Chapter 89- Missing Link

Inspirational quote: You are beautiful, in every single way. Words can't bring you down. So don't let them bring you down today.

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As soon as Arista's clone had left with Agent Septimus (or Ezekiel's son), the first thing that Dr Kozak had done was to surf the internet, doing some things & sorting out some files online before stopping.

Dr Kozak had now exasperatingly sighed and logged off of his computer, going down one step to get something from one of his laboratory cupboards before going back to his spinning chair, not doing or saying anything.

He was seriously thinking about whether or not he was too strict on both Kieran and Esperanza for getting themselves lost, especially seeing as how Kozak said that he didn't want to hear from them every again, just making everything twice as hard.

He was in deep thought, although this had unpredictably stopped once his daughter came out of his dressing room, fighting with her clone.

"Dad!" She told him, groaning. "Dad! I can't deactivate this clone!"

Arista tried fighting with her clone, who refused to be deactivated, Dr Kozak just watching her silently, half frowning and not saying anything.

"So was that where you went? To get the 'deactivate clone' remote control?"

Arista nodded, struggling, also yelling please help me really loudly, five times to her father who just ignored her.

"I thought you went with Septimus somewhere." He told her really quietly.

This was the quietest Dr Kozak had ever talked, and only talked quietly when he was really unhappy or frustrated with someone or something, mainly himself.

"Nah. Please help me, dad!"

Dr Kozak didn't say anything, he didn't even leave his seat to help her. Just continued staring and staring with an emotionless expression on his face.

"Why don't you just keep your clone 'alive'? I kind of tolerate her."

That was when Arista let go of her clone, then brought out a seat and sat next to her really upset looking father.

"Oh yeah," she told him, smiling at Dr Kozak, who refused to smile back.

She then stopped smiling once she realised her father was full on frowning, only leaving Arista as to thinking why.

"And are you okay? You seem very upset. What's wrong? Tell me everything."

Dr Kozak didn't say anything. He was thinking about how much he had possibly upset Kieran & Esperanza, on a scale of one to ten, ten being being annoyed at them too much, and thought twenty five.

Their conversation was quite long overall.

Dr Kozak: No. I'm not okay.

Arista (the real one): *stares at her father's bruised face and eyes* Aww.. Why?

Dr Kozak: *sighs briefly then spins around in his spinning chair really melancholically and slowly* I feel like I was too strict on them for getting lost. I mean, it is their first mission. I don't expect it to be perfect. Flaws of being a perfectionist. I feel like they're mad at me, especially Kieran. You know what he's like.

Arista: *sort of laughs at her father* Seriously? He can't be that mad!

Dr Kozak: *is annoyed at her, and to prove how mad Kieran is at him, shows her his phone* Kieran is very mad at me for ditching them. He blocked my contact on his phone. I can't call or text him, to apologise.

Arista: Okay, so he's madder than your sister was at you.

Dr Kozak: Yeah. *realises what she says and can't help looking at her confusingly* And how do you know my sister was mad at me? You weren't even there.

Arista: I just know these things.

Dr Kozak: *frustrated* Anyway, I've really messed up now. I want to apologise to them.

Arista: Why do you think Kieran is mad at you and not Esperanza?

Dr Kozak: *gets a fizzy drink (7Up) from the fridge and drinks it helplessly* I feel like me leaving him is me mistreating him and he told me that he doesn't like it when I do that. *as he said the word mistreating he used air quotes*.

Arista: Why was the word mistreating in air quotes?

Dr Kozak: Because I don't feel like I've been doing that lately but obviously everyone thinks differently.

Arista couldn't come up with a (meaningful) response so therefore she didn't really say anything.

Dr Kozak: Kieran even called me a two faced backstabber apparently. Esperanza texted me everything even though I said they should do some things without any of my help.

Arista: Maybe you are a two faced backstabber to him, I've noticed.

Dr Kozak: How though?

Arista: I'm sorry but did you just say how? *knocks on Dr Kozak's forehead as if it's a door and then stops* Dad. I've been noticing. You barely pay attention to that kid. Don't you know he's had a rough life?

Dr Kozak: *nods really slowly* Yeah. He's had two sets of parents. They both died. His stepmother was a serial killer, who murdered all of Kieran's siblings, well except Susannah who died in a tornado, Kieran being the only surviving one. I feel so terrible for that kid. And I feel like I've made his life worse.

Arista: *sort of perplexed* Hang on. If you know that his life has been miserable then why would you make it even more miserable by making him become really mad at you?

Dr Kozak: You don't understand, Arista. I didn't know about these things when Kieran and I talked just now. I just researched them like two seconds ago.

Arista: But I thought you said that you had a history of his life down.

