Zarah's perspective

I can't help but stare at the phone in Isiah's hand. If only I can retrieve it and contact the people outside. I could pretend to be Isiah's colleague and send them away. Of course, they won't leave so easily. They expect the debt to be paid today.

"Don't even think about it. They'll want to hear my voice. Your threats won't work on me either. I don't have much to lose."

Isiah's voice takes my attention away from the device in his hand. "Your life."

"They'll kill me if I don't pay them today. Like I said; I got nothing to lose."

"Isiah, I can't allow you to take anyone away from here. We arrived here together, and I won't leave anyone behind," I say, looking at this man who believes he'll take my children or my nephew away.

"The choice isn't yours. The choice isn't mine either. Listen, you know who my vote is on. Let that kid walk out the door, and the rest of you get to carry on with your lives. Topaz will be fine. Trust me."

"I cannot allow my nephew to be sold on the black market."

"That kid shouldn't be alive."

"That's enough!"

"What did you think would happen here, Zee? Did you think you could come in here and irritate me enough to change my mind? Damn, it isn't my mind you should be trying to change. I have a debt to pay, and you people happen to be here at the right time. I'm sorry, Zee, but one of them has to go."

I stay quiet for a while and think of my possible options out of this. Kane should be the one to leave. The boy knows he should. The only problem with giving Kane up is that Willow won't allow it, and she'll hate me if I do anything to let that happen. I know I will be unable to fight my daughter in these matters.

I believe she loves him. Kane has been there for my daughter through many situations, including this one. Willow will not allow her friend to be sacrificed when he really wants to help us, and I can see he does.

As for Topaz, he was dragged here, because Ankah refused to leave him alone. Although I'm sure she would not have brought him if she knew things would go extremely off plan considering the attack from the Gifted Program officials at my home and now this.

"Zee, these people won't wait all day. One of you better hurry on out before they come in and take you all."

I know Isiah is right; we do not have much time to decide. It's unfortunate for my sister that I will not be able to fight my daughters. Willow will fight off her aunt and cousin in order to protect Kane. Mathea will fight to help her sister, and that boy will fight for himself.

When I turn to Isiah, he smiles at me, likely realizing my decision. He probably always knew I would decide this before I even accepted it.

I love my sister. I really do love her, but there is no stronger love than that of a mother and her children. There's no other option but to offer Topaz to the black market.

I should not feel guilty. Ankah would do this to me. In fact, Ankah has tried to take my children away to save her own child. Now, in this moment, is the only time I realise that I understand her. I can only hope she'll understand me, too.

"I have a plan," although I know the children are unlikely to hear me clearly, I lower my voice as I address Isiah.

"Go on with it, Zee." Isiah's voice is now as low as mine.

"You need to call the people waiting outside. You need to tell them to let us go."

"Zee, you know I can't."

"I'm not finished speaking, Isiah." Isiah remains quiet, his silence allowing me to continue telling him about my plan, "Thanks to you, it won't be difficult to convince Ank to stay here with Topaz. We'll no longer need them on this journey."

"Go on."

"You need to tell the men outside to let us go; us being me, my daughters and their friend. You, as promised, will have a driver take us to the Purus compound."

"The driver is set to arrive in a few minutes, Zee. You just need to hand over one of those kids first. And don't think you can make a plan without me just because I gave Ank the doctor's number yesterday. My word takes preference, and I'll cancel the ride if no one moves out. We can't have the Purus driver bumping into my market friends."

"I know. Topaz will go. Once the rest of us leave this compound then you may tell those people waiting outside to come inside. They'll come in and take Topaz by force. Ankah won't be too happy about that, but this way, we don't have to cause too much trouble. Your men from the black market won't have to worry about fighting all of us in here. You may even get to comfort Ankah. I'm sure your sick mind has already thought of that."

Isiah smiles at me. I never understood how my sister came to fall for this man. They were in love when they were younger. In fact, I believe they still are. However, Isiah will never allow himself to father Topaz, and Ankah refused to continue the relationship unless he changed his views.

I remember Ankah hating the idea of her son, but that hate faded away once she held him. Now, my sister loves her son more than anything. If I weren't making decisions for the sake of my children, I would not be able to live with myself for taking Topaz away from Ankah.

"I've always liked the way you think, Zee."

"Call them. Tell them to wait for a car to leave with four people then immediately enter this house and retrieve a boy."

"I'm on it." Isiah is already dialling a number into his small black phone as I say this. "Listen, we have a little problem here."

I cannot hear the voices on the other side of the phone.

"I have some people over...No, they're not part of the payment. They're ordinary. These people are going to leave before you can get your payment...You need to trust me here. I got enough brain cells to know not to mess with the boss, okay?"

"Isiah, tell them the plan."

Isiah ignores my impatient demand and turns away from me as he continues speaking.

"You'll get your payment. I just can't have these people knowing about my side business...Yes, your payment is staying here. He's a sixteen year old kid. He's showing signs of Gifted abilities...Yes, just wait for four people to leave in a car that will be coming here anytime now, then you come in and get your payment...The kid has his mother here though, but that won't be any trouble...wear your masks...Trust me, okay...Thanks."

