The House of Izhar

Chapter 23 - Grand Plan

"Alright!" West spreads out a giant 5-meter-long map. "Where are we now on this map, Jackal?" The captain pointed. "Ok, we have exactly ten days to get to [X,X,X]. Is that possible Jackal?"

The captain thinks for an uncomfortable amount of time before he replies, "We'll have to sail at twice the speed. No idea what it'll do to the boat's engine."

Sorian comes into the meeting. He smoothens his hair and adjusts his spectacles. "Let's not all jump to conclusions. We don't know if they even have her. For all we know it might be a trap."

"Her?" Judy emphasized. "Okay, someone please tell me who she is and more importantly what does she have to do with any of this?" She flailed her arms around impatiently.

"Dear, it's safer if you didn't know."

"Got to agree with this scumbag on this one," West nodded.

Judy, however, didn't look the least bit satisfied with her answer. She looks pissed. "Safer?!" she retorted in disbelief. "Nothing about this is safe! Alex, look at yourself. We're following a bunch of strangers who threatened us and brought us to God knows where this all is!"

Jackal points, again, to our current location on the map. She glared back at him.

"Dear, please, you got to trust me," Alex extended his arm but Judy pulled away. Her eyes have gone red. "I got to do this," he pleaded.

"Why?"

"Because I owe them."

For a moment, it felt like it was only the two of them in the room. Everyone else had somehow faded into the background. I felt like I was watching them through a glass window.

"What did you do?"

"It's safer if you didn't know."

A harsh pang of hurt slashed right across her reddened face. She bit her lip hard because if she were to speak anymore, the walls holding her up would cave in onto her and she didn't want to crumble. Not in front of the people she barely knew. Not in front of her children who seek comfort from her. Especially in front of the man she married. The man she now barely recognizes. She rose from her seat and left the room. Her children tailing behind her.

Alex made a notion to get up but West stopped him. He obeyed, not putting up much of a fight.

The atmosphere was tense but that didn't stop West from formulating the next plan of action. The eldest Izhar had learned the hard way that life goes on. West, a man with very little to lose had lost the things that he had loved the most and he wasn't ready to risk losing another one.

All of us Izhars would make our way to the hospital. Where we've hidden Fly. In hopes that she's still safe and that the letter was all just a hoax.

"I'm helping!" Alex protested. We all looked at him like he was insane. He probably is.

"And what do you think you could possibly contribute to this operation?" West asked.

"I-I don't know," he looked down. He clasped his hands tightly together and said with much conviction, "I owe her that much."

West sighed. "One day this scumbag will really get himself killed," he grumbled under his breath.

Now, all the Izhars and Connallys had been assigned their job. Well, not all the Izhars.

"You can't do this to me?" Harry pleaded. "I'm more than capable..."

West cuts him off. "Someone needs to guard the remaining Connally's and Jackal. If things get ugly, which it would, we don't need any more liabilities."

Harry grumbles grudgingly as he accepts his fate. He had heard West's 'any more liabilities'. He was their first. He glanced over at his hook and cursed under his breath. That hook defined him now and he hated that.

Avery claps, "The hospital and [X,X,X] are two very separate locations. So, we'll send Sorian's group off a couple of days earlier to avoid arousing suspicion. Remember, The Order is everywhere."

"Find her. Safely transport her to the boat and sail off immediately to..." West jabs at a location on the map.

Jackal looks at him quizzically. "That location doesn't make any sense. It's completely illogical and improbable to sail all the way there."

West grins. "That's the point."

"Wait..." I hear myself say. "We're all going to leave you behind?"

Suddenly, Sorian's face did a 180-degree switch. As if a new wave of realization had finally hit him like a tidal wave. He glanced at Avery worriedly but said nothing.

"We'll all be reunited again eventually," West answered there was a tinge of sorrow in his voice. It feels like part of him didn't believe his statement.

"We'll all come back for you," I said.

"No!" West shot back. "It's too dangerous."

"So that's it? You're just going to ship us all away while you put yourself in danger?" I clenched my fist. This reminds me of the day he told Rock and I that we were going to school. I was treading familiar waters. And this time, I'll play it smarter.

"It's my job as the head of his family to ensure everyone's safety."

"But you don't have to do it alone!"

"Yea!" Rock backed me up.

"They're right, West," Avery prompted. Did I hear that right? Avery? The person who always sides with West is now against his judgement and is now on my side?

"We Izhar's stick together!" the triplets say in unison. Then, Birdie, Mat and Harry immediately flipped their head towards each other and back. Darting from one twin to the other. The two brothers thinking and talking alike was normal but Birdie talking in unison with them is utterly paranormal. Even the triplets themselves are finding this phenomenon difficult to accept.

Birdie is, was? Most of the time she's a totally separate individual from her twins. We would sometimes forget we even had triplets in the family and only rare phenomenon like this would remind us.

"This is a terrible plan and you know it!" Harry pointed out. "It's flawed in so many ways."

"It's better than no plan at all. Besides, none of you will ever understand!" West lashed back. "I've lost too many things. I don't want to risk losing any more." His voice falters as his eyes reluctantly made his way towards me and then to the rest. "It'll hurt too much."

"What about us?" Harry voiced. "We've all lost something we loved too." He pointed at his hook to make his point.

"That's different."

"No, it's not, West. We all know what it's like to hurt," Harry objected.

"Have you ever seen people you love die right in front of your eyes and know that you couldn't do anything in your power to prevent it?" West lashed. Not in anger but in fear and pain from the past. "Have you ever felt so helpless? No, you have not because you're all too young to remember. They've left all of you under my protection. This time, I have the power to make sure you all stay safe!"

"What are you talking about too young to remember? I remembered." Avery voiced. West was about to protest but she cut him off. "What? Because I'm a girl? I'm not capable of doing what males can do. Therefore, I'm not accountable?"

West opened his mouth to speak but Avery didn't give him a chance. "You think it didn't pain me to see it happen right before my eyes too?" Now, she too began to sob. Sorian walked over to give her a shoulder to cry on which she welcomed with open arms. Soaking his sleeve thoroughly.

"I've failed Fly. I'm not going to let that happen again," he looked at all of us. "And there is nothing you can do to change my mind."