ETHAN

It had to be a perfect storm of well-placed dominoes to not raise the suspicion of Father or incur his ire in the off-chance his perfect storm failed him. Pieces fell more into place when Chalen drove both him and Mother to North Park. It was a rare sight for Mother to go to her favourite shops along the strip beside the park itself. Paths of desire strayed from the stone path, and he frowned when Chalen pulled into a lot. He waited while Chalen opened the passenger door for Mother before opening his own. City chatter filled his ears, but he recognized most of the people who walked this part of the streets. Father dug his hands in opportunity and had dues paid for his help. Ethan checked on Mother when she sorted through her purse.

My perfect storm.

Ethan walked around the car. Some of Father's associates sat outside the club on the patio deck, dealing out cards for Chain Winch. Others milled about corners and sat outside storage houses. Mother refused to acknowledge them as she set her purse to the side. "I just want to take a look inside some of the stores."

But how do I approach this and set off the line of dominoes? Those dominoes for her to love me as she loves Keren? Blood salted his tongue when he drove his teeth into it in self-serving habit. "Mother, there's something I wish to discuss..." He eyed Chalen, who lit up a cigar with a small puff. But where will my chance be? Any opportunity, I have to take. Once she's out, I will get Keren to her and... Ethan breathed out his composure and followed her along the sidewalk when she didn't respond to his words. He counted every associate he saw and their placement along the street, carefully constructed by either Father or Jozten for their business. In the park?

Chalen hovered behind them, a cautious, constant shadow of Mother's. Ethan set his hands in his pockets and wandered into Mother's favorite antique shop, leaving Chalen outside. A bell clinked with a greeting of Tersilian from the shop owner, which Mother responded in turn. Tacky odds and ends filled the shelves, with the scent of indescribable old paper. He stared at the shelves as Mother rifled through the turning displays. Entranced by a circular clock, its ticking hands bouncing off the numbers with each moment, he followed it and listened to the sound. He raised a finger to the metronome beside it, pulling on the pendulum to send it swinging to the tune of time.

Yes, the park might be our best bet... nothing on the other side but a long stretch of road to Eastpoint... He pushed the pendulum instead when it came to a rustic stop. He rubbed his burning temple, and frowned when Mother sidled to his side with her hands behind her back.

Ethan left the clock and metronome, back to his original goal. "I wanted to talk to you..." He frowned when Mother revealed both hands, to the swinging keychain dangling off her finger. "What's that, Miamta?" He scrunched at the chubby whiskered plastic.

"It's a keychain," she said. "You keep your keys on it."

"I know what a keychain is." He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, to keep his respect to those above him. "I meant..." He rolled his wrist instead to click his fingertip off its fake, fuzzy body. "Why do you have it?"

"I want you to have it, Ethan."

He stared into the soulless pupils framed by the puffy cheeks. "I don't have a lot of keys."

"You can hang it on the front mirror of your car." Mother strong-armed the chubby kitten into his palm. "I think it's cute."

"Thank you, Mother," he said, not tasting his own gratitude for her gift. "I thought you were going to get yourself something from here..." He eyed the shopkeeper, who kept themselves behind the barrier of the front counter. On one of the side racks, an old Tersilian scout model — one missing from Keren's collection. Steps drawn to it, he grabbed it off the shelf.

A goodbye? Give him something to build for himself when him and Mother are away from here? Ethan tapped the small pricing pod attached to it, though there was no price he was unwilling to pay, for he refused to be drowned in debt. He sidled over to the counter, where Mother remained in the aisle he left her in with an expression of disbelief. He pushed it through the barrier and tugged out his exal card as they rang him up, paying for Mother's whiskered keychain while he was at it.

Everything I am, for my family.

Gifts paid for, the cashier wrapped it in protective casing, but he placed the keychain in his pocket. He returned to Mother, who frowned at him. "Miamta, we need to talk," he said under his breath, in the cover of the shelves of tacky instruments, bits and bobs.

"About?" Her lips pursed.

The perfect set-up. Expecting better. Wanting better. He stretched his neck and tried to find words. It trembled him to his boots, and he asked, "Do you want to leave?"

"What?" Her eyes widened in fear.

"Do you want to leave?" he repeated and water engulfed his throat. "If you leave, I won't say anything. I'll look away. If you leave and tell me where you go, I'll get Keren to you and—"

Mother waved her hands. "Stars, Ethanius, shush!" Her attention drew to the storekeeper, but they had placed a pair of headphones back around their ears. "I don't want to hear any of that — not here."

"But you want to," he continued to persist.

"That is neither here nor there, Ethanius Malakai—" Mother breathed deep when he heard the rage crawl into her throat. "I would rather not... discuss such a matter out in the open." Her gaze drew to Chalen, who leaned on the outer wall with his attention on a datapad. "I just wanted to take a walk with you, Ethanius."

But you want to run.

"I will close my eyes," he whispered.

Mother's features softened into toxic despair, but she said nothing to his offer of absolution. "Go give that to Chalen to go put in the car," she said instead with a nod at the scout model. "Keren will love it."

In this shroud of lies...

