Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

I got out of my car and was shaking nervously. My palms were sweaty, and my arms felt like limp noodles. I straightened my top and made sure I looked immaculate. I took one deep breath in and one deep breath out. I approached his door and rang the doorbell. I stepped away from the camera by the doorbell. I smiled slightly and waited for the other person on the intercom to answer.

“Hello, who are you?” Asked the individual on the other side.

I cleared my throat, “Yes, hello. My name is Rose. I’m here for the interview to be a maid.”

“Ah, yes, I recall you. I almost forgot about the interview…” He said nonchalantly.

Ouch. I thought to myself.

I put so much thought and work into my resume. It’s hard to believe that I got burnt out from being a nurse so quickly, and desperately needed work elsewhere. ANYTHING. I was sick and tired of dealing with entitled, and rude patients. Did I make a mistake in applying for some rich, prickly-loner? I mean…It is just one individual (besides he looked hella hot on Indeed). I shouldn’t get fed up that fast, and besides my energy will be spent on people that aren’t going to tear my hair off or call me a “useless bitch.”

I entered the residency and was in awe. There were so many things that were amazing. His pool was huge, and the yard was neatly cut. His house was tucked away inside these cemented walls. I looked to my left, and noticed that he had a 3 door garage! The walkway up to the actual door to his house was a fancy cobblestone pathway. There were also light fixtures on both sides of it. The house was 2 stories, and there were definitely security cameras adorned around the corners of the house. I gulped.

I better be careful and not do anything embarrassing while I’m here. I thought to myself, hoping that I refer back to this thought as a saved tab.

I knocked on the door. Cameron opened it and he was dressed in a white dress shirt, along with brown dress pants and a matching brown blazer over his dress shirt. I fawned slightly and smiled goofily. Cameron looked at me from up to down. Umm, what? I thought to myself.

“You look a lot younger than I assumed. You being 30 and all.” He said blatantly.

Asshole…you hot asshole. <3

“Well, come in and lets speak further in my office.”

We went up the stairs and I kept eyeing his house.

Holy shit, there’s so many fancy things in here. And he lives here all alone? He better be using this space for something…Like house parties or something?

Upon reaching his office, I saw a portrait of some old lady on the wall. She had light brown hair, and looked around her 50’s. She had some light green eyes.

”Who is this?” I asked.

”Oh…that’s Marisol Flores. She used to be my former maid before…Before she passed away from a heart attack.” He said with a sad tone.

Aw. Yes…us Hispanics always die from cardiovascular diseases. I thought. We always be dying from left to right eating our carnitas and shit. Tsk.

“I’m sorry to hear that…my condolences.” I said to him sympathetically, and sat down in front of his desk. He sat down as well and looked at my resume. He looked up with a questionable look. It was mixed with both confusion and curiosity. I gulped. 

And…Hope? I thought. 

”It says here that you were a nurse and a caregiver before this. Do you have any cleaning experience at least?”

”Well, I am primarily a caregiver, but I’ve cleaned up a lot after residents. Like puke and vomit, and poop off the ground too.” I shut my mouth fast, and grind my teeth slightly.

What the fuck was that?! Why the hell did I mention that shit!? What?!

Cameron’s face turned to disgust for a short second and his eye twitched. My heart throbbed with pain.

I hate myself. WHY DO I ALWAYS SLIP UP AND SAY WEIRD GROSS SHIT?!

Cameron coughed a bit before proceeding the interview. “Well, that’s good. I’m impressed that you are rather concerned and helpful with the elderly. I take it that you also did their laundry and are familiar with all the household products that I sent you to review beforehand?”

I was a bit flustered and lied, “Yupp! T-Totally. I use some of that stuff too for my house.” I barely skimmed it and did see some stuff that I used. That I am not lying about.

Cameron looked approvingly and proceeded to speak further. “Okay, good. Well not many others have applied, and I did pick you out because you are at least younger…”

Did he pick me hoping that I wouldn’t croak out too early (like this Marisol woman) and before he ends up having to be stuck finding another maid?

“But, are you planning in returning to be a full time nurse anytime soon?”

”Nope. I learned my lesson. I get burnt out too quickly. I switched to per diem.” I replied in an earnest tone.

“Oh, good. Commendable that you are still sticking to your main career.”

Yass, keep complimenting me…SHUT THE HELL UP, ROSE. STOP BEING WEIRD.

I nod.

“Well, are you ready to start tomorrow?”

”Yes! I’m available.”

”Good, well I’ll hand you a document containing all the necessary information you’ll need about what I’m expecting for the entire week, as well as the code to enter the house. You will find all the necessary cleaning supplies in garage #1.”

I looked through the document and replied back to him with an okay. We stepped outside and said our farewells. I drove home and giggled. “hehehehehehehehehe, my plan worked.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

I had my maid outfit that I bought on me. And exited out of the vehicle and pressed the code to enter the door. Upon entering I knew what I was to do that day. I am to apparently clean his kitchen, and the living room, and to also vacuum every carpeted part of his house. It should take approximately only 5 hours to get it all done. He says he will need me for little things as well like preparing him little refreshments.

You drunk ass.

Or to prepare him some snacks. He says to leave the cooking to his chef that comes in every once in a while and does food prep for him…

Rich bastard.

Cameron greeted me from the couch and informed me that he would be working in his office, and that he would reach out if he needed anything. It seems he works from home. As I watched him ascend the stairs back to his office, I began contemplating about his profession. I knew that he specialized in abilities and served as a consultant, but he also engaged in other pursuits, adding to my curiosity.

I went into the garage and grabbed all the necessities to clean the kitchen first. I arranged them on his kitchen countertop and moved on to tackle the task of unloading the sink. The dirty dishes were carefully placed inside the dishwasher. Next, I wiped down all the surfaces, removing any residue. After that, I retrieved the groceries that had been delivered earlier that same morning and proceeded to organize them in their proper places. I opened the fridge and was stunned.

It was hella huge…wtf you’re only one person! Chill out money bags.

I shook off being spaced out and restocked his fridge. I noticed a couple of water bottles, and grabbed one of them and unscrewed the cap, and swallowed some water and put it back.

I’ll get back to it later, I mentally noted to myself. 

I headed back to the kitchen and grabbed some paper towels to clean the windows using window cleansing solution. As I continued my task, my peripheral vision caught sight of Cameron walking towards the fridge. My heart sank, and a wave of panic surged through me. I couldn't help but watch intently as he twisted the cap off the bottle without much hesitation and pressed his lips to the opening, taking a long drink. I gasped quietly and looked away with my face burning up.

AN INDIRECT KISS! I thought with glee.

I couldn't help but release a small giggle, and Cameron, hearing me, turned towards me with a look of mild bewilderment mixed with concern. He then walked away from the kitchen, proceeding up the stairs towards his office.

Cameron’s mind in that moment: What’s so funny? Well, whatever.

With the kitchen now thoroughly tidied up, I removed the trash bag from the bin and placed it outside in the garage for disposal later on. I then made my way to the laundry room, where my heart was still fluttering with nervousness from the earlier water bottle incident. Entering the laundry room, I discovered hampers full of various articles of clothing, neatly sorted into different bins based on how they should be washed. Cameron's meticulousness was evident, as he had purchased separate hampers for specific types of garments. He had left a sticky note with clear instructions for me, detailing the address of where to drop off and collect his clothing that had been professionally dry-cleaned. I then looked down on the hampers next to me, and saw that one had…um…his unmentionable garments. I pinched myself and waved away weirdo thoughts. And tossed it all into the washer. My gaze landed on a sweat-soaked sweater at the bottom of the bin, and I reached out to take it in my hands, examining it closely.

Holy shit, these are truly real. They must be extremely exclusive and expensive, likely costing more than my entire outfit put together. I couldn't help but think as I turned the luxurious sweater this way and that way, admiring it in awe.

I shook away a perverse thought that popped into my mind and thought to myself.

NO. I am not that much of a degenerate. Not like with the water bottles! But, I caved in. I whiffed the armpit portions. PHEROMONES. It didn’t stink! It actually smelled normal and good to me. I thought. I did another quick whiff before tossing it into the washer, and started the cycle. Done.

I paused upon exiting the laundry room. Cameron was at the doorway exiting the house, and spotted me and motioned for me to come closer. A thought crept into my mind that very moment.

What if he has cameras inside the house?! All rich people have cameras…it’s like the policy they have to protect their shit from strangers like me. You can’t blindly trust people you haven’t gotten acquainted with deeply.

I approached him with my best poker face and asked him what he needed.

“I’m headed out for a short bit. I should be back at the end of the day. Please feel free to order food or grab something from the fridge.” He said casually to me. 

I thanked him and he left. I proceeded to think back to my other thoughts about cameras and started panicking again once more.

What if he has cameras in the laundry room? The kitchen?! What if he reviews the footage and sees the weird shit I’ve done! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.

I started pacing back and forth, my mind succumbing to a dark spiral of "what if" scenarios. I shook my head in disbelief, overwhelmed by the barrage of anxious thoughts bombarding me.

No way. There is no way that he would have cameras in those places. There is nothing of value for him to place a hidden camera in those areas of the house, unless he is that paranoid and cautious for every little thing that can be taken or misplaced.

I proceeded to complete the other tasks. Vacuuming, dusting, and wiping down other surfaces. I kept myself distracted from my anxious thoughts. I even took a short break and ate a banana and sat down to eat my sandwich that I brought to work. I then went upstairs and went to clean his office space. I paused at the entry way and the thought of cameras being in there intrusively made its way into my thoughts once more.

I shook my head and thought to myself.

Even if there is a camera in there. Just act casual and don't do anything stupid or weird in there. I stepped in and tried my best to act ‘casual’ like I said to myself in my mind. I walked in stiffly and hummed a tune. I then broke into a weird dance-waltz and paused in the middle of the room.

Omg…I said act casual not to act like some suspicious weirdo who looks like they’re about to do something ‘sus’.

Without dawdling, I emptied the trash from his room into my larger trash bag and wiped down his desk. I then emptied his recycle bin into another bag full of recyclable materials. Feeling that there might be a camera in the room, I hastily left, as the thought of being recorded further made me uncomfortable.

I paused in the middle of the hall, and a single teardrop that was already collecting while I was cleaning fell down from my cheek.

What the fuck is wrong with me? Why do I behave in this stupid manner? Why? WHY?!

I quickly ran down the stairs and grabbed all the trash bags i’ve collected thus far and brought it into the garage and dumped it into the big trash bin. I stopped crying and grabbed a stool close by and placed myself into the trash bin.

“I'm TRASH. I'M A TRASH PERSON OF A HUMAN DEGENERATE BEING. I BELONG IN HERE. AAAAAA!”

I began rolling inside the trash bin like some chinchilla cleaning itself in dust. I tipped the trash bin over with myself still in there and fell onto the concrete floor. The trash spilled over the floor along with myself.

Wincing, I pushed myself up off the floor and rubbed the back of my head. Suddenly, the sound of the garage door opening broke the silence. Panicked, I hastily stuffed all the trash back into the bin and pulled it up off the floor. Cameron's car entered the garage, and he parked it before stepping out. He looked at me with a quizzical expression and asked, "Are you alright?"

”Yes, I'm almost done. I should be done within the next hour.” I replied back, my voice seemingly cool and casual.

He nodded and went to the kitchen and served himself some wine.

I groaned and face palmed myself on the face, and berated myself for almost being caught by him in rolling myself in trash like some moronic chinchilla. I transferred the washed laundry from the washer into the dryer, and then stored the cleaned dishes in their respective cabinets once I had removed them from the dishwasher. I headed out to the nearby city to pick up Cameron's freshly dry-cleaned clothes and returned promptly. Upon entering his residency, I ascended the stairs and placed the items into the closet in the hallway as per his instructions on the sticky note.

Finally, I rinsed the wine glass he left empty on the kitchen island and quickly dried it before returning it to its proper place in a cabinet. At that same moment, my phone vibrated in my pocket, I received a text message from Cameron for me to bring him another glass of wine. I turned around and grabbed the glass I had just finished washing not even 5 minutes ago, and served him the rest of the wine that was left over in the wine bottle. I went upstairs and placed it on his table while he was focusing on some documents he was reading in his hand.

"Thanks. It appears that you have completed your work. I've already written out a check for you, which is on the table beside me. Thank you for your services," Cameron said.

I thanked him and took the envelope and left his residence. I entered through my car door and hit my forehead on the wheel.

That was intense. I need to behave myself or else I’ll lose this job. I told myself in my mind in a critical tone.

End of part 2.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

The next day, I arrived at Cameron's residence and was warmly welcomed at the entrance of the house.

"Ah, excellent timing. I'm about to leave for the day, and won't be back until the evening. Given that you may leave before I return, I want to emphasize the importance of locking all doors and ensuring all windows are closed. I find it particularly bothersome when unwanted creatures find their way inside the house."

I nodded.

”I also sometimes have a security guard doing some rounds every week or two, they’re mostly here to inspect the perimeter to ensure that no one has entered. Don’t mind him.”

A bit excessive…I thought to myself. I am curious why he even wants security around, or what the story behind investing in one is…I’d rather not ask right now.

"I'm in a bit of a hurry, but before you leave or I return, kindly leave some iced black tea in the refrigerator for me."

He left into the garage, and I venture inside the house into garage #1. It seems that he didn’t use garage #1’s car, and had entered a different one. I gathered the supplies I would need for today's first assignment, which included cleaning Cameron's bedroom, swapping out the drapes in all the rooms, tending to his pool, and carrying out a variety of other menial tasks.

With a bucket full of supplies in hand, I ascended the staircase. As I approached his room, my nervousness and excitement grew. I had the feeling that he had installed cameras inside, and I was worried that my impulses wouldn't allow me to control myself, in case of doing something embarrassing once more. I entered Cameron's room and was not surprised by the appearance. On the right side, where I had expected a solid wall, were expansive floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing a stunning view of the garden below and the cityscape beyond. Given the elevated location on the hills, the scenery was breathtaking.

Cameron's bed took center stage in the room, a modest, yet substantial king-size bed, with a traditional headboard and bedframe. Behind it hung a large canvas depicting a lone tree. Nearby the bed, a mahogany nightstand supported a lamp, standing atop its surface. Oak floors extended throughout the room, accompanied by a high-quality carpet in front of the bed. From the ceiling hung suspended pendant lights, crafted of ceramic, likely imported and reminiscent of Moooi Emperor designs. In the corner closest to the entryway, a round, ribbed wooden. In the corner nearest the door, there was a round, ribbed wooden coffee table that resembled a teak stool. Beside it was a comfortable-looking lounge chair with leather upholstery and a brown walnut frame, accompanied by an ottoman. Along the wall to the left, built-in shelves reached all the way up to the ceiling, showcasing an array of items. Interestingly, there was even a private bathroom secluded in one of the room's corners. I paused momentarily while observing the room and then stepped inside. Just as I had worried, the thought of cameras came back to me, and I reminded myself to remain professional. As I turned my attention to the coffee table, I wasn't surprised to find an empty wine bottle in addition to an abandoned wine glass resting upon it.

I sighed and thought to myself, Hell, if I was him I’d probably be a miserable drunk as well.

I groaned to myself and shook my head. Oooh, what is wrong with me?! I should honor the king, and thank him! Who cares if he’s a broody (hot) drunk. Who am I to judge this wonderful specimen of a daddy? He’s still Cam-Cam.

“I must do my due diligence and complete these tasks.” I whispered to myself and picked up the empty bottle and glass and went downstairs to place the wine glass into the dishwasher and place the empty bottle into the glass recycle bin inside the garage.

I returned to Cameron's room with the long stick hook in hand and used it to remove all the curtains from the windows, carefully rolling them into compact balls before hauling them downstairs to the clothes bin. They were scheduled to be picked up later that day and washed in the professional washers' industrial-sized machines. Having completed that task, I called to confirm the service's arrival time and was informed that they would arrive promptly at 1600. Grateful for the information, I noted to myself that I should hopefully be finished with my duties by then.

Cameron doesn’t get home until probably, 1730. I went into garage #3 as written in the word document he shared with me via Boogle drive, and he had new curtains that he recently bought that he wanted for me to put up. I opened the packaging and went into all the places he wanted me to place them in accordingly. This all took me 1 hour. I finished the task and grabbed one of the water bottles from his fridge and drank it all. I threw it away this time for sure.

I ate a banana as well. I went upstairs and put on my latex gloves to start cleaning his private bathroom. When I entered it I noticed that it wasn’t that dirty. He had a laundry hamper in there as well. I removed all the towels in the bathroom and placed them in there. I brought the hamper downstairs and began a wash cycle. I went back up, and curiosity struck me once more.

I wonder what’s inside his cabinets. I looked towards his luxury bathroom vanity and the cabinets sitting beside them. The huge circular mirror was also a storage compartment. I walked towards it and opened it ajar. I was in awe and whistled.

Holy shit. He had the whole 10-step method system down for his skin care routine.

He had all of these luxury brand skin care products that were definitely out of my price range. All of it combined would be one of my 64-hour nursing paycheck’s . I took a photo just to save it to just look back at it in awe. I close the cabinet/mirror. I proceed to wipe down all the surfaces and mop the garnet floors. I approached his freestanding acrylic flat bottom bathtub. I took out the organic surface cleaner and began scrubbing it down. I did this twice per his instructions.

Jesus, he really wants this shit to be squeaky clean. He should know that it's okay to be exposed to germs, like, bro-you gotta keep that immune system up on one’s toes.

I finished rinsing it and moved on to the walk-in onyx shower. I used the product to wash the onyx walls and rinsed everything down. I looked down and gasped. I looked away while blushing. He had a hair catcher drain..and um…ya. I doubled gloved and removed it and meticulously removed each hair strand off and quickly ungloved the grimy pair of gloves. I began quivering in both disgust and excitement.

Why do I feel excited? I TOLD MYSELF I'M NOT A DEGENERATE!

I returned back into the shower, and turned on the jetted setting.

Holy crap, why does this shower head have like over 5 settings? What the fuck?

Then I started waterboarding myself to get rid of all the nastiness. I stop and gasped for air and held myself against the wall of the shower while coughing my lungs out. I did feel a bit better about myself after that. I grab one of the hand towels and use it to dry my face and hair and kept it in my pocket to bring it downstairs to wash it later. I then proceeded into the sauna…yes. He has a walk-in shower, a bathtub, AND a sauna in his private bathroom. He’s rich y’all. I’m jelly. THERES ALSO INFRARED LIGHTS INTSALLED IN THIS MOTHER FUCKING SAUNA. 

I vacuum up debris with the handheld vacuum, wiped down the surfaces with those botanical antibacterial wipes, and scrub the surfaces in which his clean ass cheeks sat on. Then at the end I deep cleanse with sanitizing it once more with medical grade wipes on surfaces that bacteria may have collected. Especially the floors. I leave the sauna open, and proceed to inspect the sauna stones and make sure they aren’t becoming brittle. I looked to my left and started imaging Cameron being in here…I blushed at the thought of Cameron being in here with his body glistening in beads of water droplets and his abs glistening. I swoon at the thought and giggle to myself. I keep fantasizing for straight 3 minutes, and slap myself with the sauna rock back into reality.

Ouch,…I thought. I may have broke open my lip there. Luckily, I had an emergency tonic to heal myself in case of these emergencies. I drank it and hoped it would heal me fast enough before Cameron arrived…WITHIN 2 hours?!

I quickly wiped down the surfaces of the bathroom and took a step back feeling proud of my work.

I headed downstairs and went into garage #1 and placed the garbage in there. I heard the doorbell ring, and I quickly looked into the intercom camera display, and there were the professional linen washers informing me they were there to pick up the dirty linens. I buzzed them open, and invited them into the residence to grab the laundry bins full of the curtains and take them out one by one. They left within 10 minutes. I sat down on the kitchen stool, and stretched. I was done, and all I had to do was make him his iced tea for the night. I looked through his kitchen cabinets and found the black tea and began the process. I was done within 10 minutes and stored the tea in the fridge. I ate my sandwich and sat down and looked around to see what else I could do in the next 30 minutes before 4 pm. I inspected the place and dusted some surfaces while eating. And then I looked to the left and spotted the pool. I smelled my armpit, and smelt stinky. EW.