Dr Kozak: I do. But I don't read everything on it. It's way too long. *shows her* See? It's approximately 963,102 words long. I can't read all of that and memorise it. I lost my photographic memory when you destroyed my gun.

Oh Jesus not this again...

Arista: You lost your photographic memory too?!

Dr Kozak: Sadly. Yes. And it's all your fault.

Arista: But how do you know when Kieran's birthday is and how long he's been alive for and all that?

Dr Kozak: Because they were literally the first things that came up on Kieran's history of his life. The bit we just talked about came up much much later. It came up on the 1,526th paragraph. There's 1,936.

Arista: Oh. That makes sense. How else did Kieran say you've been mistreating him?

Dr Kozak: Hardly caring about him and caring more about you guys and Esperanza.

Arista: Yeah. I kind of noticed that too. You can't stop texting your siblings. When Kieran was trying to talk to you, you kept on texting your sister and ignoring him. How would you feel if that was you?

Kieran had tried talking to Dr Kozak when he was surfing the web earlier, but Kozak had kept on texting his sister Elizabeth.

In Kozak's defence, he did say that they should have figured things out by themselves, without his help.

Dr Kozak: I don't know. Quite exasperated?

Arista: Yeah. So Kieran must feel that way.

Dr Kozak didn't say anything.

Arista: Hang on.. What does exasperated mean?

Dr Kozak: It's a synonym for the word annoyed.

Arista: Yes. That was what I am saying. Or what I am trying to say. Kieran must feel annoyed. He feels like you've been ignoring him deliberately, not accidentally.

Dr Kozak: Oh my gosh I'm finally starting to see things from Kieran's perspective.

Arista: Good. And do you know what your problem is?

Dr Kozak nodded.

Dr Kozak: I don't focus enough on Kieran.

Arista: Well yeah, but.. Something else.

Dr Kozak just stared at her blankly before saying anything.

Dr Kozak: What?

Arista: You've been focusing way too much on Esperanza.

Dr Kozak: How though? What do you mean, Arista? You're barely making any sense to me right now.

Arista: My predictions are probably incorrect but you're nicer to Esperanza compared to Kieran. I know you've known her for longer and all that, but it still isn't fair to Kieran.

Dr Kozak: Again. How do you know this?!

Arista: I just do. No I was joking, Esperanza told me. Anyway. Stop focusing on her. And before you say anything, for Elizabeth, just like, I don't know. Stay far far away from her.

Dr Kozak: How does that help?

Arista: Or... You block Elizabeth on your phone.

Dr Kozak: *practically screams at her* What? No! I can't. She's my sister.

Arista: You can and you will. Or you just put her on do not disturb mode so that you don't get notified when she texts or calls you.

Dr Kozak: *reaches for his phone, puts his sister on do not disturb mode without warning her* Yeah. I'd rather do that. What about Esperanza though?

Arista: Do the same thing.

Dr Kozak: What?! But I can't. It's her birthday.

Arista: Doesn't matter. Do the same thing, dad.

Dr Kozak: But it's her birthday.

Arista: *annoyingly screams at him* Do the same thing dad!

Dr Kozak refused.

Arista: Don't make me kill you like you killed Valentina.

How Arista knew that , her father did not know.

Dr Kozak put Esperanza on do not disturb mode on his phone so that he wouldn't get notified when Esperanza texted and/or called him.

Dr Kozak: I don't get how this helps. Kieran has still blocked me on his phone.

Arista: It means you'll listen to him more.

Dr Kozak: *shrugs nonchalantly before saying anything else* Yeah, I suppose you're right.

Arista: Oh and one more question, dad?

Dr Kozak: Sure, daughter, what is it?

Arista: Did Kieran become mad at you via the computer or in real life? I wasn't there so I wouldn't know.

Dr Kozak: Via the computer... Why?

Arista: I think you should talk to him in real life. I don't think he knows how upset you are over this. Kieran needed you but you ignored him. You let him down.

Dr Kozak: In real life? And I said they should do things themselves.

Arista: *looks at him kind of awkwardly* You also said that you wouldn't leave, and you kind of did. And yeah. I believe that was what I said- talking to him in real life.. Or wasn't it?

Dr Kozak: It was. You want me to talk to him in real life?

Arista: Yeah.

Dr Kozak: You sure?

Arista: You kinda sound uncertain.

Dr Kozak: It's just how are we going to get there? I can't drive. Realise that destroying my gun lost my ability to drive as well.

Arista: How do we get there? Easy. Put on your jacket, 'cause you and me are getting the train to DIE ANNA INCORPORATED right now!

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Moral of chapter: If you've upset someone then think about how you would feel if you were in their position.

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