Ethan walked outside the storefront to leave Mother to her last minute purchasing, and Chalen detached himself from the wall. He shoved the box into Chalen's hands. "Be careful with it," he said. "Mother said to go put it in the car."

"Righto, Boss." Chalen gave him a teasing smile, but Ethan found no humour in his words as he walked back to the car in view. Arms folded, he waited as Mother joined him outside without any gifts of her own. Chalen returned without his goodbye to Keren, but he had other opportunities to push her into escaping.

"Let's just circle the shopping district," Ethan muttered and turned his back on her when she opened her mouth. Maybe out of sight of Father's associates... I'll still close my eyes, and I'll make sure Chalen doesn't say a word. Anything, all I am, no price I won't pay for my family. His footsteps counted each dug stone in the concrete, past parlors and other stores, including an edevium weapon shop Father oversaw with Mother's name. His fingers dug into his palm when they came closer to the corner of one of the larger streets. If you leave, you'll be happy, and Keren will... be able to fly for real.

It set a fire of rage in his soul, and burned to crimson ash. He stopped outside a small cafe, and faced her once more. "Mother," he began as Chalen straggled behind to talk to an associate who peeked out of the edevium store. "I know you won't talk about it, but I want you to know that I would look away. I can."

Chalen nodded at the associate and came closer, inch by inch.

Malice dug teeth into his spine, but he ignored it with a shake of his head and tried not to beg for love. Her love before Keren was born, where she rocked him to sleep and he remembered nothing more than warmth. He tried to breathe in and out as it chewed to the nape of his neck, and the world went in slow motion with the screech of tires and Chalen breaking into an agonizingly sluggish run with a look of alarm. He pivoted on his foot to spot a speeding car, and a flash of shattered glass. He gasped when Mother lunged at him when the car drifted along the road, and his back slammed against the concrete. Stars swirled in his mind as he brought both hands up to his head. It rang in his ears when shards fell on top of him, and the shouts, calls, and sirens filled the streets of shops ringing out their death knell.

He brought his fingers off his neck when it stilled, but another shot rang out and he drove his head against the concrete to avoid the next volley. A shielder pulsed to attach to the bench he took shelter behind. He dared to straighten himself out when the car rolled to a stop across the street, but blasters seared the tires and windows, suppressing them inside their cars.

"Miamta—" Ethan turned.

Chalen leaned over her in horror as blood oozed onto the pavement and she pressed a hand against her chest. Her hair tangled across her cheek as she grimaced with a small moan, slipping to the ground.

"Lucia!" Chalen gasped.

It caused a river of crimson.

It slid into spite as people screamed in the commotion of the horror dawning on them and himself.

"Miama!" He found his voice screaming along with them, but the universe drowned him in icy death. Her gaze found him, but it drew over to Chalen who held the barrier as blasters trained on Father's Associates along the street, who dove for cover, but failed to help her. "Miama! Miama!" He shuffled on his knees to press his hands against her shoulders. He ignored the stickiness when she tried to roll over onto her side. He snapped his head to Chalen who got in front of her as she went limp. "Do something, Chalen!" He screeched.

"Ethanius, keep your head down—"

He longed to drive his fingers into Chalen's neck, but he jolted when she put both hands on his forearms.

"Ethan, get out of here," she rasped through tears.

"What?" he asked, shrill, and dove back into his shoulders when storefronts screamed out lights and alarms, with the edevium shop throwing up an emergency barrier at its storefront.

Mother sucked in her lips and rested back on the sidewalk.

"Miama... I can't..." Tears of blood and weakness carved his cheeks. "Miama. Miama." He grabbed her shoulders again at her silence. "We can get you help—Chalen, if you're not going to be useful, give me your damned compearl!" Ethan lunged at Chalen, who grunted and held out his arm to steady himself.

Chalen handed it to him, and Ethan returned to her side to call one of their doctors.

"Ethanius," she whispered. "You need to go to Keren."

"He's in school." He choked his own throat as one of Father's associates made the mad dash to the guarded car. He shook his head and drew out the only thing he had on him, his knife, to make his own rush to the car which dared to tear through her life.

He stopped when her finger hooked his sleeve. "Look at me."

The universe went silent when he obeyed.

His mirror as she gazed at him for too long moments.

"Go," she ordered through her teeth as she bled.

He shook his head.

"Go, Ethanius."

You need to run! I was willing to close my eyes!

He screamed once more when she sighed and rested against the pavement with an eye at Chalen, who held the barrier out, before grabbing him around the arms to throw him farther from Miama.

"Get out of here, Ethanius!" he barked. "Call your father and let him know we're under attack at North Park!"

He ran.

Into the dark alleys, stumbling on discarded trash. He kept his knife close and cried at the sticky blood in his hands as he rested against a wall and shook his head at her words, to want him to leave instead. Bile rose into his throat at the alarms and the shuddering of Sanctum ships. He fumbled along, over overturned boxes as people shouted over the sirens.

Keren... Fear compounded. No, they wouldn't...

Another ripple of malevolence drove him forward, ignoring everything but the goal.

Look at me.

Miama... why did you push me, Miama...?

He ran, and she wouldn't let him look back.

His own blood burned to drown his soul in fire.