Suddenly, a exciting idea popped into my mind. I had always fantasized about skinny dipping in a pool, privately of course. My pulse raced as I quickly stripped naked and sprinted out, jumping into the pool with glee. The water felt amazing and pleasantly cool against my skin. I resurfaced from beneath the water's surface, floating blissfully on my back like a lily pad. The warm sun enveloped me, and I felt content and joyous. After ten minutes of languid floating, I suddenly snapped back to reality, propping myself straight up and frantically looking around.

THERE IS A FUCKING CAMERA RIGHT ABOVE OF THE POOL?!?!?

Panic overwhelmed me and I let out a high-pitched screech like a limpkin, frantically swimming up to the surface while simultaneously trying to cover myself. The sudden shock sent a wave of nausea through my body, exacerbated by the stress and fear I felt. Unable to control myself, I quickly directed my face toward the pool and projectile vomited, releasing chunks of half-digested sandwich. Utter shock registered on my face as I broke down, crying hysterically with tears streaming down my face. I hastily ran back inside, still dripping wet, wrapping myself in a dry towel from the laundry room.

No no no no….THIS can’t be HAPPENING?! Why the fuck did I do that?! Oh, God, he’s going to review the footage! I WAS NAKED! IM SOO going to get fired for this. WHY?! WHY?! Why am I like this GOD?! WHY?!

I began slamming my head against the wall and looked at the clock in the living room wall. 1 hour before Cameron arrives.

I lost all hope…there isn’t enough time to try to find some black market hacker to help me. I don’t know what to do….the only thing I can do is approach Cameron and inform him of what I’ve done and to beg him to delete the footage. Or…as soon as he comes in, I can hit him on the head with one of his cast iron skillets and drag his unconscious body to his bed, and find a way to scan his finger into his computer to delete the footage myself. NO, are you crazy bitch?! I thought to myself.

I dropped to my knees and dropped my head against the floor and began sobbing even more. I hacked and burped, and my stomach was already emptied of its contents. I was deeply mortified of the events that had just transpired. Panic and fear took a tight grip over me. I got up and went back into the garage and hastily went to grab the pool net and removed the chunks and bits of my vomit off the surface of the pool.

Luckily, the vomit’s color diluted itself into the pool, so the filter and cleaning solution should clean it up for me…as for the bits. I reassured myself in my thoughts.

I acted quickly, rapidly tossing the vomit bits over the fence, but making sure to do it on the side away from the driveway. I meticulously ensured that to throw the vomit far enough from any potential camera angles, hoping to avoid being caught.

I’ve fucked myself over…I’m so dead. I have done it now…I have to tell him the truth.

I paced back and forth in the living room, my mind racing with anxiety and stress. I clutched onto my arm tightly, feeling my own heartbeat echo loudly in my eardrums, the steady thump-thump a constant reminder of my mounting panic.

Then I heard the garage door opening for the car.

I jerked my head up at the sound, attempting to pull myself together quickly. I frantically wipe away the tears that were still trickling from my eyes, ensuring everything still appeared neat and tidy. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't hide my trembling. The garage door clicked open and he stepped inside.

Cameron swiftly gestured to the check he had left on top of the garage table. Without a moment's hesitation, he dashed upstairs, with me trailing closely behind, my heart heavy with dread, knowing I had to ask him for something. As I closed the distance to his office door, a string of curses echoed from inside the room. I halted in my tracks, my nerves on edge.

“Shit, I forgot to turn on the security cameras since last night.”

I felt all the weight of the world drop off from my shoulders in that moment. I couldn’t believe it.

SWEET JESUS. I am saved! THANK YOU GOD!

I couldn't help but beam with happiness as I continued down the hall. Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, Cameron emerged from his office, calling out my name. I came to a sudden halt, my stomach dropping.

What now…? I gulped. Hoping he wasn’t suspicious of me having had attempted to approach him in his office.

”Did you need something?” He asked, his expression riddled with concern.

”Oh, no…um…I just wanted…to ask you if you wanted any sweetener in your black tea before I left?”

Nice save…you degenerate dumb b—

“Oh, hmmm…no thanks.” He said to me casually, his expression still showing concern. “Thanks for your services again. Have a good night.”

I thanked him as well and wished him a good night. I quickly left the house and entered my car. Then I realized that I had chucked the vomit so hard over the fence that it fell all over my windscreen.

Cameron’s mind in his office: I hope she doesn’t ask me about that weird stuff that I spotted on her car…I would feel bad and at fault if I told her that I forgot to turn on the security footage. Maybe a bird vomited on her car? I’m sure…

part 3 end

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

I had only one more shift left with Cameron before the weekend arrived. I received a text about catering to an individual named Scarlette, who was expected to arrive at around 10 a.m. that day. Cameron had departed exceptionally early in the morning, his destination unknown. In the initial two hours, I engaged in tasks such as laundry and other household chores. Then, I prepared refreshments for Scarlette, along with a light snack that Cameron had suggested in a text message — a strawberry parfait and blueberry-flavored black tea.

The doorbell buzzed, and the intercom screen revealed Scarlette at the entrance. I pressed the button to allow her in. She gracefully entered the residence, greeting me pleasantly.

“Hello," she said coolly, extending her hand towards me. "I'm Scarlette. I'm here to work with Cameron." Her voice held a sense of detachment, but her appearance was striking. With her fiery red hair parted into two spiraling sections and vibrant green eyes reminiscent of emeralds, she carried a priestess appeal. Her confident demeanor and mysterious aura added to her captivating presence.

Here's the thing about me: I have pathokinesis (or emotion manipulation), but I’ve only reached a level of 4.5. While I don't take rankings seriously, I haven't participated in ranked matches or sought to climb the social ladder like my great-grandfather, who was a level 7.5. He wasn't known for his kindness... My pathokinesis’ passive (our family usually unlocks it before reaching god-tier status) allows me to sense people's emotions with uncanny accuracy. Most times, I try to block out their emotions, but when it comes to getting a feel for someone new, like Scarlette, I need to tap into their emotions to assess them. In the end tho, sensing emotions can be rather draining…

"I'm Rose," I replied, extending my hand to shake hers. For a brief moment, just as our hands touched, her expression flickered, as if she was looking at something beyond me. I could sense her emotions shifting. A hint of wariness and suspicion crept into her emotions. I broke the contact quickly, feeling the lingering stirrings of her growing distrust.

Okayyyy…what did I do? Do I stink? Or…Does she have some ability that’s psychic in nature like mine? OH GOD.

Scarlette walked into the house and took the refreshment that I had prepared. I could sense her feelings of weariness and uncertainty still lingering in her. This didn’t help my weariness or uncertainty that was also beginning to kick into gear the more I was trying to guess what her ability was. I took a step into Cameron’s office (I had brought one of my devices that detects hidden devices and found out that he does NOT in fact have any cameras in there luckily) and looked through his business cards. I found Scarlette’s business card neatly tucked away in his card filer. 

Oh no…she’s a medium?! I thought with fear now overtaking my other emotions. I wiped down his office and dusted what I could since I was already in there.

I know mediums. She’s probably one of those elite level mediums that’s developed a passive in seeing past events flash in their mind with body contact. I started panicking and realized that this could be pose a huge problem for me.

FUCK ME. I barely managed to get away with skinny dipping in his pool. But if she catches wind of my other weird things that I’ve done in this house. Then I’m FUCKED. How far back can she trace back these events?! DAMN IT.

I exited his office and saw her walking towards the pool. HER EYES WERE GLOWING.

No…NO. NO!! I screamed in panic in my mind internally.

I hastily sprinted down the stairs and, as I drew closer to her, I was met with the unexpected sound of a loud gasp escaping her lips.

My voice quivered as I spoke, my words strained with fear. "I know what you are..." I gasped, my plea filled with desperation. "Please, please don't tell Cameron about this!" I dropped down to my knees, tears filling my eyes as I fervently begged her. "I can't afford to lose this job, please... I'm begging you."

Her back was turned to me, her gaze fixated on the pool as she continued to work her ability. Suddenly, she burst into an eruption of laughter, her emotions surging with a mix of happiness and bewilderment.

What? I thought with me gawking at her.

She couldn't contain her amusement any longer. Her whole body shook with laughter, and she clutched her stomach, gasping for air. "HAHAHAHA! Are you serious? This is priceless! You really did that?!" She continued to laugh uproariously, clearly finding the situation hilariously absurd.

My face flushed with embarrassment, and a wry smile tugged at the corners of my lips. "Uuugh...Are you going to tell Cameron about this? I'm really sorry for doing that. I acted on impulse, really wanted to take a dip while he was gone... and completely forgot about the cameras all over his house."

She turned around, tears of laughter streaming down her face as she continued giggling. "HAHA, no worries, this stays between us," she reassured. "Honestly, I would’ve done the same if it weren’t for the pesky cameras. Your secret is safe with me. I'm genuinely shocked that he didn’t check the footage, though, considering you're still working here. Is there any chance he called or gave you a warning?" With a gentle motion, she wiped away the tear from her eye.

I blushed at the fact that I now had an individual in front of me who saw me naked…

Greaaat. At least it's a woman, and not Cameron. That would have been a lot worse. I thought to myself silently, as I pursed my lips nervously. 

"I was so worried he was about to head up the stairs and look at the footage," I recounted, a grin spreading across my face. "But when I followed him, I overheard him talking to himself, saying that he had accidentally forgotten to turn on the security cameras…"

I am too damn stupidly lucky, but also unlucky.

She composed herself and softened her smile as she spoke, her voice maintaining a cool composure. "You're quite lucky," she responded to me. "I doubt he would have immediately terminated your position. He probably would have given you a firm warning instead. Can you imagine how he would've reacted if he had reviewed the footage, though?"

“I don’t think I could ever make eye contact with him ever again.” I said nervously while I blushed madly at the idea.

Scarlette regarded me with a curious gaze before replying, her tone nonchalant. "Looks like you narrowly avoided a rather awkward situation," she noted, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. She then turned and casually walked back into the house.

Scarlette settled into the couch and watched the news while eating her snacks. I used Cameron’s tablet to place orders online for items such as paper towels and other restock supplies, planning to pick them up later. Then, both of us heard the sound of Cameron’s car pulling into the driveway. It was then that I sensed his presence.

I could feel some intense feelings of deep dread and frustration exploding inside of him.

Yeah, might as well order a whole new box of wine bottles for him too, I thought to myself. I added it to the shopping cart, acknowledging the fact that I don’t particularly condone promoting alcoholism, but I don’t want to risk getting on his bad side by refusing to restock his wine bottles. It’s not my place to interfere or bring up my concerns just yet, I concluded.

Cameron strode into the house and exhaled deeply as he neared Scarlete. She stood up and moved towards him. "Are you ready?" Cameron gave a firm nod, and the duo hurried out of the house together.

As the day passed without any incidents, I found myself increasingly curious about the nature of the case Cameron was working. I am aware that Cameron often works for various agencies while simultaneously accepting special requests from individuals of all social standings. If he needed a medium, it seemed likely that someone might have gone missing either through human trafficking or a murder case. I noticed Cameron's cologne and discreetly saved a bit of it on a tissue paper (no judging allowed). As the clock struck 4 pm and I received no text from him, my intuition led me to place a wine bottle and empty glass on his side table in the study room before locking up and leaving. A sense of worry and foreboding washed over me, as though a storm was gathering, hinting at an imminent issue.

The following day, I arrived early in the morning but didn't find Cameron anywhere. I searched the house and peeked into his bedroom, where he was in a deep sleep with two empty wine bottles on his nightstand. He was still wearing the same clothes from the previous night. Worried and unsure of what to do, I instinctively slipped into nursing mode. I gently approached him and grabbed his wrist to check his pulse. He stirred and mumbled in his sleep. His pulse was slightly elevated, but I reassured myself when I felt his body temperature was normal with the back of my hand, and his breathing was even and steady. I sighed in relief when I finished assessing him. I placed the two empty bottles in the recycling bin and hurried back to his room. I filled the bathtub with some warm water, not quite hot enough to burn but enough to soothe. I then went downstairs to prepare some lemon tea, still uncertain about any other protocol. Sadly, there were no notes or guidelines left by him that could've provided me with clear instructions on what to do when he was in this condition.

I scanned the fridge and realized that the previous night's chef-prepared meals would be too heavy for him if he woke up feeling nauseous. With that in mind, I decided to prepare a bowl of comforting bean sprout soup. An hour passed and I heard him finish his bath. As he walked down the stairs, his emotions weighed heavily - a mix of remorse, bitterness, disgust, and an unsettling emptiness. Cameron slowly entered the kitchen, looking weary and distraught.

"Good morning," I said softly. "I've prepared some bean sprout soup for you, as well as a pitcher of lemon water for you to drink from." I laid out the items on a tray and offered it to Cameron, who simply remained motionless, gazing at the array of items I had prepared.

“I’m not a huge fan of lemon water. I prefer ginger. And I’ve never had bean sprout soup.” He said with a somewhat dissatisfied tone. I didn’t need to feel his emotions either to detect his disappointment. It was written all over his face.

Wow, rude…I put in so much effort. I thought to myself.

“Erm…I’m sorry. I just didn’t know what else to do. I know that it's not any of my business, but I noticed the state you were in. So, I went ahead and tried to be of assistance.”

Cameron looked at me now instead of the tray. There was a hint of annoyance as well added into his cocktail of negative emotions.

"Thank you for preparing the bath, but for now, please could you make me some ginger water and a fruit salad instead?" Cameron spoke calmly, his voice slightly hoarse from the previous night.

I chastised myself for not waiting for him to make specific requests before impulsively preparing the food. It hadn't occurred to me that he was a selective eater. "Would you mind if I saved the soup for myself to have later on?" I inquired, trying to make the best out of the situation.

Cameron took one last glance at the soup and couldn't help but feel a slight sense of discomfort. "Yes, that's alright," he replied reluctantly.

I guess he hates bean sprouts….cute.

I quickly assembled his meal and mixed up a batch of ginger water. As I entered his study, my eyes widened in surprise as I noticed he had ALREADY uncorked a fresh bottle of wine!

For fucks sakes…stop drinking dude. What on earth happened for you to be this sour? I thought as I entered his room, while I suppressed a scowl.

I entered the room, carrying Cameron's snack and fresh drink. "Hello," I began, "where would you like for me to place it?"

Cameron was deep in thought and didn't seem to be paying attention to what I said. Sensing his feelings of melancholy and anger, I observed that his expression had grown even more moodier than usual.

"Sir?" I prompted as I moved closer to him.

He finally realized my presence and replied, "Ah, yes. Just place it over there, please. Thank you." He then returned his gaze to his computer and resumed typing.

I was just about to leave the room, but my curiosity got the better of me, and I stood there, my expression marked with concern. "Sir," I began, "I can't help but notice that something is weighing heavily on you."

Cameron looked up at me, surprised, and then sighed deeply. "Yes," he admitted, his voice sounding more defeated than usual, "but it’s nothing for you to worry about..." He lowered his gaze back to his computer, a hint of despair in his eyes.

I realized I had perhaps overstepped my boundaries and didn't want to push the matter further. I felt somewhat helpless, not knowing how to comfort him. "Alright then….," I replied sadly. "Is there anything else you'd like for me to do before I leave for the weekend?" I inquired, hoping to be of some assistance if he had anything else to request.

Cameron paused to consider his options before responding, "Not right now. I'll let you know if anything changes or if I'll need you for the weekend." I nodded my understanding and took my leave.

I completed all my tasks and restocked his wine cabinet, counting a total of five empty bottles in the glass recycle bin in the garage. Concern washed over me as I mentally noted his alcohol consumption. "I hope he doesn't overdo it this weekend," I mused silently to myself.

End of Chapter

Chapter Text

Chapter 5 

I woke up earlier than usual on a Saturday, my usual morning routine starting with looking through my phone’s notifications. No text from Cameron. With a sigh, I headed out to grab some coffee and biscuits from a nearby café. Sitting down, I mindlessly scrolled through my social media apps. Feeling listless, I took a moment to consider my plans for the day, having already done my laundry the previous night. As I sat there, one thought came to mind - the cologne Cameron wore. The fragrance was alluring, a mix of rhubarb, wood, cyclamen, pink peppercorn, and tulip.

It would be a wonderful scented candle too. I thought gleefully, and giggled to myself. 

I received a total of $800 from Cameron for the entire week. However, if I wanted to afford that luxury cologne or a candle that replicated its fragrance, I needed additional income to cover basic expenses. I checked my nursing job's app, opting for an evening shift to earn more. Before heading out, I checked my phone notifications one last time, still finding no messages from Cameron.

Hmmm…I hope he’s okay. I thought to myself.

I was assigned to work the emergency department floor at the hospital, dreading the shift. The intense emotions on this floor often left me feeling overwhelmed and burnt out quickly. Thankfully, they only needed me for the 8-hour shift, and I was asked to float around providing support to the nurses who were juggling 8 patients each. The fast-paced day made the shift fly by. After clocking out, I grabbed dinner downtown at Chipotle, ordering my usual meal. With dinner finished and my nightly routine complete, I scrolled through my phone before hitting the pillow.

What’s this? 

While scrolling through local news highlights, I came across a recent article dated for today. It read, “Low-tier Man's Search For His Missing Wife Comes To An End: Bureau of Authority Gets Help From Renowned High-Tiers Who Assisted In Search.”

Curiosity piqued, I clicked on the article to read more. To my surprise, it was Cameron and Scarlette who had assisted in the search. The article detailed the low-tier man’s tireless efforts to implore the bureau for further investigation, as his wife had been missing for five years. The bureau kept his investigation on the back burner, and rendered him desperate for answers and hopeless. The low-tier man, desperate for answers, sought the assistance of Cameron who took on the case. With the help of Scarlette, a medium, they teamed up with a bureau member named Arlo. Through their combined efforts, they managed to locate the wife’s body in the gorge located just outside the town, bringing closure to the case.

The article highlighted that the case was far from unique. Many similar situations had occurred where wives and children of low-tiers were trafficked by groups of mid-tiers who specialized in selling vulnerable low-tiers to clients in the underground market. Of course, the names of the clients are hidden from the public for obvious reasons (most of them are high-tiers that hold power in places like the courthouses, bureau, and other places alike).

My frustration and anger build as I read the story. It's infuriating to realize that we're powerless to help the countless victims whose loved ones are ensnared in the hands of these ruthless individuals who abuse their power. Most of these perpetrators are high-profile individuals, using their influence to wreak havoc on innocent lives.There have been numerous articles circulating since the bureau’s illegal execution of high-tiers acting as vigilantes, which came to light 4 years ago. These vigilantes never got a proper court hearing or chance to defend themselves in the court of law. They violently murdered them and extracted their abilities for their own use.

After many members who were directly involved in the illegal executions and those who remained silent or ignored the issue faced legal consequences, including jail time. However, a significant number managed to flee overseas to evade justice. Despite the repercussions, the bureau continued to struggle with corruption, and Kassandra was appointed as the regional head.

Many other programs like the reeducation program were shut down. Although his real identity remains undisclosed, the journalist goes by the pseudonym Ikemi Holmes. He writes a series of articles unveiling corruption within the bureau and other authorities. Online conspiracy theorists on platforms like Beddit often engage in speculation about the true identity of this mysterious figure. Many have theorized that it was one of the former club members from a newspaper club from Wellston Private High School. A significant transformation has occurred since that pivotal event four years ago. Society's perception of low-tiers has taken a positive turn, with people finally acknowledging the longstanding mistreatment and neglect they have endured.

The bureau persistently pushed me to join their ranks and participate in the reeducation program. They saw potential in my abilities and offered me various incentives and benefits as a lure. I repeatedly declined their tempting offers, but they wouldn't take no for an answer. They even went as far as sending individuals to harass me daily. Thankfully, I used my powers discreetly to gradually dwindle their interest in pursuing me. Just when I thought I couldn't handle it anymore, the civil unrest and riots provided a welcome respite, putting an end to the relentless harassment.

While reading the article, I came across a photo of Cameron looking somber and distressed. My gaze lingered on the image and I felt a profound sense of worry for his mental wellbeing. It was only then that I realized the enormous emotional burden he was carrying by taking on these emotionally taxing responsibilities.  I've heard stories circulating about Cameron's connection to John Doe, the individual who set in motion the world's transformative changes. I've heard whispers that Cameron played a role in assisting John and his comrades. He even reunited with his long-lost sister after rescuing her from the authorities' inhumane experiments.

