(Very dark chapter, very triggering, soon ligth will come I think)

Alex the next morning needs more coffee than usual.

He will make it through the day alife. He can't afford to die today. He will survive today.

He doesn't want to live, but he will not die by her hands.
He wears extra thick gloves, pulls his usual turtleneck extra high and makes sure to cover his whole face with makeup to let not one scar show

He works his shift with his usual smile. It's a cover, but his boss seems to not mind.

"Alex, I wanted to tell you how proud i am of you." They smile. "You have really come far since being 16. I am glad to have employed you."

"Thank you, Res Smith. Would you like a coffee?"

"No, I just felt like none really tells you that stuff so I thought you might like it."

He feels bad. He isn't really this happy. He isn't even fine really. But he appreciates their sentiment.

He continues work until his shift is over, when Porter picks him up.

"Do you really want to do it?" The slightly taller man asks him.

"Yes. I decided I must."

Porter takes his hand. The other's warm medium brown skin tone stands out against his almost blueish pale one. "Alex, you can now still back out."

"I won't. I must get to her. I need to get this knowledge."

"Alex, this plan is still insane, but promise me, stay safe and if you happen to see her promise her I will come save her. She needs it I think. I miss her so much. I pretty much forgot my hygiene even worse than with her. She always had some way to get me to take care of myself and I felt like it had a purpose to properly take care of myself. I not only miss her for helping me but also miss her.  I wish to see her again as soon as possible."

Alex doesn't need to be a genius to know he means Emily.
"I will make sure."

They spend the car ride in silence.

Alex doesn't let the slightest glint of fear slip. He is an adult.

He still feels similar to that poor little boy he remembers being, deeply afraid. He would love to hug him and tell him they survived.

But he can't. Not yet.

He has come a long way from that frightened child, but it's hard to say if it was a good way. He can't tell.

"Please promise me you will be carefull."

"I will try."

"Also, promise me you won't let her get in your head."

Alex almost laughs. If Porter only knew how close to the truth he really is.

"I will try."

"Thank you." Porter squeezes his hand. "I will see you then"

Alex gets out of the car. He quickly makes sure he is neat, ties his hair back without covering his face and tries to fix his posture. It semi works.

He rings the doorbell.

"Katherine Johnson will soon attend to you." Amy's voice comes out of the speaker. She seems to have become a secretary. Alex doesn't care what his older sister does. She could for all he cares about be dead.

Alex smiles, the most fake one yet.

He feels like the world's most twisted actor.

He breaths once again. After this he is going to shower probab-

"Oh well well well, isn't this my dear S? I haven't seen you in what, 2 years? So my third daughter wants to visit me as well?"

Alex freezes up as he hears the soft voice

He looks up, to see Katherine Johnson in person.

Her shoes seem incredibly high, her long smooth legs are an indicator for her past modeling, her white dress is knee length, at times almost melting into her incredibly pale skin, while her face is rather soft and not unlike Alex's own. They have the same big green eyes, mainly soft features, thin lips, and would have the same nose if Katherine didn't get her bigger hooked nose fixed in favor of a small delicate button nose.

Their voices aren't unsimilar either, both having a rather neutral tone which Alex achieved with hormones while Katherine is a very active smoker.

One of the biggest differences is Katherine is much taller as well as her not binding her chest, and in general presenting like a woman unlike Alex.

In her hand is a lit zigar. She takes a puff. "What blesses me with your company, doll?"
Alex's deadname rings in his ears.

"Nothing, I just wanted to see you." It's a lie.

"Doll, we both know you don't just disappear for 2 years if you truly care about the person. But you probably never did care about me."

Alex hears a woman mumble agreement somewhere.

"Well, you are my mother. Of course I care for you."

"Then why did you leave me after all I did for you? And don't act like it was nothing. I risked my career bringing out a flawed child like you. Fortunately you are quite popular with men." She cups his face in her hand, her sharp nails digging into his jaw, slightly lifting him off ground. "I can't understand why."

Alex technically could aim for her knees so she drops him but he doesn't, for the plan. An action for which Porter would have scolded him.

Eventually he decides to kick her knee just so she lets him down.