Isiah hangs up the phone, and I do not give him enough time to face me before I continue with the other part of my plan.

Isiah cries out in pain as the knife slices through his neck, but his cries are muffled by a cloth I've forced into his mouth. This is the only way. I'm not sure about how much information Ankah blindly told to Isiah; possibly information about my family that will result in people from the black market coming to take my children away. Isiah must die.

I also cannot let my sister be with a man like this. I know Isiah would eventually tell Ank about this plan, but he'd leave out the part where he approved of this. He would say I forced him into this. He would use my sister's grief to his advantage and make my sister hate me while finding some way to be a permanent figure in her life. There is no other way.

Isiah turns his body to face me. His eyes are widened, and they scream nothing but pain. I hold his body close to mine as I slowly lay him on the kitchen floor.

My children, Kane, and I must leave this hardware store and be driven to the Purus compound while Ankah stays here with her son until people come to take him away.

I can imagine how my sister will react. Surely, she'll try to fight them off regardless of the fact that she has no training in this and lacks the strength to pull it off. She'll probably call for Isiah's help, but he will not be able to give it to her.

I believe that's when Ankah will come to find her love lifeless on the kitchen floor. She'll walk in here when Topaz has been taken away, because she will be looking for someone to blame for this act. That's when she'll find Isiah, and that's when she'll want to hurt me.

If I'm lucky, Ank might think people from the black market killed Isiah, but they'll need to enter the store before she finds Isiah for that to happen.

I don't know how I will be able to face my sister again when everything is over. I don't think it will be wise to see her for some time, or maybe she'll need someone to support her.

Maybe I will not let Ankah know that I am part of the reason her son will be taken away. Ankah will believe the black market has taken Topaz away without my help, and Isiah will not be able to tell her otherwise.

However, if she does realize I killed Isiah, I'll have to think of a reason to explain why I have killed him. This way, I can keep my relationship with my sister and be there for her in her time of grief.

I then grab the phone from Isiah's hand and, with shaking hands, shove it into my pocket before walking out of the kitchen while trying to hide the tears in my eyes as I walk past my children.

"Transportation for you to see the doctor will be here in ten minutes. Isiah sent the go-ahead from his phone. He's busy, so no one must disturb him," I say.

"What about his debt?" Kane asks.

"I've also made contact with the men outside. They'll be leaving now, but they'll reach out to us in the future. They might ask for financial payment, a new Spotter who can bring in Gifted individuals, or any Gifted individual."

I am no longer surprised with myself as I continue lying to my children and their friend.

"Wait, we owe them?" Mathea asks.

I don't answer my youngest daughter, because there is no time for any of this. Now, I must lie to Ankah and her son.

I walk down the staircase leading to my sister and do this slowly to give myself time to calm down. My breathing becomes even and once I see my hands have stopped shaking, I move down the staircase faster.

I find Ankah crying in front of Topaz. Topaz ignores every word my sister says. He lies down on a bed and tries to zone her words out. Topaz needs to be alone for now, but Ankah does not understand that.

"Zee, talk to him for me," Ankah pleads.

I can't help my sister now. This is something they must sort out amongst themselves.

"We need to talk about the market, Ank."

"I don't care about the market."

"I know, but I've sorted it out. Everyone will be okay. Nobody will take Topaz away."

"You sorted it out? How?" I can hear the relief in Ankah's voice, but her face shows pain. I know her mind is still on the revelation of Topaz's real father.

"Actually, Isiah sorted it out. He still cares for you."

I'm sure my sister knows this, but she does not reply to my statement.

"Isiah says there may be a way to get another Gifted child for the black market. He begged the people outside for another week to obtain the new payment. I never bothered asking for the details. I think we should be glad we can all leave."

"Yes, that's good news. That's good news, Zee. When do we leave?"

"Ank, I don't think it's a good idea for you to come with," I say to my sister, moving closer to her to hold her shoulders as I pull her close to me. "I think you and Topaz should stay behind."

"There's no need. We're good to go."

"I'm not going anywhere," Topaz says. I had hoped he would make this easier for me, and he has. Ankah will not leave Topaz alone here.

"Ank, your son doesn't need this additional drama. You two should go home. You need to be able to talk to him in a comfortable environment. The rest of us will be alright without you. You've helped me enough. Thank you."

She owed me her help for trying to arrange a way for Topaz to leave the country, but I am grateful she helped me anyway.

Ankah does not reply immediately when I put forward my suggestion. I know she'll stay, because I know Topaz will not continue on this journey with us.

Even if the truth about Topaz's father had not been revealed, I don't think Topaz would have the heart to carry on. He'd likely want to stay far away from Willow, knowing my daughter is willing to give him up in order to save her friend.

I hope Topaz understands. It must be difficult, but blood is not all that makes family. I understand my daughter's decision, but I hope Topaz still knows that Willow cares for him. She just cares for Kane more.