When it comes to high-profile god-tiers who find themselves in the limelight due to major events, the rules of HIPAA often get thrown out the window. I've seen this firsthand when patient Jane was admitted to our hospital for proper care and recovery. The nurses and providers all whispered and spoke about what had happened to her, and what kind of trauma her body endured under the NXGen’s research. We were all left in a state of profound shock and disbelief as we grappled with the authorities' attempts to minimize the severity of her trauma. The hospital administrator acted swiftly, putting an immediate stop to the gossip amongst the staff. Those who were found to be contributing the most were promptly dismissed, silencing us all almost instantly.

I set my phone down, noticing the time was 12:00 AM. I laid my head against the pillow and began to doze off. Suddenly, my phone made a soft chirping sound, interrupting my slumber.

What the hell? I thought. No one texts me at this godforsaken hour. 

I checked my phone and saw Cameron’s text message.  It was…a very strange message: Martii;n.. Wre a re u? I ned u to cme. Iv snt you 10z mesages>>!

"Oh, my god..." I whispered to myself, completely stunned and deeply worried. In that moment, my emotions were a mixture of shock and concern.

What the hell am I going to do? I thought to myself. This is way above my pay grade. He needs some serious help.

I replied back to his text: Sir, I did not receive any messages. This is the first one I’ve received. I’ll come in for your sake, but we will need to talk about this later.

I sat up and got dressed in my usual civilian clothes. I had no time for professionalism, since he’s crossed my boundaries. I’ll just sleep in his guest room if he ends up vomiting and needing nursing care. He better be prepared to hear my thoughts on this. And did he confuse me with Marisol?! And who did he text? My thoughts were racing. I am not prepared to go in and see him in a miserable state. I grabbed my nursing bag with my supplies, and personal items and left. 

It took me a quick 40-minute drive to reach his house. As I stepped out of my vehicle, I was immediately greeted by the security guard stationed at the entrance. He flashed a bright light in my face and inquired, "Good evening, ma’am. What brings you to his residence at this hour?"

The security man was well above six feet tall and appeared incredibly strong. I could sense a mixture of suspicion and confusion emanating from him. His imposing presence slightly unnerved me.

Bro, stop that. I thought.

I whipped out my phone, shining its bright screen in the security guard's face (take that you bastard), and showed him my text conversation with Cameron. "Cameron called me here to assist him," I explained. "It seems he's facing some difficulties and is not handling the situation so well."

The security guard looked at my text and verified his phone number. The suspicion in him went away. “Ah, you’re Rose. His new housekeeper. My apologies. Go right ahead, ma’am.” I walked past him and thanked him.

I entered Cameron's residence and observed my surroundings. The garage revealed four empty bottles, indicating that he had consumed extra alcohol.

"Oh, god…" I sighed, realizing that the day ahead would be a challenging one.

I ascended the stairs and sensed no intense emotions coming from his room. Upon entering, I found his phone on the ground and Cameron clad in a wine-colored bathrobe, sleeping soundly on his bed. Next to him on the nightstand, two empty bottles sat.

I approached him, checking his vitals. He was in a moderately alright after binge drinking. I noticed that his bathrobe had no vomit smears over it.  I checked who he texted and he had incidentally used the Boogle search bar in sending texts to absolutely no one. I sighed, and laid him on his side and placed an emesis bag next to him in case he needed it. I went ahead and cleaned up his room and bathroom

Never mind…he left his vomit in his toilet… 

I made my way downstairs and started a load of laundry in his washing machine. In his kitchen, I prepared some ginger tea, heating it in his kettle. Returning to his bedroom, I set the pitcher of ginger tea on his nightstand, along with a banana for when he’d wake up.

Throughout the next hour, I diligently monitored his vitals. Once I observed his blood pressure drop from a high level and his pulse stabilize, and confirmed he wasn’t in danger of vomiting, I decided it was safe to leave his side for a bit. I sat beside him for a little longer, feeling pity for him

I knelt down beside Cameron, my voice filled with sadness as I spoke. "This is not okay, Cameron..." With a gentle touch, I placed my hand on his forehead and activated my ability. I lowered his emotional output in cortisol and increased his serotonin. It should last for a full day. I immediately felt the brunt of my energy being drained after doing so. My recovery is slow whenever I maximize my ability to a long extent like that. I began feeling tired and walked towards his guest bedroom. I took out my pajamas that I had brought from home and got myself comfortable in bed. I looked at my phone and it was 3 am. I went to sleep right away. 

I dreamt that night. In the dream, I was swimming in a pool of water. The water glowed a golden crimson color. I was floating in the water and felt so serene and safe. Then I saw Cameron stepping into the pool, and he approached me. I immediately got flustered and asked him what he needed. He pointed at the pitcher that was sitting at the edge of the pool and told me to drink it. I was confused, and swam towards the pitcher and looked at it closely. Inside the pitcher, it had nothing but black liquid inside of it. I was confused and turned around to tell him that it wasn’t safe to drink. He was gone. I looked around for him and noticed that the pitcher started bubbling. I then saw a hand press onto the glass from within, and Cameron’s face appeared. I gasped in the dream and dropped the pitcher into the pool. The golden crimson color of the water slowly started turning into a black color and it covered the entire pool. I tried to swim out but felt like no matter how hard I tried swimming out of the pool, I couldn’t get out. Then from the location that I dropped the pitcher at, I saw bubbles appearing on the surface, and from its pitch dark depths, a huge flamingo appeared and squawked at me! I screamed and woke up from my dream. Upon sitting up, I looked around and didn’t recognize my surroundings. 

Oh yea, I’m at his place…Wait, what time is it? I thought. Oh no, it's already 11 am! I thought, checking my phone. I felt a sense of panic since I hadn't intended to sleep in that late. I had initially planned to wake up at 8 am to check on Cameron, but clearly, I had overslept.

In a flurry, I splashed some water on my face from the bowl on the table and quickly combed my hair with my fingers. I made my way out of the room and hurried towards Cameron's room, but as I rushed through the door, I suddenly crashed into something.

I stumbled back and landed on my butt with a thud. "Oof," I exclaimed. I looked up and saw Cameron towering over me, still donned in his wine colored bathrobe. He looked like shit. His eyes were swollen and puffy, with the beginnings of dark circles forming under them. His hair was in disarray, and his bathrobe hung loosely on his body, revealing a bare chest. The scent of alcohol was obvious, radiating from him. However, his eyes were glowing bright and they dimmed down immediately, which revealed his eyeballs were slightly bloodshot. 

Cameron's voice rang out, "I'm sorry. I heard a scream and didn't realize you were here." I could detect a noticeable shift in his emotions. The sadness and stress that had been weighing on him had clearly lifted.

My ability worked on a god-tier! I was never able to test it out until now. I thought with glee. 

"Oops…I should have sent you a heads-up about crashing here for the night. But honestly, I was downright exhausted from picking up that extra shift on the same day. Guess I just didn't have the energy to send that message. Sorry about that." As I stood up and took a small step back, I let a hint of disappointment show on my face, even though I struggle to hide my expressions from people.

But at that moment, my frustration flared. He was neglecting himself, calling me late at night for help. Why not a family member or a close friend? Then it hit me – people tend to keep their families out of their struggles, not wanting them to see them in a vulnerable state.

"I... I apologize for bothering you like this." He sheepishly looked away, remorse evident on his face, and subconsciously scratched his head as he spoke.

I was taken aback, ready to unleash a verbal barrage. Last night's events left me seething, and I was determined that he needed to understand the gravity of the situation. But instead of speaking, I simply stood there in awkward silence, tension filling the air. After a long pause, I finally broke the silence with a soft whisper, "It is what it is..."

Cameron remained quiet for a moment longer. I let out a tired sigh and observed him closely. "You know, you really need to freshen up," I suggested.

He nodded in agreement, his expression filled with guilt. "Yeah."

He started walking back to his room but paused. Turning back towards me, he requested softly, "Could you please prepare a light meal for me?"

I nodded in acknowledgment and headed downstairs. I took the opportunity to wash his bathrobe before preparing a light meal. Cameron came down the stairs silently and began to eat in solitude, occasionally stealing glances at me. There was an air of confusion and mild embarrassment about him, but I could tell he was feeling better. As I returned his gaze, I observed how he had quickly recovered from his previous state.

Did he have some healing ability? I thought to myself, while looking at him with disbelief. 

Seeing him continue to gaze at me, I decided to break the silence. "Why do you keep staring at me?" I inquired bluntly.

Startled by my question, he coughed up some of his food, quickly wiping his mouth with a napkin. After regaining his composure and taking a deep breath, he replied earnestly, "I apologize. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Inwardly, I thought to myself, It's a bit too late for that, buddy.

I quickly shifted my focus away from him and continued cleaning his kitchen, busying myself with mindless tasks.

"But there's something that's been bothering me," He said, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit conflicted about the fact that you used your abilities to change my emotions without my agreement."

A momentary pause hung in the air as I froze mid cleaning, my face involuntarily contorting with embarrassment.

Crap, I thought to myself.

I slowly turned back to face him, attempting to maintain a neutral expression, but as usual, my face betrayed me, turning a bright shade of red. "I'm... sorry?" I managed to say, struggling to keep my composure.

Cameron lifted an eyebrow at me, his gaze fixed on my face. He couldn't help but smirk and chuckle softly.

With a hint of surprise, I thought to myself, That's a first. I wondered if his reaction was still influenced by the lingering effects of my ability

“It’s okay, thank you. But please, don’t exert yourself by using your abilities on me." He said as he approached me in the kitchen. I found myself blushing, as my mind involuntarily flashed back to the dream I had earlier that morning. In it, Cameron had approached me in the nude, though his body was blurred and out of focus, much like mine was.

He gently took the dishes from my grasp and said, "I'll take care of these today. I've already burdened you enough by forcing you to overextend yourself, compromising your time and energy because of my own poor choices. It's not fair to expect you to make sacrifices on my behalf." I immediately recalled the dream of Cameron being in that glass pitcher that contained nothing but dark liquid.

I don’t know exactly what that dream was trying to tell me, but I know that he was in danger and…I have NO idea what that flamingo meant. That was totally random? I think?

"Sir, may I speak candidly, on a personal note?" I asked, holding his gaze intently.

He shifted uncomfortably, curious and apprehensive about whatever I was about to say. It was evident that he wasn't comfortable with the idea of feeling vulnerable. I could sympathize with that -nobody likes the hidden aspects of our character and the fragile parts of our being are unveiled to someone new.

"I think you're in need of some assistance" I began cautiously, knowing that dealing with his issues wasn't easy for him. "Please, don't feel embarrassed or ashamed to reach out to your loved ones. Or even me. I'll do my best to be there for you, but I need to be careful and not overextend myself, considering I have other people who rely on me too."

I paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, "Can I stay a little longer today, if that's alright with you?"

Cameron stood there, stunned, and I could see and feel the mixture of emotions coursing through him. A hint of relief and profound shame and fear flashed in his watery eyes. I could sense a hint of resentment from him, though it wasn't directed at me.

Oh, Cameron... I thought to myself. It's alright to feel vulnerable and to need help. Please don't hate yourself for this. You can still recover.

Desperate to lift the heavy atmosphere, I rapidly suggested the first thing that popped into my mind, "How about we take a walk?"

Anything to help us both relax. Cameron looked at me, pondering the idea.

"Very well then," he agreed after a moment's hesitation. He deposited the dishes back into the sink before turning to me and asking, "Where would you like to go?"

I internally cursed, realizing I hadn't given much thought to our destination.

I hastily responded, my voice cracking slightly with excitement, "Let's go to the beach!"

WHY THE HELL? He’s not your friend!? He’s your BOSS. IS THIS EVEN REAL? No, it's fine….he is now an individual in need of good vibes. He needs help. We are here to help. Step away from work mode. I thought to myself.

“Alright, I’ll gather some essentials for our day trip," Cameron said and promptly headed upstairs. I could sense his emotions becoming a chaotic mix of unease, confusion, a hint of happiness, and astonishment at the situation we had unexpectedly found ourselves in.

What have I gotten myself into? This is not fergalicious! I thought as I gripped my hair and spun around in the kitchen. 

End of Chapter

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Our journey started with Cameron driving us in his brand new Wolvo XYZ90, a spacious and luxurious vehicle. The drive was a bit awkward and silent, as I felt his emotions thanks to my passive. They were still a mix of uncomfortable, puzzled, and baffled. To break the silence, Cameron put on some music, ranging from classical tunes, jazz melodies, and popular rock songs from his youth. The change in genres kept the ride interesting, but the air still felt tense between us.

Cameron was the first to speak up, breaking the silence that filled the air. He asked, “Would you like to play your music as well?”

I glanced over at him, noticing how meticulously he focused on the road ahead. Surprisingly, his expression remained calm and collected, giving no hint of the emotions he was actually feeling.

I mused to myself, He's got a pretty decent poker face.

I responded, “No, I actually like these songs.” The music did help me feel a bit more at ease, even though I still had a nagging sense of uneasiness about the situation. We finally arrived at the coast, and we chose the first seaside town we found. Once we parked Cameron's vehicle in the public parking lot, I grabbed the tote bag filled with essentials and my purse. It was fortunate that I had visited this place before, and I already had a plan for us to do some lighthearted activities there.

I said, “It's low tide hour, and I checked the website, so if we're lucky, we might get to see tide pools with all sorts of cool creatures like starfish.” I pointed towards the direction of the tide pools and suggested, “What do you think? Shall we check them out?” Then, I turned my head to look at him, awaiting his response.

A hint of disdain etched across Cameron's face, and I could sense that he wasn't thrilled about the idea. He responded with a reluctant, “Alright, then,” and proceeded to lead the way towards the direction I had pointed to, walking ahead of me with a less than enthusiastic stride.

Seriously? If you don’t want to do this, then you could have at least said so! I thought. I felt a pang of annoyance as I followed behind him. 

We reached the tide pools 15 minutes later. A number of people were already there, admiring the tide pools. The cool and crisp weather felt pleasant on our skin, and the wind wasn't strong enough to blow in our faces. The sun shone brightly in the sky, with just a few clouds scattered about. As we looked around, we saw a flocks of seagulls and crows hovering above us. I held tightly onto the tote bag, feeling a bit anxious about the birds getting too close. After all, there were always some visitors who liked to feed them. I then spotted that Cameron wasn’t wearing the correct shoes for the occasion and had some rather luxurious looking shoes on. He was definitely feeling apprehensive about getting his socks and shoes wet. I kneeled down and removed my own to demonstrate to him that it was common to do so at the beach. Cameron eyed me from the side of his periphery and frowned.

I inquired, “Have you ever walked on the beach without shoes?”

Cameron paused for a moment to think before responding, “No, to be honest. I've only ever been to private resorts near the beach. I've never had any reason to visit a public beach.”

There is no way you’ve never walked on the beach? What was I thinking when asking that question? People like him grew up different compared to people like me. I thought. Suddenly, I felt slightly weird at the fact that the crush that I have on Cameron is strange to me now.

Was I experiencing limerence all along?

Regardless, I still felt some level of attraction to him even if we were slightly from different planets.

I’m a sucker for these types of guys. I thought. I swooned internally.   

“You go on ahead. I'll stay back here and keep your shoes guarded,” Cameron said with a hint of weariness.

I felt a bit hesitant about leaving him behind, but I went on ahead towards the tide pools, as he had turned to look at the ocean and the waves. Upon arriving, I discovered plenty of starfish and anemones covering the rocks surrounding the tide pools. Barnacles and mussels were clinging tightly to the rocks. I started taking photos of the various creatures in the pools. After a few minutes, I spotted a giant green anemone and gasped in surprise. In the corner of my eye, I noticed a little crab scurrying away to hide. Without wasting any time, I quickly and gently scooped it up into my hands to get a closer look at it.

I’ve got to show this to Cameron! I thought with excitement and jumped around the pools to go find him. I went back to where he was previously standing and he spotted me approaching him. 

Cameron asked, “What is it?”

I responded excitedly, “Look!” I opened my hands to show him the crab. With a big grin on my face, I said, “Isn't it cool?”

But his response was a shrug, adding another blow of disappointment. Suddenly, two seagulls swooped down and tried to grab the crab from my hand, taking me completely by surprise.

SQUAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK 

The seagulls, agitated, started violently flapping their feathers directly in front of my face. In response, I instinctively tried to protect the crab in my hand, gently cupping it in my fist while attempting to swat the birds away with my forearm.

“Get away! GOOooo!!” I shouted, attempting to drown out their squawking and the pecking at my arm. Cameron, with a frustrated sigh, activated his ability, harnessing the surrounding wind to forcefully blow the seagulls away and the crab from my grasp.

Woah, when did he sample this ability?! I thought. However, much to my dismay, I realized that he incidentally blew away the tote bag that contained our essential items.

"Oh no," I groaned, my nerves palpable. "I'll be right back," I muttered before darting away, silently cursing my carelessness for not securing the tote bag properly. My purse, secured around my body, stayed with me, but the tote's straps, resting on the same side as the crab-filled hand, hung loose. A pang of irritation towards Cameron simmered as he activated his ability without a heads-up.

What the hell??? You could have warned me! Jerk. I thought angrily. I could not for the life of me find it anywhere!

I desperately searched the area, growing more panicked by the minute. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, I hung my head low in defeat and slowly approached Cameron, guilt-ridden. I sheepishly admitted, "I'm sorry, but the wind took the tote bag with the crab from me."

Cameron, trying his best to hide his annoyance and anxiety, responded with an icy tone, asking, "Why did you even handle the crab near its predators in the first place?"

My heart sank a little at Cameron's disapproving tone and scathing words, making me feel somewhat foolish. I replied in a sheepish manner, explaining, "I was just excited to show you."

Cameron let out an exasperated, even louder sigh and walked away, leaving me feeling even more anxious about his soured mood. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, an unexpected and even more embarrassing incident happened. The seagulls, which Cameron had blown away earlier, returned with a mission - they swooped right over his head like two stealthy fighter jets. Acting as makeshift missiles, they aimed their droppings towards Cameron, aided by the wind and a surprising amount of precision. Miraculously, their aim held true, and the fecal projectiles landed onto Cameron, staining his clothes.

"UGH, DAMN IT!" Cameron bellowed, his voice filled with frustration, as he unleashed his ability once more, directing a powerful gust of wind at the pair of seagulls. Unfazed, the birds simply allowed themselves to be carried by the wind, soaring high up into the air without any resistance. 

I quickly ran towards Cameron, witnessing a nearby child pointing and laughing at his embarrassing situation. The child's parents, struggling to suppress their own amusement, quickly pulled the kid away, sensing Cameron's growing anger. He stood there, visibly shaking with pure anger.

“Cameron, are you okay?!” I called out to him as I approached him quickly. I rushed over to Cameron, worried, and stood in front of him, assessing the damage. I noticed the seagull droppings that landed on his shoulder and shoes, and a slight chuckle escaped me before I could stop myself. Regretting the slip-up, I saw Cameron's anger boil over, his face turning red and his scowl directed straight at me.

Cameron shouted forcefully, his voice full of frustration and anger. "DO I LOOK OKAY?!" A vein started to pop out in his neck, a clear sign of his mounting fury.

I reflexively flinched at Cameron's outburst, looking away from his red, enraged face. Quickly rummaging through my purse, I found some wet wipes and offered them to Cameron. "T-These should help get the stain off your shirt," I hesitated, "But if we don't remove it soon, it will..." Before I could finish, Cameron snatched the wipes from my hand and stormed off, still visibly angry.

“He's so rude," I silently fumed, my face burning with a mixture of frustration, embarrassment, and sadness. I stood there, silent, tears welling up in my eyes.

Why do I always mess things up? I wondered silently, my thoughts filled with self-recrimination. I just wanted to help him...he didn't have to yell at me. I tried to console myself, thinking that anyone would have found the situation humorous.

I suddenly felt some more and more emotions coming into my physical proximity. People were whispering and staring at me. I felt emotions coming into me, and felt amusement, concern, and delight. I looked around me and saw some people snickering at me. I slowly made my way towards Cameron, who had already distanced himself by around a hundred yards. As I approached him, doubts swirled through my mind, wondering how I could possibly turn this day around. Overwhelmed by stress and sadness, I had to fight back the urge to cry. Summoning all my strength, I pushed my feelings aside, determined to persevere and remain strong.