She does, scoffing
"Being married didn't do any favors for your exterior, doll. You seem to keep getting more and more of those unsightly scars. It also didn't change your interior much."

Alex wants to remind her that she is, indeed, the main reason for all of them, however he doesn't out of politeness

He feels disgusted. All of his feelings are yelling at him to leave. He however stands still.

"Follow me." Katherine says and it's not a suggestion, it's an order.

He does, keeping as much of a distance as possible.

Interacting with her lets the child he once was who so desperately wanted approval from his mother weep. However he knows to silence that part. He can sob about his lost childhood later.

The thought that keeps him going is the fact he survived her. So many times. He's Not as helpless anymore. He could at least physically overpower her, he knows tricks.

"Still so slow? You are 20, you shouldn't walk like a man more than 4 times your age, doll"

He sees a dark skinned woman with a cane roll her eyes, but remain silent.

Alex tries to hurry. They leave for Kats tea Saloon. The woman follows them, slightly happier than before.

She seems to be around Porter's age. Maybe a year or two older. She is a good chunk taller than him, though Alex is used to others being taller. She is slightly dirty, but despite that is very pretty. Alex assumes she might be Emily. She seems aloof, though Alex knows people think of him the same way, as her face is rather monotone, and she seems to give off a higher air.

Alex is well aware of her and that she is a few steps away. He has an extraordinary sense for steps.

Katherine is displeased. But Alex never saw her in another feeling when looking at him.

He scolds himself. Crying is for later. He can cry his eye out later.

They eventually arrive.

Amy is seated, kicking her legs. She isn't as short as Alex, being around 175 cm while he was roughly 149 cm. She is also 2 years older, though Alex is very sure 20 year olds do not grow, so he probably won't be taller than her. He doesn't care for his height a lot, wasn't it related to… sadder times as a child.

He knows his emotions for Amy. They are as green as possible. He is envious.

Alex is used to feeling envy. He is envious of most people. But it always was worse for Amy.

"So, darling, would you like to say hello to your sister?" Katherines voice softens notably for Amy.

"Hello" Amy's voice had a similar note to Kats, just without as much smoke. "I see you finally got over your childish hatred. Mom did was what best for all of us"

Alex almost scoffed at that. He can't recall getting anything from the hell he was forced to survive. Maybe a now crooked nose and other follow ups of badly healed breaks. Tho he'd argue that is not the best thing, especially considering Kat made… millions? Maybe a billion? Off of him being… rented out, to phrase it lightly, despite this event not deserving light phrasing.

"Can I go to the toilet?" Alex decides to explore the house. He wouldn't be able to do it properly, his lack of an eye stopping him from properly measuring distances. He will have to deal with rough knowledge.

"Emily!" Katherine yells and the woman that followed them comes closer. "Can you guide my daughter around?"

Emily nods but yawns.

"If possible without slacking off!" Amy yells.

"I am not slacking off. I am just tired."

"And why would that be? Now hurry up."

Alex follows Emily, who seems to have a clue of his plan and leads him into the next closet.

"So, what's your reason for visiting?" She sounds quite sweet, if a bit sugary.

"I needed to get measures of the place. I think you might know a man named Porter?"

Emily's face lights up. "Yes, I know a Porter. Porter Bones. And my name is Emily Fairwell."

Alex does not know Porter's last name, nor was he informed of Emilys but he assumes the best.

"He has a note for you"

Emily lightly flaps her arms at that, seemingly happy. "Really?"

"Yes, he told me to you should wait because he is planning to get you and that he loves you a lot and-"

Alex does not make it further because Emily seems to have fallen asleep. He gently taps her face. It felt least invasive, considering she isn't wearing much more than a bra and he'd rather not touch her undergarments.

She after a few minutes wakes back up, seemingly disoriented until she notices Alex hand

"Can you refrain from touching me? I do not like that." He removes the hand.

"Sorry you just fell asleep."

"That happens sometimes. But I wanted to ask something."

"Yes?"

"Are you away your scars are mainly visible? It might be my years long experience in those things, but I can roughly make out how they look and how bad they are. Also I don't know you but you look like you'd need help walking. But the makeup on your face is either applied sloppily or the scarring is that bad."

