Nothing Less than Extraordinary

xx36xx

"I'm sorry for pulling you away from Zaine," Wib instantly told me when I re-entered the master bedroom and Zaine only did so to leave entirely.

"No, no, it's fine," I told him. It's not like Zaine was rushing to tell me what was going on with him. I looked at my brother and forced a weak smile. "So what's up? You said you needed to talk to me."

"Okay, that was before freaking Tyler showed up to threaten you," Wib scoffed. "Seriously Pen, are you okay?"

"He didn't threaten me," I denied. Not technically, anyways.

"Was that decided before or after he locked you into a room with him against your will?" Wib frowned with sarcasm. "Seriously—"

"You don't have to worry about me," I interrupted. 

"Because there's nothing wrong or because you only want Zaine to worry about you?"

Now I glared over at him. I wanted to deny him so badly, especially considering I didn't want Zaine to worry so much for me. But really, I was truly fine...aided by the idea that Cheshire's powers hopefully worked with Tyler. "I don't want Zaine to worry about me."

"Good," he said. I frowned.

"Good?" I repeated. "What does that mean?"

"I just..." he cut himself off and sighed because he didn't wan to reveal something he knows he should've. "I heard him talking to Warren..."

"Of course he was talking to Warren. They're best friends."

"And you and Zaine?" he asked. "Shouldn't you want him to be your best friend?"

"That's complicated, but...Wait--" I attempted to say, but then waved it off. I frowned in response, "didn't you have something to talk to me about you, not Zaine and Warren?"

"Yeah, but that's part of it," he scoffed but then dismissed it himself. He looked directly at me and his blue eyes lightened. "I felt shitty about what I said at dinner."

"As you should..."

Instead of denying my chastisement of his outburst, he got up from the bed and began pacing in frustration.

"I was just so...mad!" he exclaimed. "And I'm sorry if this sounds selfish, Pen. I really am, but who else do I talk to about this? Jane didn't hesitate to leave and start helping with the Agency. My best friend here got killed weeks ago. And everyone else I don't even..." I waited for him to finish his sentence so I could listen and also so he could sort it out himself. He stopped pacing and looked at me. "Do you really not care that people are just giving up their powers and that your own best friend is planning to move to the other side of the world?"

"Of course I don't want Cariba to leave—nor take Warren with her considering he's Zaine's best friend—but if that's what she's forced into doing then that's what she has to do," I answered. "And I meant what I said tonight just as much as you did. I'm going to support whatever decisions they make. It's their lives, not ours, Wilbur. It doesn't change anything about them and how close we all are. The decision is only their choice."

"And what about our choice?" he asked me. I got the same feeling as I did in the hospital when I had to wrap my head around what Chance did...or trying to comprehend Maxwell's farewell. It was a mixture. We had to think about what we were going to do now that it was all over and people were already set to leave tomorrow presumably. "Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me you have any clue of what to do? Everyone has a plan but us, Aspen." Before this, I was a young cheerleader with her sights on a star football player. Sure, I had the two years of solitude at the Academy to think about the future. I thought about college as the result—I even remembered suggesting that to Cheshire who informed me what the Academy really was. But even if that was an option, how would it be possible after what all we'd been through?