“HEY.” A tiny voice yelled at me from behind.

As I turned around, the same kid who had been laughing at us earlier approached me with the tote bag in his hands. He beamed proudly. "I found your bag, lady!" The kid exclaimed happily. Relief washed over me as I took the bag, thankful that all the essentials were still inside. I let out a sigh of relief as I thought of how fortunate we were that Cameron had packed a change of clothes.

“Thank you! You’re a lifesaver.” I said to him happily, with a smile. I went ahead and quickly picked up my pace to catch up to Cameron. 

— Cameron’s POV before arriving at the beach —

The uncomfortable silence between us felt almost stifling. I silently questioned my decision to accept her request, reflecting on how things might have unfolded differently if I hadn't sent that message to a brand-new employee. After all, no one had seen me in such a miserable state before, not even Marisol during her first five years of employment. Now, here I was, acquiescing to this person's impulsive suggestions. I quickly flicked my gaze in her direction, catching a glimpse of her as she busily scrolled through her phone, clearly trying to drown out the awkward atmosphere.

I clenched my jaw and couldn't help but feel a mixture of surprise and disappointment at her audacity to use her mental abilities on me while I was in such a vulnerable state. No one had ever dared to do that before. Many had tried, but I had always sensed their attempts and stopped them in their tracks. However, she had succeeded—not for nefarious purposes, luckily, but it had caught me off guard. I couldn't shake the feeling of being different today, as if my mood had been lifted, although I didn't believe the effects of her aura would linger for as long as she anticipated. I couldn’t also help but debate if I was too lenient with her. 

Back to Rose’s POV

I quickened my pace to catch up to him and called out his name. He stopped walking and turned to face me, his expression betraying his changed mood. It was clear that I was not wanted in his presence. His body language silently screamed disapproval, and his scowl still present, although his earlier anger had subsided. I hoped my attempt at reconciliation would diminish his resentment.

"From now on, you will address me as 'sir', not by my given name," he stated firmly, his tone leaving no room for disobedience.

Damn, man. Why you gotta be such a dick with that shitty attitude? I seethed internally as my face turned red, a mix of embarrassment and anger coursing through me. But, honestly, my anger was mainly directed at him, so I silently thought, Fuuuck youuuu. My frustration with his lack of accountability for numerous previous incidents finally boiled over, leading to a loss of emotional control. In that moment, I unleashed my frustration at him, a burst of pent-up anger and disappointment finally unleashing itself.

I retorted, "FINE, I'll call you 'sir,'" albeit with a hint of sass. "But I want you to know, I didn't deserve being yelled at back there. That was shitty! You don't have to take out your angry mood on me. And another thing..." I paused, then presented the tote. "Here, I got your stuff back. But seriously, you’re such a jerk," I added before stomping off, my anger still visible.

He stayed silent, and I couldn't bring myself to even look in his direction. At that moment, I was over the whole situation. Frustrated, I hurriedly distanced myself from his vicinity, unwilling to pick up on his emotional state any longer.

In search of solitude on the beach, I found a small, secluded spot inside a cave within the basalt rocks, free from any nearby beachgoers. The moment I reached the spot, I succumbed to a fit of tears, sobbing for a solid five minutes. Overwhelmed, I slowly lowered myself to the ground as the tears and mucus poured out of me freely. I then activated my ability to shutdown my negative emotions and felt relaxed instantly. But, that ended up taking a toll on my aura reserves once more. I took out some tissues and cleaned myself up. I sat there in silence and stared out into the empty air. 

I regretted my own outburst, silently chiding myself for being so rude. I'm probably getting fired after today, I thought in despair. I bent my head down, placing it between my knees, and sulked silently. Feeling defeated, I dug out my phone and began drafting my resignation letter, resigned to the possibility of losing my job or having to quit for my sake.

I saved it into my notes app, and proceeded to open up my Lyift app to get myself a ride back home. I need to get out of here. I don’t want him confronting me again. My eyes widened. $150 dollars to return home?! Fuck meeee. I thought with despair. I was about to click the select option, but then I heard footsteps coming into close proximity and felt some familiar emotions, although they were miniscule. 

Ugh... here we go again, I silently groaned in my mind. As I stood up, reluctantly preparing myself for another round of being reprimanded.

Cameron was standing away from the entrance to the little caving. I exited out and kept avoiding eye contact, but, luckily for me my passive was a lot less effective now that my aura was drained all over again. I can barely feel his emotions. 

He spoke with regret, his tone laced with shame. "I'm sorry for yelling at you," he admitted, offering an apology. I finally made eye contact, but before I could chime in, he continued speaking. "I know my attitude hasn't been the best lately," he confessed. He continued speaking, his voice still filled with irritation. "I can't help but feel annoyed that you used your ability on me. Part of me appreciates your efforts, but I want to make it clear—I don’t want that to happen again," he said, his expression stern. "I’m not comfortable with having people use their mental abilities on me. I can’t copy or negate their effects easily. While I do find your ability helpful in lifting my mood, my concern is that I don’t want to be deceived into feeling something that may not be genuine."

So that’s what’s been adding to his sour mood? My actions as well? I thought. I felt quite a bit of shame after that realization hit me. 

"I appreciate your apology," I replied. "And I'm sorry for my impulsive action. I’ve realized now that it was a poor decision to try and fix something that I should not have interfered with." I paused, memories from my past flashing through my mind, causing me to wince momentarily. A déjà vu, of sorts.

The floodgates of memories opened, and vivid recollections of my peers feeling uneasy around my ability resurfaced. Previous partners felt distrusting of the possibility of me manipulating their emotions whilst they slept at night. The idea of me tampering with their emotions for my own gain weighed in the back of their minds. They felt violated, as if their innermost feelings were being invaded, which led to them distancing themselves from me. I didn’t blame them, my passive was hard to ignore. I tried my best to honor their privacy, and pretending that I hadn’t sensed some concerning emotions. 

In my life, I once even considered a drastic measure—the prospect of becoming disabled (seeking out Spectre). I’ve heard rumors of God tiers being targeted and having their abilities completely removed back in the day. The constant stigma surrounding my ability had left me feeling defeated and isolated. I was painfully aware of the negative reputation associated with my powers. Especially recently with my great grandfather being exposed in the media as the one who created the bureau’s reeducation program and its fucked up methods. I did my best to be the opposite of him, and my other family members. But alas, as soon I revealed my ability to people, they would become fearful and avoidant. It was a hard blow, but I pushed along no matter what. 

“I promise I won't ever invade your emotions like that again. And I truly apologize for yelling at you earlier and for being thoughtless. I was incredibly angry, and it didn't sit right with me that you contacted me late at night expecting my help, all without considering my own schedule. I felt pressured to say yes, but being the helper just isn't me after an exhausting day for me…,” I paused and quickly fretted about him thinking I was backtracking on our previous conversation in the kitchen earlier. “B-But I’m not saying you shouldn’t be afraid in reaching out to me for those moments! A-Also using your ability without warning me beforehand, causing me to lose your tote—that was unacceptable too. Like give me a heads up. Plus, I can feel the mixed feelings radiating from you about this trip. If you're having doubts or aren't fully committed, please be honest. It's better to speak up now than to waste both of our time and energy on something you're not fully into." I yapped on, and gave him a serious look.

I tilted my head and crossed my arms over my chest, and asked, “Why didn’t you speak up sooner?”

Cameron looked away, his expression becoming unreadable as he struggled to articulate his thoughts. "I'm not sure," he admitted, evasively avoiding eye contact. "I just went along with your idea, and I can't quite put my finger on why." There was a hint of suppressed emotion lingering beneath the surface, but it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what he was feeling.

Oh well, I thought. Maybe my powers lingered on a bit longer than I expected? Tapering here and there…

"Hey, now that we're both in a better mood, there's something else I'd like to ask you," I inquired, curiosity evident in my tone, a hopeful expression manifesting on my face. 

I really want to ask him how long my ability lasted on him exactly and how much it affected him.

Cameron's response was immediate and curt, "No." I blinked twice, surprised by his swift rejection. Almost as if he read my mind or something. However, a laugh escaped me, and I couldn't help but find his response amusing. He raised an eyebrow in question, silently asking what was so funny.

I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Alright then," I stretched my arms outwards and tilted my head back, gazing up at the sky. I mentally noted that I probably wouldn't have to quit just yet. I could sense Cameron's efforts to conceal his emotions throughout the day, and I couldn't help but wonder if my passive ability was bothering him on some level. Perhaps my power made him uncomfortable, but I couldn't be entirely certain. It’s nothing new to me, but I’m sure he knew what he signed up for when he hired me. 

"Let's head out and grab something to eat," I suggested. "I know a great spot where we can enjoy our meal while watching the waves, and it has significantly less pesky seagulls," I said with a cheeky smile.

Cameron rolled his eyes at me in response. "Alright, lead the way." The rest of the afternoon passed by peacefully. We strolled leisurely along the beach, indulging in our meals, taking in the sights of windsurfers gracefully maneuvering in the air (they used their whirlwind abilities to assist them as well) and admiring people flying their kites. We basked in the moments of silence without any further tension or anxiety.

Cameron picked out a spot to watch the sunset. As the sun began its descent, it painted the horizon with a glorious display of colors; a myriad of reds, oranges, and yellows created a stunning backdrop against the sky. The sight was mesmerizing, and as I watched the sun set, I felt a sense of pure joy and peace wash over me. The rhythmic sound of the waves rolling into shore, punctuated by the gentle lapping of the water against the rocks, provided the perfect soundtrack to this beautiful moment. It was a reminder of the simple beauty that exists in the world.

I couldn’t help but also sense Cameron having similar emotions of serenity, and being content. 

Suddenly, I overheard the couple and their child from before, who had found the tote earlier, whispering to each other. The mother then spoke out in a sweet tone, "Look, Frank," she whispered to her child. "They couple made up, honey.”

The child replied with loud enthusiasm, "GOOD!" 

We both reacted instinctively, simultaneously scooting further away from each other to occupy opposite ends of the bench. The shared embarrassment was palpable, and we could both feel the heat rising in our faces. My cheeks burned with a deep red hue as I consciously avoided looking in his direction. 

Wait a minute... As realization dawned on me, a thought formed, surprising me. This didn't feel so much like an intervention. It felt more like an outing—d-definitely NOT a date, pfft, nooo! Besides we are here because he needed a break away from his work life…I wonder what happened though? But, I reminded myself that it wasn't any of my business at this point. I didn't get to ask him about his recently closed case, but I realized that it wasn't my place to pry into his life. I’m just an employee. He would probably be annoyed if he discovered that I had read the article about it last night, secretly snooping on his activities.

To my surprise, he spoke up, as if he had read my mind in that moment once more. "Lately, I've been bombarded with emails from low-tiers wanting me to search for a missing person using my connections, or they expect me to help them unlock their potential in their abilities to defend themselves," he confessed.

I was slightly caught off guard by his confession and finally twisted my head to look at him with slight surprise. I cleared my throat before I spoke up.

“I can only imagine how overwhelming that must be for you," I replied, feeling empathy for his situation. "With the bureau already dealing with a mass exodus of employees leaving due to shifting Kassandra as their new leader and the changes she implemented…It sounds like they're facing a severe workload with their staffing shortage crisis..." I sighed, feeling saddened by their circumstances. 

Unfortunately, many people left the bureau after Kassandra was appointed as the regional head and started making some major sweeping changes. High-tiers from similar departments also departed to pursue different career paths. There's been an interesting mix of outcomes. Some people have returned to the bureau over the years, but they have taken on different roles. Cameron is a good example of a high-tier going out of his way to work closely with them after years of avoiding them. After all, most high tiers loved working with the authorities. Others have reinvented themselves and followed their true passions, which is quite admirable. However, on the other hand, some of the more power-hungry and corrupt members left the country or joined problematic groups that have been causing significant trouble. Small criminal factions have emerged, led by a single high-tier or elite-tier individuals. 

Amps were still being created in secret in abandoned buildings, or behind small business fronts. Fortunately, many mid-tier and low-tier individuals stepped up to join the authorities, bringing diverse talents that significantly aided the workload. However, the region urgently needed high-tier assistance to take on these emerging crime groups. Amps continued to pose significant challenges, creating a stark power imbalance between the authorities (Bureau officers) and the criminals who obtained an unfair advantage through their boosted abilities. Vigilantism had become increasingly popular, and hero syndicates (backed by the authorities) were formed to create a legal avenue for vigilantes to be held to equal standards in order to prevent any foul play by their part; ensuring that government funds covered any property damages or civilian injuries. Despite this, a small number of vigilantes continued to work outside the authorities due to lingering mistrust. Many hero syndicates received financial support from influential god-tiers who sympathized with low-tiers and mid-tiers. 

Cameron nodded, his expression filled with frustration. "This recent case," he began, taking a deep breath before continuing, "…took a wrong turn. We were close to catching the captors who were moving her, as well as other victims, between different hideouts. But they got wind of our pursuit, and it was a setback. We arrived too late." His emotions sank into despair once again, and the air around us grew noticeably colder. I shared his sorrow, feeling the overwhelming weight of the reality. There is a dire lack of help, and countless people in need, fighting against limited resources and time.

I stole a brief glance at him, and it was clear that he was deeply saddened. "Despite the challenges everyone has faced, there is at least a silver lining," I continued, speaking with empathy. "The family has received closure since their loved one's body has been returned to them. They must feel a great sense of gratitude, and I'm certain they greatly appreciate all the efforts you have made to bring the situation to a resolution," I reassured him, hoping my words provided some comfort.

His mood lightened slightly, and he exhaled softly. "I can see your point," he acknowledged, but then his expression grew solemn again. "But I take pride in my work, and while Scarlette reassured me with the same sentiment, I can't help but feel a sense of failure. I was so confident that we could have gotten the job done. It was almost like a promise to them, and I haven't fulfilled it." His self-deprecating thoughts took over, and a wave of guilt washed over him. The feeling of guilt I felt off of him was the strongest emotions I felt out of the rest of them.

"It's not your fault," I reassured him. "You shouldn't bear the weight of others' actions. Their sins are their own to carry, not yours." I studied him closely, noticing his closed eyes. It was as if he was grappling with some internal conflict. I looked at him with deep sympathy and worry. I didn’t know what else I could say to him to help him overcome these guilty feelings. I wasn’t exactly an expert in this since I usually shutdown my own negative emotions completely whenever I dealt with similar internal conflicts. Not a healthy use of my ability but it helped me focus on tasks. As I turned to look at the horizon, I realized that the sun had set. Standing up to stretch my legs, I suggested, "I think I'm ready to head back. What about you?" He just continued gazing out at the ocean, still gripped by a deep sense of guilt.

"Okay." He stood up, and we made our way back to the car. The ride back wasn't as uncomfortable as before, so I opted to play my music mix (a combination of alternative, pop, and rock). Cameron seemed apathetic towards my choice in music, not really caring for it, but at least he wasn't outright disliking it. Every once in a while, I would sneak a glance at him and notice his brooding expression. We arrived at his place as darkness enveloped the sky.

"Feel free to come in later or take tomorrow off," he advised. "You've done more than enough to help me, and I'll still pay you the same amount if you decide to take that time off." His voice held a soothing tone, filled with gratitude.

Refraining from the urge to push my luck, I decided not to insist on being an overachiever. "I appreciate that. I'll take the day off."

"Good," he responded. "You deserve the chance to recover. You expended a lot of your aura again today. I'm sorry if that was my fault,” he added, a hint of remorse behind his voice. 

"Don't worry about it," I assured him. "I am aware of my own limits, but I admittedly went a bit too far." My tone was matter-of-fact, as I spoke with certainty. "Just make sure you take care of yourself, okay sir?" I gave him a warm smile, placing a gentle pat on his shoulder. Cameron looked momentarily taken aback and confused by the touch, but he composed himself. I then turned around and made my way towards my car.

For a split second, I sense a foreign emotion from Cameron. It was so quick that I couldn’t even define what it was that he felt towards me at that moment. If only my aura wasn’t drained, I could have identified it probably. 

Chapter 6 End

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

I returned to work after my day off. The week was going smoothly, with no issues or mishaps during the first two days. I even noticed that Cameron had been keeping himself busy with work and other errands. We barely had a chance to talk during those days, but luckily he had been drinking less recently. Only one bottle of wine in the past few days. He had also assured me that he was being more cautious and decompressing with the sauna or the pool. On the third day of work, as I was finishing up waxing the floors, my cell phone pinged in my pocket.

It was a text from Cameron: Can you please come to my office?

What the? I thought. I shrugged knowing that I’ve done nothing wrong these past few days, nor was he feeling any sort of feelings of negativity towards me. I washed my hands and went up to his office and knocked. 

“Come in,” Cameron said on the other side.

I walked in and greeted him. He gestured for me to take a seat across from him, and I could sense a bit of nervousness emanating from him. There was also a hint of hope in his demeanor.

If I could raise a single eyebrow I would.

“So, what’s going on, sir?” I asked with a bit of caution.

Cameron leaned back in his chair and looked at me intently for a few moments, and his sense of hope grew more pronounced. “How do you feel about assisting me in this situation involving my work?” He said. “I would need to use your passive for this.”

I was surprised. “Why would you need me to use my passive?” I was getting a bit more nervous at this point, hoping that this “situation” he wanted me to participate in wasn’t dangerous. I didn’t need to add more drama to my life currently. 

Cameron retrieved a stack of documents from a folder and placed a document in front of me, featuring pictures of six individuals. None of them were familiar to me, but I noticed that each person was identified as either a god-tier or high-tier individual, in reference to a listed category next to their photos. He paused for a moment, clearing his throat before proceeding. "I'm hosting a dinner party tomorrow and would appreciate if you could stay late to aid the chef in serving the guests and handling any cleaning up afterwards."

I was still puzzled. "Okay, I can definitely manage this task for you tomorrow," I replied, but the confusion in my voice was evident. "But I'm curious, why is my ability needed for this job?"

Cameron's expression hardened, and his usual scowl returned. I sensed a mixture of suspicion and anger brewing beneath the surface. "Do you remember the case I mentioned before involving the missing low-tier female and the 4 other international female victims whom we failed to rescue?"

I nodded slowly, my fingers grasping tightly together. I had looked further into the case and discovered that there were rumors going around online about how the victims' heads had been cleanly separated from their bodies. The mental image that flashed through my mind made my stomach churn, and I shut my eyes to try and erase it. I really hoped Cameron hadn't had to endure the sight of their lifeless forms...but knowing he was involved in the case, I had a dreadful suspicion that he had. It was a horrifying thought.

Cameron leaned in a bit closer, his voice dropping to a softer tone. "What I'm about to share with you must remain strictly confidential. The authorities have allowed me to disclose some details about the investigation because they recognize the potential value of your ability in this case. I want you to utilize your powers to detect any discrepancies in the emotions displayed by the individuals I'm inviting. Pay attention to any feelings that don't align with a moral character, or any signs that someone might be lying."

“Oohhh.” I said in awe. That was smart. I’ve only ever done something similar to this in the hospital. I’ve helped out a total of two women and children in domestic and child abuse situations. I could feel when they felt super fearful of a spouse being in close proximity to them. ”Okay, I can do it.” I said with eagerness.

I want to be helpful.

Cameron smiled slightly and exhaled in relief. "Thank you," he said, before pulling out a few more documents and going over some additional details and making sure I understood my role for the dinner party. He shared the abilities of the individuals on the guest list, along with the findings from the autopsy reports, which revealed traces of metals on the women's severed flesh. He then explained how there could be one individual on the list (or their accomplices) who might be responsible for these actions, and revealed that they had narrowed down three individuals on the list as potential suspects in the trafficking ring.

Cameron explained there was still a lack of concrete evidence, and the authorities were desperately trying to uncover the mastermind behind the trafficking ring for the southern region of the country. He informed me that he would attempt to bring up the subject at the dinner table, either himself or through another person involved. His intention was to use subtle cues to guide the discussion back to the topic of the case. Cameron stated that during that moment, I should pay close attention to the other guests' emotions, as anyone displaying abnormal feelings towards such a heinous act would be suspect.