Alex is taken aback. He plays with his green sleeve, which happens to be one of his most worn colors.

"Tho I think the green fits you. As does the blue. They bring out your eye color. Also help break up your otherwise pretty bleak appearance."

He can tell she sounds much meaner than she intends to be.

"From your reaction I assume that was not appropriate. Sorry for that." She looks sad. "This was probably inappropriate. I shouldn't have talked like this."

"Its fine, Miss Fairwell." Alex knows Emily is older than him, so he goes for the polite form.

"That is good. Do you want to be referred to by your last name?"

"Alex is fine."

Emily starts walking. Alex follows her quickly.
"You wanted to go to the bathroom. And I will get you a map." Alex nods. Emily quickly brings him to the bathroom.

He goes inside. It's a bathroom as you'd expect, besides a lot of gold.

Alex just needs to breathe for a few seconds. Opening the window, he roughly figures out their plan. He splashes water on his face before hurrying out again.

Emily gives him a map, which he folds in his pocket and a letter which he puts in the other pocket. She guides him back to Katherine. She doesn't look like she wants to. Alex couldn't hold it against her.

"There you are doll. You seem tense. Why? You are around your beloved mother and lovely older sister." She has a soft smile.

Alex feels something tugging at his mind. Katherines ability.

"You were of great use to our family. Are you aware of that?"

Alex nods. He doesn't give into the tugging. It's how her ability works. At first you feel a tugging but if you let the tugging in, you are pretty much her puppet.

"But selfishly you weren't satisfied. We needed you."

Alex never in his life felt needed, especially not by the woman who'd rent him out to whoever wanted. Who caused his lack of a left eye, who reduced the feeling in his right hand, who is responsible for the nasty scars, who is responsible for all the permanent pain.

"But you? You just ran away. Doll, you are a coward."

Alex remains silent. He hears the faint noise of a knife being pulled out of its scabbard.

"And cowards get what cowards deserve."

And with that Katherine plunges the knife into his right shoulder.
Blood comes out of the injury, onto Katherines hands, which she wipes on her dress.

Alex kicks her leg to keep her away. He quickly runs in the opposite direction, some blood from the knife dripping onto his previously white shoe soles and shoe caps. He doesn't like white anyways.

Porter seems to already be waiting. "Get inside quickly."

Alex does as told, still full of adrenaline from whatever that was.

"We are driving to Mori and Sophie. Expect a scolding from them. I won't give you one though."

"Why would you not? I obviously got injured."

"Alex, I strongly doubt you need another scolding. I consider your actions to be quite stupid, yes, but I cannot reverse them. I'd strongly prefer if yours were not this self destructive though."

"I am not overly self destructive."

"Yes, you are. You can't always be patched up again. Alex you must watch out for yourself".

"I have been in worse states."..

"Yes and I bet you didn't let yourself recover then either."

"I couldn't have"

"Yes but now you can and until the big thing you will get at least one good night's sleep. And nightmares aren't an excuse. I have a friend for those who owes me one."

"I am sorry."

"It's fine. I just do not want you to die."

Alex doesn't tell Porter that his fate is long decided. He doesn't want Porter to know that he will just end up like a supernova. He doesn't need to know that.

"Hey, I know I suck at feelings but we are friends and you shouldn't die."

"Thank you. I will avoid it"

"Please prepare yourself, Mori is a pretty hard scolder but it's out of concern and love."

"Can I sleep a little?

"Your blood loss doesn't look critical so sure. However my cars engine is pretty loud so sorry for that"

"I don't hear anything."

"Then its fine. It just bothers me a little"

Alex slowly drifts off, making sure to keep his eye open as long as possible. He doesn't fully trust Porter enough to not.

It's nothing personal, he doesn't trust most people that much. But Porter seems like a genuinely good guy.

It's something Alex rarely sees in most men. He might be attracted to them but in his 20 years most weren't so caring. He learned to not trust early.

Maybe he can trust them

(Any engagement is heavily appretiated

Who is your fauvourite?)