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Twenty One

The concussion has faded a little, but early in the morning I throw up all over the floor, and after some guards clean the mess up someone appears in the doorway, and I almost vomit again.

It's Xavier's father. The man from the Black Hole. The last time I saw him, he'd tried to kill me.

"Hello, Miss Evans, we meet again," he takes a seat beside my bed and I wish I could kick him, and wipe that cocky smirk that resembles Xavier slightly, but I can't. "I've heard you're currently suffering from a concussion, and you should get maximum rest. However, I have a question in which I seek your cooperation." Without waiting for my consent or reply, he continues.

"Recently, my son Xavier has been much more rebellious than usual, but I accepted it as part of growing up."

He wasn't even there when Xavier grew up. I grit my teeth to stop myself from yelling at him.

"So I decided to attach a tracker in Xavier, in case he goes off to do insensible things like other teenagers, and I've found traces of him on board a pod that was escaping the Black Hole after breaking the sensor... and it so happens that you were on board that pod, Miss Evans. Would you like to tell me where my son is so I can make sure he's safe?"

Time slows down. Xavier has a tracker in him.

"I-I don't know," I say, and that's the truth. My head begins to whirl again, and pain explodes in my temples, spreading out. The constant ringing in my ears gets louder, and I want it to just stop.

"You don't know?" He asks, sounding incredulous.

"Y-Yes," I stutter, closing my eyes, the pain and stress combined making it so hard to think, to breathe, to relax.

"Miss Evans, I'm very sure I've made known to you what happens if I don't get maximum cooperation," The man threatens, and my throat closes up.

"After w-we went to s-stop t-those people f-from... from taking... that girl," I stammer, the pain now blasting full force, my head feeling as if it should burst.

"Athena?" Xavier's father chuckles, "That one is one tough cookie, it seems. Likes to pretend she's all high and mighty and strong."

I flashback to the scene where that girl-Athena-had tried to crawl across the carpark. She was brave and unique and strong, and I admired her for that. I saw hope in her, I saw resilience, and pride. She wasn't like me. I'd been hiding behind a mask my whole life, and later on started thinking I wasn't worth anything, wallowing in self pity.

I should never be like that. I'm stronger than I know I am. I should push myself to my limits, and never be afraid of who I am.

"What happened after you found Athena?" Xavier's father asks, a hint of menace underlying his tone.

"I don't know," I say. "He disappeared."

"Disappeared?" He laughs, as if he's talking to a three-year-old. Then pain, a giant burden, a massive weight, slams down on my head, worsening my concussion, I'm sure. "Please, Miss Evans, we're having a serious conversation here. People don't disappear."

The door swings open, and Xavier's father looks up, irritated. In the doorway stands a guard.

"What?" Xavier's father snaps.

"I'm very sorry to interrupt your friendly little conversation," the guard says, removing his helmet, white-gold hair spilling out. Xavier's father's eyes widen. "But I don't think you should be treating my friend this way."

"X-Xavier?" I stammer, my head still cloudy. He sends me a nod and tilts his head at his father.

"Let them go." He says firmly.