"I suggest you come in early if possible," Cameron said. "That way, you can handle your tasks quickly and have the rest of the afternoon free to relax. Plus, we'll have a professional studio makeup artist on hand to help disguise your appearance for the event."

My eyes widened in surprise as I blurted out, "HUH?!" I struggled to comprehend what Cameron had just proposed. "Why would I need to be disguised?" I questioned, my voice tinged with disbelief.

Cameron expressed a slight twinge of disappointment at my question, but he responded without further judgment. "It's quite obvious, isn't it?" he explained. "If our suspicions about one or two of the individuals are correct, then we don't want whoever is involved to target you. The authorities have insisted that you work with us for this investigation, so they're taking precautionary measures. You're an outlier in all of this. The guests at the dinner party are well acquainted with your family name and face, and the invite was made at short notice. Whoever is involved will likely be cautious and observant during the gathering. Your family’s name carries weight in this country, and they're aware of your unique mental ability. It's a rare power, after all. Given these circumstances, we need to take extra safety measures."

I flushed slightly in embarrassment, realizing that I should have figured this out on my own earlier. "I see. Right..." I muttered, my cheeks turning a bit pink. I quickly collected myself and asked, "So, what will my fake name be for the event?"

Cameron tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes in deep thought.

My eyes widened with excitement as I exclaimed, "OH! I have an idea!" I grinned widely, my enthusiasm infectious. "How about the name 'Victoria'?" I suggested. "It means victory, and I'm confident that we're going to succeed. Trust me, you'll see." I gave him a gleeful thumbs-up, my pride bubbling up inside me at the prospect of uncovering the culprit and contributing to the case. The emotions were blossoming within me, and everything felt so newly invigorating.

Cameron gazed at me and felt some sort of sense of optimism, excitement, and admiration. “Good choice,” He said thoughtfully. 

Cameron then proceeded to hand me a copy of the report, list, and dinner etiquette and what attire I’m supposed to wear for the occasion. He also paid me in advance (SCOOOOREE $v$), for staying a few hours behind, and for using my ability for something “high-risk”. It was a good check he gave me. After work, I headed straight to the mall to purchase my formal waitress attire. I chose a crisp, long-sleeved, white pleated wingtip tuxedo shirt, paired with a pair of well-fitted black dress pants. I was fortunate to have a pair of black Oxford shoes back at home that I had worn only a couple of times before.

I texted Cameron a picture of my prescription glasses card, and he passed it on to the studio makeup artist to help select the appropriate colored contact lenses. Additionally, I popped into a luxury brand store and finally purchased the exact cologne that Cameron wore.

“I’ll give this to Cameron.” I whispered to myself and blushed. 

When I got back home, I gathered all of my belongings for the following day, intending to change back into my regular clothes once I had finished my tasks. I assumed that I would shower and get dolled up with the artist in order to receive a new look. I read over the documents twice, and it finally was 11 PM, and I went straight to sleep. 

The following day…

I woke up and went straight to Cameron’s house and the security guard was there early in the morning. 

“Good morning, Miss Rose.” The guard said kindly to me, while he was adjusting the cameras near the doorway. 

“Good morning Howard.” I paused and waved my hand back at him. “But, today my name will go by Victoria.” 

“Oh? Alright, then Miss Victoria.” He said with amusement. 

I looked around and noticed that all the cameras were updated and readjusted to point in all different directions. Also, he’s added some more on the rooftop. ”Wow, looks like Cameron has you working overtime too?”

”Yea, he called me on short notice to install 3 more cameras. But, I don’t complain. I’m getting paid for all of this.” He said with a laugh.

”Nice. We'll see you later, Howard. Have a good day’s rest.” I went into Cameron’s house, and noticed that there was a whole staff of people rearranging his living room and setting out a table for poker. Then I spotted Cameron calling someone while looking down from the second floor hall and he took notice of me and nodded at me and stepped back into his office. I went ahead and started cleaning up anything dirty, and making things look squeaky clean. I restocked his fridge for dinner (so that’s why he has a big fridge…) with the groceries that were delivered. I then assisted the staff in cleaning up after them. I finished whatever other small task I was to do. By the time that I was done, it was already 1 pm. I then took an hour break to pass the time, scrolled through my phone and ate my lunch. Then the doorbell rang once more, and the chef arrived. I got up to see who it was on the camera feed display. I confirmed it was him, and let him in. He stepped into the house and was wearing a typical chef uniform, he had hazel colored eyes, and chestnut brown hair. He introduced himself with a formal tone, “Hello, my name is Garett. I’m here to prepare for tonight’s dinner and refreshments.”  I introduced myself as Victoria. “Ah, so you’re the one who’s going to assist me in serving food and drinks tonight, huh?” 

“Yup, that’s me.” I chirped. 

The chef smiled warmly at me, and went towards the kitchen to do his thing. I went ahead and checked around the house to see if there was anything else I can do to make things look spotless. I walked past Cameron’s office and he was typing away on his computer and looking through multiple documents.

As I observed Cameron, I couldn't help but notice his usual state of distraction. I headed towards the guest bedroom where I had left my backpack and purse. I then took out my waitress uniform and began ironing it on the ironing board, striving to attain a neat appearance. Once finished, I went to the bathroom for a shower. When I emerged refreshed, the makeup artist entered the room, ready to work her magic.

"Hello there~!" Amy exclaimed, her cheerful voice filling the room. "My name is Amy, and I'm here to give you a fabulous disguise!" She spun around, presenting her multiple suitcases that were carried in by her assistant. With a wave of her hand, she unveiled a spectacular array of items. Her yellow eyes sparkled with excitement, and her bright blue hair was styled with a bold shaved side. Her makeup was flawlessly applied, her overall appearance exuding coolness. Her fashion sense was equally striking, with an electric blue tank top adorned in multiple quirky patches and a black mini skirt. She completed her look with fashionable joc martens boots. Amy's enthusiasm was contagious, and her smile was radiant. "Come, come, come, have a seat!" she urged, patting the couch with her slender, delicate hand. "I'll transform you into a completely new person!"

I found myself staring in disbelief, my jaw dropping as I took in the sight before me. "Woah..." was all I could manage to say as I marveled at Amy's extensive collection of disguises.

Amy giggled with delight, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Tee-hee~ I get that reaction often." She scrutinized every inch of me, examining my features and inspecting my appearance. She then snapped her fingers, signaling to her assistant, who quickly set up a ring light, makeup chair, and wrapped a nylon cape around me. "Thank you, Meg," Amy said sweetly. "Now sit down and let me work my magic, sweetie." I complied, taking a seat in the makeup chair. Amy wasted no time and started her work right away. She continued to transform me with a skillful touch. First, she had me remove my glasses, setting them aside delicately. With a steady hand, she applied her makeup products, creating a flawless base. She then used wax around my nose, blending it effortlessly. Her focus was meticulous, her technique precise. The assistant handed her various wigs, and Amy regarded them with a discerning eye. Her disappointment was evident, but finally, she settled on a long, sleek black wig. She placed it on my head, shaping it into a sleek ponytail and trimming bangs with practiced precision. After some final touches, Amy announced with enthusiasm, "We’re done!" She presented me with dark green contact lenses, and I gingerly placed them over my rouge irises. With a gasp of awe, I accepted the mirror and looked at the reflection staring back at me. 

“I don’t even recognize myself!” I told her with appreciation. “This is so cool!” 

The makeup artist duo beamed with pride, their words spoken in unison. "We're professionals after all~ ✨" They quickly gathered their items, bidding a cheerful farewell to me. I found myself continuing to gaze at my reflection in the mirror, utterly captivated. Taking out my phone, I snapped a photo to capture the transformation. After making sure I looked my best, I checked the time. It was already 5 pm, and the guests would be arriving soon. I headed down the stairs and found Cameron sitting on a bench near the kitchen island. He was deep in conversation with a man, who was chattering away happily alongside the chef. I walked up to them, clearing my throat to announce my presence. "Ahem." Cameron and the other men turned to look at me. Their expressions mirrored surprise as they took in my transformed appearance.

All three men halted their conversation and turned their attention towards me. The chef was the first one to speak, his words expressing confusion. "Who on earth are you?" he asked.

I chuckled, replying, "It's me, 'Victoria'."

The chef's surprise was palpable. Meanwhile, Cameron remained silently speechless, his expression stoic as he studied my transformed appearance. I could sense his surprise and awe at my disguise. On the other hand, Jacob, a level 5.8 with electrokinesis, pointed at me incredulously. "THATS ROSE!? She looks nothing like in the picture you sent me!"

I mentally questioned, Picture? When the heck did I send him a picture of myself? I glanced towards Cameron, my face reflecting my unanswered question. He avoided direct eye contact with me, instead directing a stern glare at his friend.

Jacob suddenly realized his blunder, his eyes widening in realization. It became clear to me that he must have discovered images of me on my social media and secretly conducted a background check before hiring me. A pang of irritableness washed over me as I pondered this revelation.

What if it was a bad photo of me?! Thank god I don’t post thirst pics of myself…

Jacob, the friend whose name I had previously forgotten, approached me with a charismatic smile. He shook my hand and introduced himself. "Hello! I'm Jacob," he said. "You probably already know me from what Cameron briefed you about what I'm doing here today." With a charming demeanor, he had a radiant, orange-apricot haircut, and light sea green eyes. I recalled that he was the CEO of an electronics company known for producing cutting-edge gadgets and technological devices such as cell phones, radios, cameras, and more.

With a warm smile, I replied, "Hi, I'm Rose, as you may have guessed already. Nice to meet you, Jacob."

He leaned in and whispered in my ear, his voice filled with familiarity. "Don't worry too much about his attitude problem, Rose. He's not half-bad if you stick around long enough." Jacob offered me a reassuring smile. "If he gives you any issues, just let me know, and I'll give him a hard time for you."

Cameron's voice cut through the conversation with an annoyed and upset tone, his question directed towards Jacob. "What are you whispering to her about?" Cameron asked, his irritation evident in his words.

Jacob retorted playfully, patting me on the shoulders as he spoke. "Nothing! I'm just trying to be friendly with her!" His tone was lighthearted and his expression was filled with glee at the situation. It was clear that he found amusement and joy in the exchange.

Cameron, his patience clearly stretched, rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. He then quickly steered the conversation and led us all to the table. The chef kindly handed me a glass of refreshing strawberry lemonade, which I graciously accepted.

Cameron's voice carried a serious tone as he addressed us. "So, the guests will begin to arrive in the next half hour," he announced. "I want all of you to be yourselves, and not show any sign of nervousness. Remember, many of the people who will arrive are powerful and influential individuals. I don't want any of you to find yourselves in a situation where violence could occur."

The chef nodded in agreement, as did I. Jacob responded with a sarcastic tone, "Aye-aye, captain." He smirked as he took a sip of his whiskey.

Cameron scowled at his friend's reply, and I sensed a tinge of regret within him. Then, turning towards me, Cameron asked, "How about you, Rose? Are you prepared?"

“Hmm…I am a bit nervous. Here.” I activated my ability in their presence and shut down all feelings of fear, and anxiety. “Alright, I’m good to go.” I gave him a small smile and took another sip of my lemonade.

”What did she do?” Asked Jacob.

Cameron felt annoyed once more, and ignored his friend. “Forget it,” he said dryly to him as he sipped his own drink. 

Then 6 pm arrived, and the first guest arrived. He was a famous movie director, and I’ve watched a few of his movies. His name is Cane. He’s a shapeshifter that can also shapeshift those around him, he’s a level 6. Cameron shook his hand upon arrival and offered him a seat at the dining table. Cameron decided to play some music (jazz once more), while he sat down and started speaking to Cane. Then the next guest arrived, his name is Archie, I assisted him by taking off his coat and placing it on the rack by the door.  He’s got photokinesis or aka, light manipulator, and is a level 7.4. He’s a vice president for all the hospitals near the borders of the region. Luckily, he doesn’t work for the hospital I work for. Then the next person arrived within a minute, Marlen. He’s a vice president for a new and upcoming construction company, and he owns multiple buildings—he’s a level 6.5, and his ability is metal manipulation. He’s very young compared to the other 5 individuals. The next guy that came in is Ted, and he’s a level 7.9, and his ability is magnetism. He is the CEO for a conglomerate group for a huge construction business that encapsulates almost all of the regions. Lasty, the next guy that arrived was a very elderly gentleman, by the name of Scott, and he has the power of flight, and a level 6.2. He’s the ex CFO for the airports in our area. 

Cameron shook their hands upon entering, and Jacob turned on his ability and switched the music to some upbeat 90’s music. Cameron glared at him, and Jacob just kept vibing and dancing to the music. “It’s been so damn long since this dude has invited us back here! I was getting so bored!” He whined and didn’t take his seat at the table. Everyone chuckled. The mood was rather calm and joyful at the start. I opened a wine bottle and served everyone at the table a full glass. They all ignored my presence. I was glad that I wasn’t being given much attention. They all started chatting and talking about the past and how they all miss the classic moments they had together. Then dinner was served. The chef prepared them Beef Wellington, and a side dish of brussels sprouts with balsamic reduction and some cranberry sauce and pigs in a blanket. Everyone digged into their meals. They kept talking to one another about their trips overseas, and how much the times have changed. Scott, spoke about how he felt some great pride in the younger generation's urge for change. All, except for Cameron and Jacob, felt indifferent at his take on the matter. Cane felt a great deal of disgust at the changes, but he didn’t speak up about his feelings. 

“I haven’t had Beef Wellington in a long time. Your chef is always so talented and makes the best memorable dishes.” Scott told Cameron with much enthusiasm and joy. 

“Thank you, sir.” Said the chef to the elderly man. 

“You should offer me your recipe. My wife is an excellent cook. She doesn’t like sharing the kitchen with anyone else. Hohoho” He laughed cheerfully. “I’ve tried to help her, but then she gets all upset and says that I’m in her way.” 

”Wow, she’s still kickin’, huh?” Said Jacob while sipping, yet, another glass of Cabernet Sauvignon that I just served him. 

Marlen coughed up a bit of his food in his mouth, and tried his best suppressing a laugh. Ted on the other hand glared at him—Not amused at all by the younger gentleman’s humor. Then he spoke up, “How disgraceful, Jacob.”  

“No, no, it's fine. I thought I would have croaked out before she did.” He said boastfully. “I’m not getting any younger.” Then he let out a big laugh. 

Everyone’s mood got lighter at the older man not taking things seriously. Cameron smiled at Scott’s cheerfulness. “Speaking of wive’s, how's your lady friend doing, Cane?” Asked Archie, with curiosity. 

Cane chuckled with a hint of arrogance, his response laced with pride. "Which one of them?" he teased, prompting a laugh from the other guys. While they found humor in his comment, I cringed internally, unable to hide my distaste for his shamelessness.

Jacob chimed in, a mock-solemn expression on his face. "I'm still a bachelor, gentlemen," he declared, as he dramatically placed his hand on his chest. He then turned to Cameron and mimicked a sorrowful pout, leaning towards him and playfully slapping his chest. Cameron here is going to die forever alone with me, right Cameron?" Cameron gently pushed Jacob's hand off his chest, continuing to glare at him with annoyance.

Cameron retorted with authority, his words leaving no room for debate. "Mind your business, and watch your tone," he warned, taking a nonchalant sip of his wine, while still holding his glare towards his friend.

Jacob feigned exaggerated surprise, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "AHHHH, I hit a nerve," he exclaimed, looking at Cameron with a mix of mockery and amusement. "He's too prideful. I've been trying to introduce him to some lovely ladies, but he keeps refusing to meet with them."

Cane chimed in with a raised eyebrow, intrigued by the revelation from Jacob. "And why is that?" he asked.

Cameron responded defensively, "Because I'm too busy."

Ted then interjected, “Love is one of the greatest joys, Cameron! You’re missing out.”

Cameron shrugged at the comment, and replied, “That’s simply your opinion.” 

Marlen set down his fork and nodded in agreement with the other man. "I completely agree," he stated, his tone filled with warmth. "If I hadn't met Ted’s daughter, Beatrice, I wouldn't be half the man I am today. She's done so much for me." Despite his outwardly warm demeanor, I sensed a mix of aloofness, shame, and jadedness beneath the surface. I took one final lap around the table, refilling each glass as needed, and then retreated to a nearby spot, waiting patiently for them to finish their meal.

I began making mental notes of everyone’s emotions, and the ones that seemed very different from their words or expressions. 

So much for thinking I had a chance. I thought pessimistically. 

Despite Jacob's enthusiasm, Cameron remained calm, casually sipping from his wine glass. "Again, it all comes down to a matter of perspective," he stated evenly. "Objectively speaking, I don't have many options out there. Many women I've met are too much and somewhat burdensome. That's all I'll say on the matter."

Damn. I really stood no chance! I pouted out of sight. I feel like I have too much baggage…He for sure won’t like me as I am.

The room fell silent as Jacob sighed heavily, expressing his thoughts. "You know what I think, Cameron?" he began. "I think you're working yourself too hard. That's the problem." He explained. “You don’t get to go out enough to see for yourself that there are decent women out there! And that they are probably may surprise you.”

Scott, intrigued, interjected, "Oh? I heard about your recent news coverage. Weren't you in the headlines son? Regarding your work?"

Cameron's emotions grew slightly somber as he responded, "Yes, we just concluded a case with the authorities, but unfortunately, it wasn't the most successful endeavor." The other players' feelings also darkened.

However, I immediately felt something disturbing. What the hell? I thought. I sensed some intense feelings of joy and a deep form of malicious emotions. I peaked at who it was, and it was emanating from Ted? Then, I also sensed a great sense of guilt and shame from Marlen. However, unlike Marlen whose face was rather more grim than everyone else’s. Ted’s facial expression remained rather sad. As if he was perfectly mimicking everyone’s sad facial expressions around the table with rather uncanny accuracy. But his facial expressions definitely didn’t match what he felt. I looked away quickly, and proceeded to pick up everyone’s finished dishes. I then proceeded to pick up Cameron’s dish, and Cameron quickly glanced back at me, and I glanced at him as well. I went and returned to the kitchen to clean them up, and pretended as if I hadn’t just sensed the most sinister feelings from Ted. 

Jacob spoke up once more, his voice filled with enthusiasm, "Ugh, you're too damn sad, Cameron! You know what we need? We should all play some poker!" With a burst of energy, he leaped up and headed towards the poker table. "LET'S GO, MEN! CHOP-CHOP!" he instructed, impatiently clapping his hands, coaxing the others to follow him.

The players rose from their seats, glasses in hand, and gathered around the table, where a dealer patiently awaited their arrival. As the night progressed, everyone played more games and became tipsy, laughing heartily and enjoying themselves. I finished tidying up the table and refilled their glasses whenever anyone requested more wine. Although everyone was growing increasingly inebriated, it remained a rather tranquil scene, with Jacob and Ted emerging as the most skillful players, with an equal number of wins.

Scott sighed, admitting defeat. "You all are too skilled at this game," he lamented, throwing in the towel. He rose from the table, his face flushed and his movements slightly unsteady. I hurried to his side to help him regain his balance.

"Are you alright?" I inquired, concern etched on my face.

"Hohoho, yes my dear," the old man chuckled with a slight hiccup. "It's been quite some time since I've enjoyed myself this much." He attempted to walk towards the door on his own but stumbled, so I stepped in to assist him. "Farewell, boys!" he exclaimed, as I helped him to the car where his chauffeur was waiting. The old geezer continued chuckling heartily and told his driver that he had enjoyed the evening immensely.

I returned to the house, and noticed that it was 23:00 by now. I was getting a bit sleepy. The chef stayed behind, and prepared some refreshments that didn’t have alcohol in them. “You should hand these to everyone. I don’t want them getting too dehydrated from all the wine.” I nodded.

Totally agree with you, dude. This is going overboard. I thought to myself.

Thankfully, Cameron limited himself to just two glasses, and his mood was considerably more lifted than earlier. However, I detected a strong sense of irritation emanating from Ted, who managed to maintain a stoic expression despite his inner turmoil. It was clear that his feelings of inferiority were directed towards Jacob, who wore a confident and cocky smile throughout the entire game. The game concluded with Ted winning once again, and a flood of excitement consumed him in that moment.

