the man! That makes sense, Anderson had silver hair, he has it too."