"We should go home."

"Yes, Ank, you should. We'll be alright. You need to worry about yourselves for the time being. You'll have to stay with Isiah for some time until Marcus can organise a safe place for you both to stay for a while. We don't want government officials asking you questions about our journey, at least, until we return. Besides, you don't need that drama now."

"Okay," Ankah says, looking to her son as she does so. "We'll stay."

"Inform the doctor of the new arrangement. We don't want the Purus expecting you and questioning the rest of us when we arrive."

"Okay." Ankah pulls out a phone from her pocket and types in a message I am not able to see. "I don't know if I should thank Isiah or hit him so hard that he is knocked out," Ankah says, but she lowers her voice as she says Isiah's name. At least she understands that Topaz does not need to hear that at this time.

"I think you should do both." I smile at my sister. "He's in the kitchen, but he is on the phone. He is still discussing the new arrangement for the debt he owes. Don't disturb for now, but let me know how everything goes."

I then take the phone from my sister's hand, replacing it with my phone that I just pulled out of my pocket. "Just in case I need to reach them during the trip. You can have mine to contact Marcus."

Her phone is the only one that can reach the Purus, and I can't have her sabotaging our plans if she finds Isiah and realizes I am the one to blame. Ankah is often impulsive when she's angered.

"I can't remember the last time I'd have no contact with you."

"It'll be over soon, Ank. I love you."

"I love you too, Sis."

"I also don't want to tell you how to parent your child," I hesitate before continuing, "but you'll need to give Topaz time."

"I know. I'm just...I know, Zarah. When do you leave?"

"The car will be here in a few minutes."

"Let me come up to say goodbye to Mathea."

"Of course," I say. I understand why Ankah chooses to leave my other daughter out of the equation.

We both look to Topaz, but he says nothing to either of us. Ankah and I are the first to walk up the staircase, and after some time, Topaz follows.

I wonder how Ankah is going to explain everything to Topaz. I think her only option left is to tell him the truth.

Weirdly enough, I don't know everything about the night Topaz was conceived. I don't know even know which night he was conceived. There were various nights it could have happened. At least, Ankah told me there were many nights. She said she'd cry sometimes, but other times it would be as if she felt nothing at all.

Ankah lived with my father years after she graduated. She was never able to find a steady job. She said everything began during her stay with him. I asked if he ever touched her when she was younger, but she denied that. I don't know how much I believe Ankah, but I never pushed her to tell me more than she was comfortable with.

I only wish I were around more. I wish I never stayed with my mother after our parent's divorce, so I could have watched over Ankah. She should have never spent most of her life living with our father,only being able to see our mum every other weekend. If I had to continue staying with mum, I wish Ankah got to stay with me. If she were everywhere I was, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

Regardless of all these possible solutions; I know the fault lies with my father. Perhaps these aren't possible solutions. It could have happened with my presence.

He took advantage of Ankah having no income and needing him for everything, while I never even knew she was struggling terribly. That is the easier way for me to title his actions. I always use these words to describe the events, and I've never been able to say anything but that. Ankah hasn't either.

Ankah won't say, but I'm sure he took advantage of her when she was younger. Then one day, she drove to my house crying. That's the day she reported our father.

My husband and I take care of Ankah now, and I'll work as hard as needed in order to be able to take care of her so she won't need to depend on our father for anything ever again.

I started hating my father, and I know Ankah hates him too. She hated him even more when his brother agreed to go to prison for him.

We all know why our uncle agreed to do so; all my family cares about is wealth. Uncle David never added much monetary value to the family, and he even believed that it would be best if he were the one that went. Uncle David left so our father could continue building his empire. No one even knows where my uncle is today. I heard he escaped prison with multiple others.

I couldn't do much to strip my father of his wealth, but I tried to exclude him from everything I could. I was surprised when Ankah told me she never wanted that. I kept asking her why that was, but Ankah continued to brush me off.

Ankah continued to invite our father to every occasion, and it was only once she tried to take my children from me that I found out what she was trying to do. She tried to gain our father's affection to rectify a mistake she made in a state of anger.

Ankah hoped our father would care enough to help her in this matter. She hoped our father would free her from the contract. It didn't work, and that's why she offered my children to a monster. Of course, I never let that happen.

Now, standing in the presence of my children, I understand why Ankah did what she did. However, I am still sorry that I must be the one to bring her more pain.

At least I, abiding by her requests, continue to tell others that our father forced Ankah to keep the baby. Although, people don't Topaz is his baby too. My dad found a way to keep it within the family, so all outsiders don't know the Kins Act was used to label Uncle David as a criminal.

I hate myself for this, but I've thought of all options and see no other way to help my children. It just scares me how easily I've done this. Maybe my motivation is strong enough.

Willow needs a cure. I haven't pretended to side with Marcus, acting like I support my daughter's torture by the Gifted Program, just for obstacles to prevent this plan of getting Willow to the Purus. Everything I've done is needed.