Jacob raised his voice, grumbling and pouting, "Ahh, dammit! I was so close!" As he grew more intoxicated, he pleaded to me in a drunken drawl, "Vickee, darling~. Please, pour me some more wine, please." Wiggling his wine glass in the air, he stumbled and slurred his words. I felt a wave of disapproval emanating from Cameron as his eyes narrowed at Jacob.

I proceeded to approach him and took away his wine glass and replaced it with the non-alcoholic refreshment. “You really need to cut it out with the drinks and stick to getting sober now.” I told him sternly. 

Jacob's eyes widened, and he huffed at my comment. Archie and Cane chuckled, all the while Cameron nodded at me in approval. Jacob sneered at me and grumbled, "You're really cruel. In fact, you might just be crueler than Cameron." He then downed his drink in one go and leaned back into his chair, promptly falling fast asleep. I stood there in disbelief, my hands still busily serving everyone their refreshments.

“That guy is something else…” Marlen said with disbelief. 

Cameron sighed at the sight, “Victoria, can you please go get his driver in here to carry him away.” 

“Yes, sir.” I nodded and went to retrieve the driver who was a very tall and burly dude. 

Probably acted as his security guy as well. I thought. The driver picked him up with ease without activating his ability and bid everyone farewell. 

The others halted their play and finished their refreshments, and Cane spoke up, saying, "I don't want to overstay my welcome. I'm going to head out now." He rose from the table and shook Cameron's hand, expressing his thanks for the invitation. Marlen, followed suit, and the others did the same. The dealer bid farewell and headed out as well, leaving just me, Cameron, and the chef in the room.

“Well, sir. I’m going to head out. Good night.” Said the chef who was already in his coat and walked out. 

Then it was just me and Cameron. I yawned loudly, and removed my wig and head cap. “That was interesting…” I said dreadfully, while I placed the wig and cap on top of the poker table. 

“Oh? How so?” Cameron asked with some uneasiness. 

“I found out which of the two were off.” I said while looking at him with a serious expression. 

”Let's speak further in the office. I have to make sure that everyone is off the property through the security cameras.” He said, and he quickly went up the stairs with me right behind him. 

I stood in front of his desk while leaning over the tablet to see the security live footage as well. All the guests were gone from the vicinity. 

Cameron flipped off the computer monitor, his expression serious. He then glanced at me as I sank into the chair, crossing my arms and beginning to tremble slightly. I couldn't help but relive the unsettling memories of my observations with Ted and Marlen. Cameron asked me, a deep frown etched on his face, "So, what did you learn from them? Anything significant?"

"Ted," I began slowly, “When you mentioned the case earlier, I picked up some unsettling feelings from him... His facial expression appeared sad, but his internal feelings were almost sinister. He derived some perverse sense of joy and pleasure from the idea of your case failing." I paused, shuddering slightly at the memory. "It was a very off-putting feelings coming from him." I then continued explaining what I recalled and felt. "As for Marlen, I sensed some intense shame and guilt radiating from him."

Cameron’s face grew pensive, and I sensed a great amount of anger, sadness, and betrayal. “Damn it.” Was all that came out of his mouth. 

I bit down on my lip as I looked at him, feeling a deep sense of sympathy. "Thank you so much for including me in this case, sir," I said, my voice sincere. "I never thought my ability would be this helpful in a situation as important as this one."

Cameron looked up at me with a confused look. “What do you mean?” He inquired. “How is it not useful?” 

My voice was tinged with sheepishness as I confessed, "Well, I don't get to use my ability as much as the others in my family... I've only found it useful in certain situations, like escaping the authorities, calming myself down, and helping my patients..." I took a deep breath, my body trembling with nerves. "I just don't really like my ability," I admitted, my words strained. "It feels more like a burden, and I'm constantly being compared to my family." My voice caught in my throat, my heart heavy. "Sometimes, I wish I were a cripple," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "If I were a cripple, at least I wouldn’t have to deal with my passive ability, feeling people's emotions about me all the time..." I looked down at my feet, trying to hide the tears from Cameron. "It has this terrible stigma attached to it," I continued, my voice shaking. "You know, because of the reeducation program from before..." I took another deep breath, trying to steady myself and continue talking. "I just feel like it's never done me any good," I murmured, my shoulders sagging. "People avoid me when they find out about my ability, and I just feel so isolated and alone..." I paused for a moment, searching for the right words to express my fears. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a cripple, not having to deal with this burden... I feel like my passive ability is just a curse that keeps me from connecting with people the way I wish I could..." I looked up at Cameron, hoping for some understanding and reassurance. "I've never told anyone this before, sir," I muttered sheepishly. "But I just wanted to be honest with you... I really don't like my ability, and I wish I could change places with a cripple..."

As Cameron glanced at me, a mix of concern, surprise, and nervousness washed over him. He remained silent, walking over to his shelf and unlocking a cabinet. He retrieved two glasses and a bottle of wine, placing one glass in front of me. He then spoke softly, gesturing towards the seat opposite him. "Please, sit and share a drink with me," he requested.

I looked up, while wiping a single tear off my cheek. I did what he told me, and took a sip of the wine he served me. 

Holy crap, that shit is good. I thought. No wonder he drinks a ton of this stuff. I took another sip, a wry smile forming in the corner of my lips as I did.

Cameron looked at me intently, his expression a mixture of empathy and concern. "Your ability is truly useful," he said solemnly. "I'm sorry to hear about the negative stigma surrounding it…" He paused, studying me carefully before continuing. I took another sip of my wine, waiting for him to continue. "You should be proud of your ability," he stressed. “Consider today a victory in overcoming the stigma. Your ability holds immense potential, and I strongly urge you to work on mastering it. With determination, I firmly believe you can surpass even your great-grandfather."

l slightly blushed at his words, and was totally soaking them in. Maybe it’s my lingering crush on him that’s making me hold onto his words so fondly. I thought to myself.

Cameron sighed deeply, his expression growing serious. "I shouldn't be telling you this," he said quietly, setting down his wine glass. "But your words about wanting to be a cripple reminded me of my own nephew, John." He leaned back in his chair, recalling his nephew's past struggles. "He chose to pretend to be a cripple in high school... He harbored strong resentment for his ability, viewing it as a burden and a danger to others. However, if you can overcome your fear, like he did, you will find your ability to be a tremendous gift if used in a positive way," he asserted.

I gazed at him, my eyes filled with awe and respect, my thoughts turning to John and his own struggle with his ability. "Thank you," I said earnestly. "I deeply value your words of encouragement, sir." I glanced down at my wine glass, taking a moment to reflect. "To be honest," I confessed, "I'm not quite sure how to begin seeing my ability in a positive light. I genuinely want to be more helpful to others, but I can't shake off this feeling of fear when it comes to mastering it... It's just that it feels like it could pose an even greater issue. I honestly also feel weak too when I was constantly compared to my older brother who has the same ability as me."

Cameron furrowed his brow and averted his gaze, his expression turning pensive. I sensed a glimmer of hope within him, as if something had just come to mind. "Ah, I just had an idea," he said, leaning towards the right to pull out a book from a nearby drawer. He pushed it towards me, signaling for me to take a closer look.

My eyes widened in surprise. "Is that a physical copy of Unordinary?!" I gasped in disbelief. "I thought all of them had disappeared for good! I've only ever encountered the summarized version online, but I never had the chance to read the original" I picked it up and looked at the book, flipping through the pages reverently.

“I’m going to lend it to you. Feel free to return it when you’re done.” He said.

I looked up at him and smiled appreciatively. "Thank you so much," I said, feeling touched by his kindness. We continued our conversation about the case, and he mentioned that I should keep quiet until he submitted a report of today's events along with my testimony for the authorities. I quickly finished my wine and decided to call it a night, thanking him once again for lending me the book.

Back at home, I took a shower and quickly slipped into bed. I was still reeling with emotions from the day's events. It was 02:00 a.m. By then, I had been contemplating how to shift my perspective on my ability, viewing it more as a gift and not a weakness. Not something to feel shame for, or even feeling pity for myself for inheriting it. I then turned on the lights and took out Unordinary from my nightstand drawer. I opened it up and started reading the first chapter.

End of Chapter 7

Chapter Text

Chapter 8 

As I continued to delve into the captivating pages of the book, I suddenly realized I had completely lost track of time. To my dismay, it dawned on me that my shift with Cameron was scheduled to start in just 2 hours. I quickly tossed the book aside, and sat up in bed. I looked to my left and saw that the sun’s rays were already streaming through my window curtains. I then quickly unplugged my phone from the charger.

I winced as I glanced down at my phone, silently chastising myself. "Shiiit," I muttered under my breath. "Maybe I should call out and take the day off?" The idea nagged at the back of my mind, but I quickly dismissed it, feeling a pang of guilt.

Hmm, I feel like I should have requested this sooner. Oh well.

Having successfully completed my morning routine, I stopped by a drive-thru coffee shop to give myself an extra boost of energy. The night of lost sleep was starting to take its toll on me, and I could feel fatigue slowly creeping in. I drove to Cameron's house and arrived at 9 am. Upon entering the residence, I observed that the staff had already dismantled the poker table and rearranged the living room back to its original state. I then spotted Cameron in the middle of the living room, engaged in conversation with a bureau member who seemed eerily familiar.

The woman had short, vibrant seafoam green hair and striking yellow eyes. Cameron, noticing my absentminded gaze, turned towards me. "Good, you're here, Rose," he said, drawing my attention back to him.

The woman with seafoam green hair, turned her attention towards me and introduced herself. "Hello," she said, extending her hand for a handshake. "I'm Nadia. I'm from the Bureau. I'm here to take your testimony regarding your observations from last night."

Thank God, I didn’t call out…I totally forgot about this bureau person coming in to talk to me today. I thought nervously as I shook her hand in return. 

"Please follow me," Nadia instructed as she led the way towards Cameron's office. Cameron had already left the living room, his departure seemed rather hasty. I wondered where he was heading off to in such a hurry. I shook off my curiosity and turned my attention back to Nadia. We both took our respective seats, facing each other. With a focused expression, she activated her ability, and I sensed her keen interest in the words I was about to express.

"Go ahead," she implored, turning on the recorder.

I recalled the events of that night in detail, and articulated to her the emotions I had sensed from both Marlen and Ted. I described how Marlen had felt a potent mix of shame, guilt, and fear, while Ted had emanated extreme pride, joy, and a considerable amount of maliciousness. I also mentioned to her how uncomfortable Marlen had seemed when discussing his wife and the topic of love. Nadia turned off the recorder and deactivated her ability.

"You are definitely telling the truth," she affirmed, her smile radiant. She stood up and gave my shoulder a gentle pat. "Rest assured that this will be valuable evidence for the case. We will keep your identity confidential until the trial date is set. You did an excellent job."
Nadia exuded a strong sense of relief and admiration towards me. Her sentiments mirrored my own feelings of pride, knowing that I had been able to assist them in some way.

To think that I used to fear these guys so much back then. I thought.

“I’m surprised they didn’t fire you,” I told her flat out. 

Just before walking out the door, she paused in her tracks, her emotions shifting to ones laced with remorse, shame, and sadness. Turning back to look at me, her face held a sorrowful expression.

"They were close to..." she began, trailing off as memories of the past filled her mind. "I was pardoned after paying some heavy fines, and they suspended me during an investigation of my misconduct. However, Kassandra recognized the potential in my ability and managed to keep me in the workforce. I wouldn't be working with the authorities today if it weren't for her." She then smiled sadly at me and spoke once more, “I’m sorry for using my ability on you countless times.” Then she turned away, leaving the room. Her words lingered in the air, leaving me to ponder the weight of her past and the complexities of her emotions.

A pang of pity tugged at my heart for Nadia. I understood that she was merely adhering to orders, attempting to perform her job. While she had turned a blind eye to Keon’s mistreatment, buying into the idea that it was a necessary evil to “beat sense” into dangerous high-tier children, the truth was far more disheartening. Their actions deprived children of their rights and dignity, a shameful reality. I couldn’t help but feel sorrow for her situation. She was among the few authorities who had persistently questioned me, along with another member who had passionately implored me to work for them. They had repeatedly insisted that I had an obligation to do so due to my “family legacy” within the bureau. However, I had skillfully evaded their demands, cleverly weaving a falsehood about my own ambitions. I claimed a desire to focus on expanding my family legacy within the healthcare field, which, in truth, held a sliver of reality. Nonetheless, it was clear that I had managed to maintain my distance from the shadowy grip of the bureau, preserving my own path and independence.

I stood up and began attending to my chores, but exhaustion still weighed heavy on me from the events of the previous night. It was now 12 pm, and I rummaged through the fridge to find leftovers from last night's dinner. Attached to a glass tupperware dish filled with food, a sticky note caught my eye. It read, "Here you go, Rose. Enjoy :)"

I giggled with delight as I saw the note on the glass Tupperware dish. "What a nice dude," I thought to myself, my glee evident. The food inside was a leftover beef Wellington, accompanied by some side dishes. I reheated it in the microwave and savoured every bite while scrolling through my phone.
The true crime forum on Beddit had seen a slight decrease in new discussions about the case that Cameron had recently closed. The users were baffled, unable to figure out who had been involved in the gruesome incident. Most of them speculated on the meaning behind the message the killer had intended to send, considering it a form of retaliation aimed at the investigators and a warning to the bureau to steer clear of their business or face further harm to more low-tiers. I concurred with this theory, the brutal nature of the crime pointed to a clear message.

"Ted, huh?" I pondered while I munched on my food, wondering what could possibly drive someone with so much wealth and influence to participate in such sinister acts. What did he gain from all of this?

I furrowed my brow, shuddered, and shook my head to dispel the dark thoughts. I finished my meal, washed the dishes, and glanced at the clock – it was 1 pm. Cameron hadn't returned from wherever he had gone. I decided to tackle some quick tasks and then took a quick nap on the couch, lying on my side and closing my eyes.

I had a brief dream where I found myself in a dark and chilly cave. As I inched closer to the walls, I noticed shiny crystals attached to the surfaces, each one lighting my path as it glowed with a golden aura. Following their lead, I navigated deeper into the cave, inching towards a brighter light at the end. Just before reaching my destination, the cave's exit crumbled, covered in the weight of heavy metallic rocks. I jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat, feeling a wave of fear wash over me.

"Whoa..." I gasped, my voice quivering with fear. Then, as I turned around, I spotted Cameron gazing at me with an annoyed expression.

"WAH!" I yelped, startled, and jumping, falling backward and landing hard on the tough tile floor. "Owww..." I groaned, wincing in pain as I gently rubbed my throbbing head.

Cameron inquired, his voice laced with concern, as he moved closer to me and extended a helping hand. "Are you all right?" he asked flatly.

I blushed, feeling a warmth spread across my cheeks as I was caught asleep on the job. To add to my embarrassment, I had also been easily startled by his unexpected appearance.

"Yeah, just a small bump," I assured him, rising to my feet and smoothing out any wrinkles in my uniform. I couldn't help but wonder how long Cameron had been watching me sleep. Blushing slightly, I quickly apologized, "Sorry for napping on your couch. I was just really exhausted."

Cameron raised an eyebrow in a quizzical manner, his gaze fixed on me. "You should prioritize rest more often," he said, his concern mixed with a hint of judgment. "Was there something keeping you up last night?"

"Oh, well," I replied, laughing nervously while rubbing my arm, "I wasn't able to sleep last night, so I thought I'd read one chapter of 'Unordinary'. But before I knew it, I got really engrossed in it and ended up almost reading the whole thing. It was just getting really good, you know?"

Cameron's expression stayed firm as he sighed, his face showing a hint of disappointment. "It's essential to prioritize your health above all else, especially when you're working. Try not to fall asleep while on the job," he advised with a slight glare to his eyes.

An image of the nerd face emoji popped up in my mind at that moment. Yeah, yeah, I know, no need for a lecture, I thought to myself. I nodded at Cameron with a forced smile, hiding my irritation beneath.

"I'll be in my office. There's some work I need to finish," he informed me, his gaze turning towards the stairs. "Let me know if you need anything," he added in a slightly begrudging tone before heading off.

I let out a soft sigh and glanced down at my phone to check the time.

I had managed to catch only 30 minutes of sleep, so I pushed myself to finish several loads of laundry and then tackled the daunting task of power washing his enormous driveway. It was a lengthy process, and it took me two whole hours to complete. Feeling utterly exhausted, I decided to take a short break. Just then, my phone beeped in my pocket, signaling a message from Cameron.

The text read: Can you serve me a glass of wine?

I took a deep breath as I looked at Cameron's message on my phone. I couldn't help but worry about him constantly drinking, but who could blame him considering the situation with his acquaintances? With a sigh, I turned off the hose and went inside, noticing that all the wine bottles in the kitchen were gone. Finding myself in the second garage, which doubled as a storage unit, I spotted 4 wooden box cases full of wine bottles on the 5th shelf. I wondered why on earth Cameron would store them that high up. I scoured the garage for something I could use to reach the box case.

Maybe I should ask Cameron for help, I thought to myself.

However, I quickly rebuffed the idea, feeling guilty for getting caught sleeping on the job. I located a small two-step ladder and positioned it next to the shelf. I took a deep breath, cracked my knuckles, and warmed up my shoulders before beginning my ascent.

“Okay, I got this,” I said, trying to boost my confidence. Despite knowing I was no fighter and lacked strength. I reassured myself that it shouldn't be too difficult to manage.

I carefully stepped on the first rung of the ladder and reached up to grab the box case, and tried to slide the box towards me. It wasn't impossibly heavy, but the moment I managed to slide the box off the shelf, I immediately felt its full brunt of the weight of the crate full of wine bottles. My arms trembled, unable to support the box properly. In the blink of an eye, it slipped from my hands, crashing onto the floor and shattering the bottles inside. I desperately clutched onto the top shelf, trying to regain my balance on the ladder. Just as I steadied myself, I heard a creaking sound, and the entire shelving unit began to shift towards me. To my dismay, the bottom shelves lacked enough weight to stabilize it.

"SHI-," I exclaimed before plummeting to the ground, landing flat on my back, but at least managing to protect my head by tucking my chin to my chest.

Then, the wine bottles rained down on me, and one crashed onto my forehead, shattering and drenching me in wine. Shortly afterwards, the third and second shelves plummeted down, slamming onto my ribcage and thighs. While I wasn't crushed beneath the weight, the force of the fall left me feeling sore and hurt.

I desperately wanted to cry out, but all I could manage was a wide-open grimace, and the sound that came out was more of a gasp. Thankfully, the sharp shards of glass were a reasonable distance away. However, the liquid from the broken bottles kept pooling closer to me, quickly soaking my clothes.

I groaned in frustration, thinking to myself, Great... If I don't get fired for yelling at him that one time, I'm definitely getting fired now.

The feeling of impending doom loomed in my mind. Suddenly, I heard Cameron hurrying into the garage, rushing towards where I lay.

“Hey...” I gasped, struggling to breathe. The weight of the shelf pressing down on me made it difficult to fully expand my lungs. The pain in my ribcage and thighs added to the discomfort, making each breath a challenge. “I can’t breathe,” I croaked.

Cameron's face was etched with shock as he triggered his ability and hurriedly pushed the heavy shelves off me. He quickly knelt down beside me, studying my condition carefully. "Are you hurt? Did you hit your head?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

I squirmed as best I could, my voice strained as I answered, "Not my head...but my ribs might be cracked." Cameron promptly responded by hovering his hand over my ribs and began to heal them. As he did so, I could sense a mix of emotions emanating from him, including confusion, shock, disappointment, and concern. After about 5 minutes, the pain subsided, and I managed to push myself up, groaning from the residual aches and pains. With a hint of embarrassment and shock, I looked down and expressed my gratitude, "Thank you..." My focus then shifted to the broken wine bottles littering the floor: It’s contents pooling the floors.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, avoiding eye contact as I took in the extent of the mess I had made. My hair and clothes in the back were completely soaked in wine, adding to my guilt and embarrassment. My face was as red as hell.

Cameron's initial feeling of shock and embarrassment hadn't abated, and now hints of minor contempt were present. He let out a deep sigh as he surveyed the scene, rubbing his temples with a conflicted expression.

In a flat and rigid tone, he instructed, "Use the shower, and I'll find you some clean clothes." I nodded silently and stood up, obediently doing as he'd told me

WHYYY?! I silently berate myself in my mind, tears streaming down my face as I trudged up the stairs towards the bathroom. I began showering, letting the water wash over me as I intermittently bumped my head against the wall in frustration. I'M SUCH A DORK! My self-deprecating inner voice echoed in my mind. Once I finished, I noticed Cameron had draped a clean shirt and sweatpants on the table in my room.

The clothes Cameron picked out for me hung loosely on my figure, but at least the pants had drawstrings. I examined the clothes skeptically in the room’s mirror, thinking Pft, I look terrible. The eye bags under my eyes were even more noticeable. As I turned my head sideways, I caught sight of a small bruise forming on my forehead. I twisted my torso around and lifted the back of my shirt, revealing a larger bruise forming on my back.

“Great…” With a wave of discontent, I felt a headache starting to develop. Despite this, I couldn't bring myself to leave the room immediately.

I chided myself in my mind, You’re a big girl! You need to be accountable! Taking a deep breath, I eventually mustered up the courage to exit the room. I looked around the hall, finding no sign of Cameron. Quietly, I approached his office door, hearing him typing away on his computer.

I attempted to briskly walk past his office door, which was wide open. However, his voice suddenly cut through, calling out, "Hold on a moment." I froze in shame, reluctantly turning around to face him.

I replied timidly, "Yes?"

He responded firmly, "I expect you to clean up the mess you've caused." There was no mistaking the anger in his eyes, reflected in the slight glare he shot my way.

"Yes, sir…" I said quietly, averting my eyes in shame. I returned to the garage and diligently cleaned up the mess. It took me a whole hour to get everything spotless again. Afterwards, I moved on to finishing the driveway by inspecting if I missed any spots, which took considerably less time. I grabbed my other clothes from the dryer. They were still a bit stained, but it wasn't a big deal. I just had to let it soak up over just in hot water with a laundry strip recipe. Returning upstairs, I walked towards the guest room, feeling my anxiety spike. Just as I tried to pass by his office fast like before, I heard him call out my name again. "Oh no..." I thought, panic setting in.

"Are you all done?" he inquired, his tone laced with incredulity.

I stepped into the room and responded with a nod, "Yes, I've completed everything..."

He followed up with a question, "How are you feeling? Are you still hurting anywhere?"

I was a bit taken aback by the question, but I responded with a light tone, "Yeah, I just have a small bump on my forehead and a big bruise developing on my back, but other than that, I'm alright... Just my ego's a bit bruised too. Heh."

Cameron’s response was to furrow his eyebrows and order, "Come closer." I could feel him being slightly concerned and agitated.

Feeling slightly flustered, I took his cue and sat in the chair in front of his desk. Cameron leaned forward, closely inspecting my forehead from his desk chair. Then he activated his ability and gestured me closer. I hesitantly complied, biting my lower lip nervously. He hovered his hand over my forehead, and the headache that had been bothering me earlier disappeared.

"Thanks!" I expressed, rubbing my forehead in relief.

"Let me check your back," Cameron stated as he moved around his desk towards me. My face turned a deep shade of red, and I felt more flustered than before. "N-NO! I-It's fine," I protested, waving my hands as if creating a barrier between us, "I think it'll heal on its own."

"Let me insist," Cameron said firmly. "If you're going to come in to work tomorrow, I don't want you to come back in that exhausted state again. That bruise is going to make it difficult for you to sleep."

I reluctantly admitted, "Yeah, you're right..." My heart was racing in my chest, and I turned away to shield my reddening face, pulling up my shirt to expose my back. As Cameron's hand began to heal my bruised back, my unease gradually faded, and my heart began to race less. However, my face remained flushed, unable to forget his proximity to me.

Well, at least he’s not going to fire me. I thought with relief.  

He eventually stopped the healing process. "Alright, it's done," he said. "But please, in the future, just ask for my help. Don't push yourself too hard and end up making careless mistakes." His tone was firm as he chastised me.

I lowered my shirt and briefly glanced back at him over my shoulder, meeting his gaze. "Okay..." I murmured in response. Suddenly, it occurred to me that I hadn't taken his emotions into account throughout this entire situation; I was way too flustered and overwhelmed by my own emotions to register his.

I quickly stood up and expressed my gratitude before hastily retreating to the guest room, still attempting to conceal my flushed face. Back in the room, I rapidly changed back into my previous clothes. As I walked past his office, I offered him a quick goodnight without making any further eye contact, my heart still racing.

I stepped into my car and drove off. My face was still very red, and I began screeching in my car like some howler monkey while playing loud music as I drove to my house. 

End of Chapter 8

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

It was a quiet Friday as I performed my duties at Cameron's house. He'd left early in the morning and informed me via text that he wouldn't be back the entire day. I efficiently finished my tasks and headed home early. Upon my arrival, I immediately opened the book 'Unordinary,' eagerly immersing myself in the final few chapters. 

My heart pounded in my chest as I reached a pivotal moment in the story, knowing what was about to unfold. As the book concluded, I found myself in a flood of tears. "No," I whimpered, overcome with emotion, my tears mingling with snot. Overwhelmed with emotion, I continued to cry. I felt a deep sense of shame and emptiness, as though a void had been left within me. The book had left such a profound impact, stirring up a myriad of emotions. Despite the sadness, I couldn't help but feel a bittersweet sense of satisfaction, knowing that I had truly connected with the story and its characters. Good books have a way of gripping your heart and leaving you with a profound sense of loss when the final page is turned.

I took a moment to compose myself, wiping away the tears from my face. I couldn't help but feel deeply moved by the main character's journey, his struggle against adversity, and his unwavering determination to fight for what was right. I thought to myself, I need to get my act together.

I grabbed my phone and started surfing the web, reading other readers' reviews and thoughts on the book, curious about their perspectives. Some found it cheesy and overly idealistic, while others praised its beautiful message and its impact on their own views about abilities and responsibility.

A little giggle escaped me as I admired the meme on my phone. I then opened up my messages and sent a text to Cameron, writing: "I finished Unordinary! It was amazing! Check out this meme, it totally matches my reaction to the ending 😊😭"

Sent.

I continued scrolling through the comments, downloading more memes and enjoying the humor. Suddenly, a notification popped up on my feed. It was a message from Cameron.

Cameron: "I'm glad you liked the book."

I smiled at his message and responded with my thoughts on the book, sharing how it had left me feeling inspired. I sent paragraph after paragraph, expressing my feelings. Cameron read my message and simply replied, "Good."

I chuckled at his brief response and sent him two more memes. He saw them but didn't respond or react to them. I chuckled again, amused by his indifference.

I pondered and spoke to myself, "Maaaaybe he's trying to sleep by now.” I glanced at the time, seeing it was 11 pm. "Oops!” I said out loud, realizing I should probably wind down. I gently closed the book, placing it in a white paper bag, which still held the cologne. I intended to return the book, along with the cologne as a token of gratitude. With a sigh, I scrolled through my phone, taking a moment to reflect.

It had been a while since I'd sent any texts to my old friends, I thought, feeling a hint of loneliness.

"Can I even call them friends now?" I wondered.

They'd all ghosted me as soon as the articles about my family and how my name started circulating on news sites, even though I hadn't done anything wrong. People often judged me by association, and to them, I was guilty just for simply being related. Which is absolutely ridiculous…Then I thought once more, they weren’t true

I couldn't help but think about Cameron. He had been nice to me, and we'd shared some personal stuff. Maybe we were acquaintances now...

As I continued thinking, the idea of us being friends entered my mind. I considered it... but then I reminded myself that he was my boss, not a friend. Our relationship seemed more professional than personal. Still, I felt a sense of gratitude for his kindness and the fact that I could share things with him. It was nice to have someone to talk to after a long while. Maybe it wasn’t appropriate to trauma dump to your boss, but the outcome was rather rewarding.

Therapy was never my thing anyways, seeing as how I am hyper aware of my own emotions and how I associate them easily by external factors and internal factors as well…Not to mention my insurance or income doesn’t cover for somatic therapy which may provide more help. 

Despite the questions and reflections about my ex-friends and Cameron, sleep slowly crept up on me, slowly enveloping me in its soft embrace. I was too tired to think anymore.

Saturday - Cameron’s POV. Friday—08:00 military time. 

I walked through the bureau building towards the employee entrance, flashing my ID badge at the receptionist. She glanced at it, nodded, and pressed a button to let me through. The office was filled with small cubicles, and the room echoed with the sound of ringing phones, chatter, and printer machines. The energy in the room was lively and buzzing. People were rushing about, collecting documents from desks. As I strolled past some staff members, they busied themselves picking up papers and files from desks.

I passed by a row of desks as I walked past. The employees were typing away on their keyboards and talking amongst each other, each lost in their own little world. Some were sipping on coffee, while others were scarfing down their lunch. The office was filled with the aroma of coffee and the smell of freshly printed documents.

A young man, tall and pale-skinned with slate-blue hair and green eyes, approached me, holding an espresso cup. "Here's your espresso, with half-and-half and three sugar cubes, like usual," he said, handing me the cup. I took it and thanked him before proceeding to enter a private office.

Inside, I found Kassandra on a phone call. She spotted me and informed the person on the other end that she needed to go and hung up. She then turned her attention to me.

Kassandra looked up as I entered the room and smiled. "Good morning, Cameron," she greeted me while hanging up the phone. I nodded and took a seat in the chair opposite her desk, waiting for her to get situated.

She began to rummage through stacks of paperwork and placed them in different piles, looking frazzled. "It's been a very busy week. I've had to deal with numerous documents and consult various experts," she explained. Her eyes were bloodshot and sported heavy bags under them, and her hair was tightly bunched instead of flowing in a ponytail like usual.

I took a sip of my coffee as I looked at Kassandra sympathetically—she wasn't the only one dealing with exhaustion. I was equally drained from working late into the night, trying to finish some tasks. Thanks to my housekeeper's unexpected action, I didn't drink last night. The image of her found in the garage with shattered wine bottles and a large bruise on her back flashed through my mind. I sighed at the thought and shook my head in disbelief and slight annoyance.

Perhaps it was time to reduce my wine orders. I should definitely look into drinking more tea instead.

I mused that the entire incident was, in some way, a blessing in disguise. 

As I sipped on my coffee, my mind wandered to the thoughtless actions of my housekeeper in the past, remembering her spamming me with silly photos with goofily written captions. I couldn't help but suppress a smile at how she is so unapologetic with crossing boundaries at times. I recalled that Scarlette had been laughing to herself one eve before visiting the abandoned building. I asked her about it, but she just waved me off, saying that she had promised Rose not to say anything and that she had done something amusing at my house when she used her powers to get some answers from a hunch of hers.

I found myself wondering about Scarlette's laughter. What could have been so amusing that she couldn't help but chuckle, even on the eve of something important? I made a mental note to ask her about it later.

The door opened again, and Zeke leaned in, holding a bright pink box in his hand. "I got some donuts! Anyone want some?" he announced eagerly, waiting for our answer.

Kassandra's eyes widened with excitement at Zeke's offer. "Oh, sure! Thanks, Zeke," she replied, grabbing a jelly-filled donut from the box. She smiled at him appreciatively.

I passed on the donuts, and Zeke left the office cheerfully. Many might find it surprising, but he was on the verge of getting fired from the Bureau as well. Kassandra had kept him, as he hadn't committed enough offenses to warrant dismissal yet. He was simply doing what any other officer would have done in his position.

She had a bit of a hard time disciplining him when she started implementing changes in the bureau though.

Kassandra received two major complaints from lower-ranked citizens who accused Zeke of being excessively rough with them and attempting to arrest them on false charges. As a result, Zeke collected two more write-ups and pleaded with Kassandra to stay in the bureau. In response, she gave him a final stern warning and demoted him to an office clerk. On rare occasions, to satisfy his desire to be in the field, she allowed him to cover for parking enforcement officers, issuing parking tickets left and right.

Kass finished her donut quickly and turned to me. "Alright, my team has amassed enough evidence to bring Marlen in for questioning on suspicion of embezzling, tax evasion, and human trafficking," she explained. "However, we don't have sufficient evidence to apprehend Ted just yet; the testimony we got from Rose isn't enough." She opened a folder containing Marlen's information, along with all the paperwork and evidence of his transgressions. "We believe that Marlen is working for Ted and guilty of the trafficking scheme, and that's why he feels so guilty."

I picked up the folder and saw pictures from nearby CCTV footage of Marlen speaking to mid-tier human traffickers (taken two nights before the incident). Inside the abandoned building where the bodies were discovered, there was DNA evidence linking someone else to the affair.

It was a woman's fingerprints that we had found out (through Scarlette) belonged to a woman named Melissa, who managed an escort agency near the abandoned building.

We looked into it further and found out that Melissa had purchased a building from Marlen, and with assistance from a private PI, we discovered that they'd been having a secret affair.

When we arrested Melissa, she confessed that she recognized one of the girls' faces from the bodies. She admitted to thinking Marlen cheated on her with a local prostitute. She had her escort girls keeping tabs on a girl she suspected Marlen was seeing, and they informed her that they spotted her close to Melissa's building.

She admitted that she had gone searching for the girl she suspected Marlen was seeing, intending to confront her. However, she stumbled upon the bodies of the women and fled the scene, attempting to keep the incident quiet out of fear for her life. She swore to keep everything secret, and to this promise, she was allowed to go free under the protection of the bureau.

I also reviewed the pictures and found a cassette copy of Nadia's recording along with notes confirming Melissa's story, which confirmed the link between Marlen's guilt and Rose's observation of him talking about his love for his wife, feeling ridden by guilt and shame. 

I closed the folder and placed it back on the desk, my face darkening with disappointment and anger. I knew Marlen's wife; she was a kind, caring woman who had no part in this. She's the mother of three children and is studying abroad in business and inheriting her father's business fortune. She works hard to excel in her roles. The fact that Marlen betrayed her to this extent was utterly unforgivable.

Disgusting, I thought bitterly.

I asked firmly, "When are we bringing in Marlen? What protocols have we set in place if he becomes uncooperative?"

Kassandra then took out a card and a contract and presented them dramatically. "Ta-da! I received help from Spectra-Sci (the rebranded name of Seta-Sci, which is co-owned by Leilah and Sera). “They lent us a new and improved dampener device to use on Marlen from afar before we enter his house. Also, they provided for us aura draining cuffs. It’s still in testing, but I've tested it out on Arlo who volunteered and it worked like a charm. This is just as a precaution in case things get ugly. Also, if things get worse…That’s where you come into the picture and restrain him further. Then we can escort him out of the building and bring him in for an interrogation.”

I carefully inspected the cuffs and was both unsettled but begrudgingly impressed. They were modeled after Jane’s aura draining technique.

"It's quite unsettling to think about how fast technology has advanced, to the point where it can replicate some of our abilities," I stated uneasily.

Kassandra frowned and had an anxious expression. "I understand your concerns about this sort of technology, especially considering its origins. But the truth is, we need it. We simply don't have enough high-tier staff to control other high-tiers or even god-tiers. In just one year alone, I've had over 30 grievance reports where my mid-tier staff ended up in the hospital due to injuries caused by just two high-tiers or amped up mid-tiers. There's only so much I can do..." She looked down, shamefully fidgeting with her pencil.

I sighed in annoyance and stated, "I understand." I placed the cuffs down on the desk and left the office. "I'll be in my car. Let me know when your team is ready to depart," I added.

Kassandra gave me a thumbs up. “I will. Thanks for the help so far Cameron.” 

I settled in my car, flipping through various reports while making phone calls. I sighed in frustration after reading a document that revealed the individuals who funded and helped develop the aura-draining cuffs. I then made another call. The phone rang for a short while, until a familiar voice answered on the other side of the call. 

"Hey, what's up?" Asked, Jacob.

"Why didn't you tell me that you're funding Spectra-Sci in this technology?" I questioned, my voice filled with irritation.

Jacob was quiet for a moment before responding, "Look, man, I have no issue with expanding my business and getting my hands on revolutionary products. We're both aware that there aren't enough god-tiers to serve as protectors. Besides, the technology is still in its development phase and hasn't been patented yet. We're keeping everything strictly confidential and hidden from public knowledge at the moment. The president has given Spectra-Si the go-ahead to continue researching it. They see its potential use..."

I squeezed the steering wheel tightly, sucking in air through my nostrils before letting out a heavy sigh. My knuckles turned white, but I then slowly unclenched them as I said, "Alright. I trust your judgment, but please make sure to closely oversee the development of this technology and ensure it won't be exploited again."

Jacob bragged confidently, "Of course! Who else would you trust to keep this tech out of the wrong hands? Me, that's who!" He spoke, his tone full of confidence and cockiness.

I thanked Jacob and ended the call. I sat in the car, staring blankly at the people passing by out the window. I sunk further into my seat, feeling a wave of apathy wash over me. The constant stream of work and the weight of responsibility weighed heavily on my shoulders. I watched the people outside, their carefree expressions and laughter feeling like a stark contrast to my inner turmoil. A sense of dread and fatigue took over, and the silence in my car started seeming deafening. Suddenly, a knock on my window jolted me out of my thoughts.

I rolled down my window and saw Isen standing there.

He said, "Sir, my team notified me that you were still out here, and I was asked to let you know that we're ready whenever you are."

I nodded at the orange haired man. “Yes. Let’s go.” 

Return to Rose’s POV - Saturday Evening 

Feeling the need for some fresh air and a refreshing treat, I thought of visiting a nearby boba shop, Buenas Bobas. Fortunately, the shop owner and server didn't seem to mind my presence and actually said they liked me. They were indifferent to the news and articles about me, stating that they thought most were just trying to stir up drama. I settled down and started re-reading some chapters of Unordinary, deeply engrossed in the story.

As I immersed myself in the world of Unordinary, I overheard some whispers from people nearby, sensing a mixture of fear and shock in their emotions.

I suddenly became worried that someone might mistake my reading material for banned content, although it had actually been unbanned. With a hint of frustration, I thought, It's been unbanned, people!

Curious about what had caused the girls to whisper and sense fear and shock, I turned to look and saw them staring at the wall-mounted TV. On the screen, the news reporters were making a big deal about some individual.

!!!!

My heart skipped a beat as I quickly stood up, heading towards the screen. The headline on the news read "Marlen Montgomery, of Montgomery Commercial Real Estates and MontGomery Construction Co., has been arrested by the Bureau for undisclosed charges. Is this connected to the recent murders?"

I gasped, a chill ran down my spine.

My eyes widened in surprise. "That happened so quickly," I mused. But then a thought dawned on me, what about Ted? Wouldn't they arrest him too?

With an increasing sense of nervousness, I returned to my seat to continue watching the news report. The reporter described how the Bureau agents had arrived at Marlen's house at 17:32 and handcuffed him before taking him away to the Bureau headquarters.

An image of Marlen and a woman named Melissa, captured in a passionate kiss, appeared on the screen, followed by details about his affair with a local escort agency owner.

The reporter continued, describing how the news had confirmed the rumors of Marlen's infidelity. Then, a live video showed hordes of news reporters surrounding Marlen's wife as she quickly got into a vehicle and left, trying to hide her tears.

My heart ached for Marlen's wife, sympathy washing over me as I empathized with the sudden pain thrust upon her. I gathered my book and hurried out of the shop, returning home with a mix of emotions. Upon checking Beddit, I encountered numerous new threads full of speculations and accusations. Feeling overwhelmed, I decided to close the page and wait for the Bureau's next move to arrest Ted. I was certain that Marlen would confess and likely throw him under the bus.

However, the swarming reporters and the growing fuss left me concerned and shaken. It seemed that things might not unfold so conveniently after all. I nervously bit down on my nail, my anxiety escalating.

What if Ted managed to escape justice?

What if Marlen changed his mind and refused to confess, leaving him unscathed?

These thoughts made my palms sweat, and my mind filled with uncertainty. I continued walking home, my heart racing and my mind swirling with worry.

What if he starts hurting other women?

What if he retaliates in the worst possible way? This is dangerous! 

Return to other POV with Cameron and the Bureau - 18:00 military time. 

“I’m surprised that he ended up cooperating so easily.” Kassandra exclaimed while looking at Marlen from the other side of the interrogation room’s two-way mirror. Cameron looked at him as well with contempt.

”I’m not. He feels guilty. And I know for the fact that he isn’t malicious. I can’t imagine him being a brutal murder.” 

Kassandra shrugged. “You never know.” Then she turned around when she heard the door opening. From the door entered two bureau officers holding a prisoner by the arms on both sides. ”Hey, Keon. Good to see you again.”

”Good evening to you Kassandra,” Keon said in a poised tone. Then he averted his eyes to Nadia. “Good to see you as well, Nadia.”

Nadia nodded towards him. “Hello again, Keon.” 

Then Kass spoke up, “Okay. As promised I’ve deposited $2000 in your account and will give you an extra smoke break outside at midnight for 2 months.”  

Keon smiled after Kassandra showed him a receipt of his account having an increased amount of digits. “That’s wonderful. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” 

Kassandra then proceeded to uncuff him and had Nadia enter the interrogation room with him. The interrogation went on for 2 hours. Keon only had to review his memories once in a while, and frighten him a couple of times. Then the interrogation began coming to a close as soon as Marlen started sobbing all of a sudden. 

”I’m sorry! I had no choice. He blackmailed me and cornered me into helping him. He’s been funneling the money through me for years. I didn’t mean to! I knew he was involved in embezzlement…but I didn't know he was part of something more dirty.” He then placed his head on the draining cuffs and cried loudly in agony. Keon looked down at him with disgust along with Nadia. The two left the room while a second pair of officers took him away to the jail cells. 

“Thanks Keon and Nadia,”  said Kassandra as she stood there with her face pale. Keon was escorted away, and Nadia bowed to Kassandra and left the room. Cameron was already gone from the room. She proceeded to quickly pull out her phone. “Hey, it’s time to roll out. We need to go to Ted’s house immediately. I’ve overheard that the press started opening their mouths…Our plans have been leaked.” Kassandra left the room and her team was waiting for her in front of the door. “Let’s move out men!”

”Yes, sir.” They said in perfect unison and forcefully. 

Cameron was already headed towards Ted’s house in his car. He needed to be there in time to quickly de-power the powerful magnetism user with the dampener. But, as soon as he stepped out of the car and was close to his residence. He saw that the front gate was wide open to his driveway. Ted’s car was parked in a crooked rushed way with its driver’s side of the door wide open. He cautiously exited his car and walked closely to his house. He activated his ability right away and used his enhanced hearing ability to hear for any movement inside. Then he noticed an aura residue near the rooftop. “Damn it,” he said angrily. He ran inside and found that there was no one inside. He then came across the gardener in the garden dead. “NO,” he bellowed out. Then within the next 10 minutes the authorities arrived in their vans. They raided his house within the next hour. Approaching Cameron was Scarlette whose ability was already active. “I can definitely tell right away that it was Ted that did this…but I can’t trace him any further on the ground. His energy led up to the air.”

Cameron’s face grew grim with fear. ”This isn’t good…people will be in danger.” 

Scarlette proceeded to cover the corpse on the ground with a sheet. “I’m sure we can find what we can in his house. I saw that he left in a hurry without much time to spare. In my visions, I saw that he was only able to wipe out the contents of his computer…but that’s about it.” 

Cameron looked around the place and found Kassandra in the middle of Ted’s bedroom ordering people around. “We were too late…I’m sorry. Someone tipped him off. I think he had one of his henchmen keeping an eye on Marlen’s house.”  

Cameron sighed. “I suspected as much. Not like we can cover all our bases or predict every single probable outcome.” He started feeling overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and frustration. “Where do you think he went?”

Kassandra shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. We sent helicopters to look around the region in hopes of spotting him. But, he could be anywhere. Probably trying to leave the country as we speak.” 

“I see…” Cameron thought carefully.

Lovun Prison- Sunday: 2300 military time 

Marlen was confined to his prison cell, a reminder of his solitude. Aura detectors were embedded in the ceiling, making sure his powers remained suppressed. He still wore the aura-draining cuffs around his wrists, and the bamboo bed served as his only comfort. The walls of the cell were made of tempered glass, showcasing his isolation.

Still sobbing, he trembled in fear. His thoughts were consumed by his wife, whom he had betrayed, and their children, who he dreaded would look at him with disgrace and horror.

The familiar silhouette of a figure appeared on the rooftop above Lovun Prison in the dead of night. The moon was hidden behind the clouds, casting a dark shroud over the surroundings. The man approached the entrance to the rooftop and effortlessly opened it, activating his ability to detect the magnetic fields around him.

He swiftly disabled all of the building's aura detectors but left the lights visible, rendering their alert functions useless. He swiftly moved through the corridors, disrupting the camera feeds so that no recording of him could be captured.

The man paused as he spotted a guard standing watch outside Marlen's prison cell. The guard turned his attention to the figure standing in the dimly lit corridor. The man's eyes glowed a bright white in the darkness, making him seem almost ghostly.

"W-Who are you?" The guard hastily activated his ability, preparing to defend himself. However, before he could react, his body was swiftly wrapped in metallic rods from empty nearby cells, leaving him immobilized within seconds. The unknown figure moved past him, opening the door and continuing to disrupt the camera feed.

He turned off the lights in the room, then approached the door to Marlen's cell, effortlessly removing the hinges. The door dropped to the ground with a loud thud, signaling the man's entrance into the cell.

Marlen stood up from his cot, hope in his eyes. "Ted? What are you doing here?" he asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. "Are you here to break me out? I need to talk to my family, please!"

Ted approached Marlen with a soft smile, his eyes still emitting a white glow. "Yes, I'm here to help you," he reassured. "But first, I need your assistance." His tone was gentle yet firm.

Marlen looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. "Y-Yes, anything," he stuttered, desperation seeping into his voice. "I can't survive in here." He continued sobbing uncontrollably.

Ted's eyes darkened with a hint of malice as he posed the question, "How did they find out about your involvement in all this?"

Between sobs, Marlen explained, "They used Keon to peer into my memories. I tried to resist him, but it was no use. Nadia informed me that they had obtained a testimony from a user who could sense my guilt. She said it was safe for me to share my thoughts now. I couldn't hold it in, Ted! I was so afraid!" He clutched onto Ted's arms, tears streaming down his face. "You've got to understand! I needed to do it. I just want to see my family just one more time!"

Ted gazed down at Marlen, his expression filled with disappointment. "I'm certain you had no choice," he said softly. "It seems that the dinner party we were invited to was indeed a trap, right? I didn't recognize that waitress...but I sensed something off about her. I speculate she's the daughter of the Rose family. My henchman couldn't identify her when he reviewed my memories and made a sketch." Ted sighed, regretting his decision not to cancel the plans.

He placed his hands on Marlen's shoulders and met his gaze. His fingers tightened on Marlen's shoulders, a mix of regret and realization etched on Ted’s face. "Cameron has proven to be far more cunning than I ever could have anticipated.”

A moment of silence hung in the air as the realization sank in in Marlen.

Then Ted continued once more. "You don't deserve our legacy,” he said to him flatly. Then he continued with a hint of pity behind his words. "You're simply too weak."

Before Marlen had a chance to speak, his eyes widened in terror as a metal rod pierced through his chest. He dropped to the ground with a deafening thud. Marlen looked down, staring at his lifeless body. With a cold, disdainful tone, he stated, "Pathetic."

He then turned away, exiting the building without drawing any attention from the guards. Lifting into the air, he disappeared into the sky, flying away at an incredible speed.

End of Chapter 9

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

Monday morning arrived, and I groggily woke up, stretching my arms wide as I sat upright. Readying myself for work, I recalled the previous day's news reporting that Ted had vanished, leaving everything behind. The news had warned everyone about his volatile nature and increased risk, advising against any contact and to immediately notify the authorities. I left early to drive to his house, clutching the gift bag with the book and cologne.

Upon arrival, I spotted Cameron waiting at the door. That was unusual. I parked and got out of my car, approaching him with a hint of nervousness. "What's happening here?" I asked, trying to hide my anxiety.

His gaze kept fixed on me, his expression dark and weary, and asked, "Have you seen the news?"

I nodded and responded, "Yeah, I saw everything. You guys arrested Marlen, and now Ted's gone into hiding, right?"

Cameron's expression sagged, and he shook his heads in dismay. The fatigue was evident on his face, his eyes ringed with dark circles. "It gets worse," he admitted. "Marlen was discovered dead last night. They conducted a swift autopsy and found metal fragments in his chest. Security footage from the prison was tampered with. But there's no doubt Ted was behind it all."

I was stunned. "What?" I exclaimed, my voice filled with disbelief

Cameron continued, his voice weary, "We thought he'd try to leave the country, but we're still pursuing him. Our theory is that he's heading towards a hideout where some of his victims are located. We've received multiple suspicious reports of freight trucks heading north on the freeway. The bureau's elite team is traveling north via helicopter to intercept the trucks. Our worry is that he's transporting his hostages North and aiming to escape the area past the borders. He probably can't fly too far across the ocean, but we've already prevented all shipping containers from being transported overseas, just in case."

The thought of Ted prowling around free sent a shiver down my spine. The freeway would be an ideal hunting ground for him to control metal. His captives were almost certainly hidden within the trucks' metallic cargo. I asked Cameron, "Are you going to head north to track him down?"

Cameron responded, "No, but I'm waiting for further intel to determine if that's the best course of action. In the meantime, I recommend you be cautious." He glanced at me intently.

I nodded at him with conviction, eager to reassure him. "Don't worry, I have my passive. If I sense danger, I'll make a quick escape," I promised. Cameron looked slightly relieved.

Cameron hummed and nodded in agreement, "That's true. Anyway, I'll get back to you later today when I receive further updates." He turned back towards the house, but paused and turned back with a stern expression. "Also, next time, don't send so many images over text. I was rather busy yesterday, and it was a bit overwhelming." Cameron gave me a deadpan look, clearly expressing his annoyance at my relentless image spam.

My face became flushed with embarrassment as I protested, "They're not just 'images,' they're called memes! They're funny, and I thought you'd appreciate them," I explained to him earnestly, trying to justify my excessive picture-sending habit with a mix of defensiveness and genuine excitement.

Cameron fixated on my face with a thoughtful look, and then responded, "It's funny how you get so excited over little things. It's cute." But instantly, his eyes widened, and he covered his face, coughing awkwardly. "I meant comical," he corrected himself hastily. I could sense his embarrassment and surprise, his usually composed demeanor momentarily slipping.

I stood there, wide-eyed and blushing. "No way. Did you seriously say 'cute'?" I couldn't contain my laughter. "Haha! You're such a liar," I teased him, my giggles getting the better of me. Clearly, my amusement only made Cameron feel even more flustered.

Embarrassed and frustrated, Cameron spun around, his face now flushed red. He scowled and snapped, "Be silent! Now get to work!" Without giving me time to respond, he rushed off to his office, trying desperately to hide his embarrassment.

As I stood there, stunned by Cameron's sudden outburst, my thoughts raced through my head.

“The hell? Did he really just yell at me like that? Unbelievable," I whispered to myself as I entered the house. Collecting water and tile cleanser, I began to furiously scrub the tiles, muttering under my breath. "Don't tell me to be 'silent.' I'm NOT a dog, mother fucker." I attacked the filthy spots with even more intensity, imagining I was washing Cameron's angry face, wiping away his red cheeks. "Grumpy jerkface," I grumbled. "Take that, you insufferable prick!"

— Meanwhile upstairs…Cameron’s POV —

Cameron sat in his office chair, huffing at himself in frustration. He turned on his computer quickly, trying to distract himself from his own blunder. "Why in the world would I say that?" he berated himself silently. Curiosity getting the better of him, he activated his stealthy ability to listen in on Rose's voice, his super-hearing ability at the ready. As he eavesdropped on her, scrubbing the tiles and muttering angrily, he was taken aback by her colorful language and sarcastic tone. But, he couldn't help but feel ashamed for having snapped at her, realizing he had angered her again and recalled how she really dislikes being yelled at.

He kept his ability on, listening out for any signs of danger while also overhearing Rose's continued muttering. "She's got quite the mouth on her," he thought, contemplating how he could silence her so he could focus on potential threats. His annoyance slowly acclimating from her continued verbal not-so-private barrage.

Deciding on a course of action, Cameron pulled out his phone and started typing a text message, his fingers flying across the screen. He continued to listen to Rose's muttered curses as he drafted his text, hoping that it would be an effective way to quiet her tongue.

— Back to Rose’s POV — 

Having finished scrubbing the spot, I straightened up, rolling my shoulders to ease the tension. Just then, a chirp from my pocket caught my attention, and I glanced at my notification display. Quickly reading the text that appeared, I gasped loudly, my eyes widening in surprise. It was a text from Cameron, and it read:

I could hear you from my office. Please refrain from cursing me out, and be silent. Thank you.

I hid my burning face, feeling deep embarrassment wash over me. Hastily, I quickly walked into the garage, dumping the dirty water into the utility sink there. "That was so humiliating..." I whispered to myself, my embarrassment growing with each second. Realizing that he had overheard me with one of his many stored abilities, I felt even more mortified. Returning to the house, I started cleaning up while carefully avoiding his office. My thoughts drifted to the gift bag with the book and cologne.

Should I give it to him, as a way to apologize and show my gratitude for him? This is what I get for being stupid, I thought to myself, spinning around on a swivel barstool in his kitchen. Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps descending the stairs, and Cameron appeared, keys in hand. He was on the move.

“Did something come up?” I asked him.

Cameron appeared before me with a stern expression, informing me, "Yes. They informed me that a group of mid-tier traffickers have been spotted acting suspiciously near the outskirts of the city. Since all the other authorities are positioned at the borders and shipping docks, I've been called in to handle the situation."

I spoke earnestly, "Good luck," feeling a mix of concern and relief that it wasn't another tragic development. I appreciated his efforts and hoped he would succeed in his mission. "Please be careful," I added, my voice tinged with genuine worry.

Cameron remained in place, his expression contemplative. I could sense a mix of emotions from him—anger, anxiety, and nerves. It was as if he was wrestling with something in his thoughts, trying to navigate through a difficult decision or problem.

“Ummm,” I said while staring at him in confusion. 

Cameron snapped out of his deep thoughts and refocused his gaze on me. "Thank you," he said, his tone softer now. He paused for a moment before continuing, "I really appreciate your concern."

After Cameron departed, I headed into the garage and retrieved the white bag. I entered his office and placed it on his desk before grabbing a sticky note and writing a quick message on it. I apologized for secretly calling him a “prick” and assured him that it was not my intention to offend him. After a moment of thought, I rewrote the note in neater writing without the harsh comment. Feeling satisfied, I stuck it onto the bag and hid it discreetly in a vacant drawer.

I left the office and went downstairs, intending to resume my duties. Sitting on the toilet, I scrolled through the news headlines, catching up on the latest updates regarding Marlen's death and the ongoing controversy surrounding Ted. I felt so overwhelmed with my own thoughts and anxiety at that moment. With a sigh, I washed my hands and left the bathroom, my thoughts interrupted by a familiar voice.

The familiar voice behind me greeted me with a warm tone, "Well, hello there."

As soon as I registered the waves of malice, joy, and excitement washing over me, my entire body froze in terror.

I was too distracted, I thought in horror.

My heart pounded in my chest, and my vision grew blurry as tears welled up in my eyes. I stared down at the ground, unable to look up, my body paralyzed by an overwhelming sense of dread.

The mock pleasant voice continued, "Now, now, Miss ‘Victoria.’ It's quite rude not to greet your guests. Oh, silly me, I almost forgot - your real name is Rose, isn't it?” Then from out of my sight, I heard a soft vibration approaching, and suddenly a pair of well-polished shoes appeared, perfectly paired with crisp black slacks. Fear kept me frozen in place, my eyes tightly closed, my body completely stiff.

I’m not ready to die. I thought dreadfully.

Fear gripped me, and I adamantly refused to lift my gaze to meet his sinister stare. A heavy sigh echoed from the man before me, his presence adding to my increasing panic. My breathing quickened, each breath becoming more rapid and shallow as the terror within me mounted.

His tone laced with amusement, he pressed me, "Hello? Are you just gonna stand there and not say a word?" His impatience was clear in his voice, waiting for me to respond.

My body trembled with fear, my breathing quickened, and tears streamed down my face. When I finally looked up, I was met by his gentle smile, but the emptiness in his eyes sent chills down my spine, and the malicious emotions he radiated resembled the twisted nature of a fallen angel. My voice trembled as I whispered, "Ted."

Ted maintained his smile as he drew nearer, extending a hand towards me. His touch was warm, deceptively comforting coming from a person so cold at heart. "Your hands are freezing!" he remarked, his voice filled with feigned concern. "We can't let that stand, now can we?"

Overwhelmed by fear and trembling violently, my legs buckled, and I crumpled to the ground, tears streaming down my face. Through broken sobs, I managed to utter, "W-What do y-you want from me!?" My voice was quivering, and my body trembled uncontrollably.

Ted casually plucked my phone from my pocket and then gently took my trembling hand, using it to unlock the device. His next words rang clear, "We wouldn't want you alerting anyone of my presence, now would we? And if you dared to try to use your abilities on me-" a matter-of-fact tone underscoring his words. He then hoisted me up and wrapped me in his black coat before ushering me forward. Confusion swirled within me as he continued with his seemingly kind gestures. "Come now, let's head upstairs and talk further. I want to hear everything you know, and we'll discuss my plan in detail." With a gentle nudge, he gestured for me to lead the way to Cameron's office.

— Cameron’s POV —

Cameron arrived at the location and met with a single mid-tier hero from the agency. A quick debriefing revealed that one of them had already rescued a woman from the group, part of the long list of missing low-tiers. The young woman was noticeably shaken and shared her experience with the hero. She was blindfolded and could only recall two other women who were with her. She had been taken to the hospital for care. As Cameron listened, the hero offered backup if needed. He then moved to the prior location, and with super hearing, speed, healing, and laser beam abilities at his disposal, he quickly picked up on the whispers between the mid-tiers and their high-tier leader. The leader's hushed tone contrasted with the frightened whimpers of the scared woman somewhere nearby. Cameron readied himself, his senses on high alert, and quietly moved closer to the source of the distressed sounds.

Cameron swiftly dispatched one of the mid-tiers, positioning himself as a shield between them and the two women. He engaged the remaining mid-tiers and a high-tier with ease. Though the fight was fast and furious, Cameron emerged victorious, sustaining only a few scratches. He then called for the backup hero, whose lasso ability would ensure the capture of the perpetrators, transporting them to the bureau headquarters for interrogation.

Once the backup hero arrived and took the captured mid-tiers and high-tier to the bureau headquarters for interrogation, Cameron turned his attention to the two relieved women.

The two women revealed that they had become separated from the other girls during the chaos, and that the mid-tiers had discreetly taken them away from the trucks. The men involved desired to distance themselves from the entire trafficking group. They had lost trust and faith in following Ted, now that he was exposed.

As soon as Cameron learned this information, he promptly called Kassandra, who was already stationed at the country's borders, waiting for the freight trucks to pass through. He shared with her the vital piece of information, confirming that the trucks contained the remaining women and that he had successfully apprehended a group of Ted's men who had turned against him. 

The men confessed that they intended to stay in the area and begin their own small-scale trafficking operation, but the last they had heard from Ted was him issuing orders for people to leave the country at around 0300. They were unsure of his exact whereabouts or where he planned to go, guessing that he had already escaped the region. Cameron left, returning to his car and dialing his friend Jacob to request his team to search for any CCTV footage that could provide evidence of Ted's presence in their town.

Jacob confirmed that they were already diligently working on the task and remained discreet, operating in an area Ted would find difficult to access. Cameron hung up, feeling a sense of relief and taking a moment to ponder before his thoughts darted to Rose, whom he had left alone in his home.

Concerned for her safety, Cameron briefly debated whether he should check on her or continue the chase for Ted. Ultimately, the worry for her wellbeing outweighed his other concerns, and he decided to head back home to ensure her safety.

Cursing under his breath, Cameron mentally reprimanded himself. "Damn it," he muttered, realizing he should have urged her to return home. Then, like a flood, images of William's lifeless body being unearthed invaded his mind. With determination, he pushed those painful memories aside and urgently ignited the ignition, speeding his car back towards home.

— Rose POV — 

Ted casually occupied Cameron's chair and paged through my phone, seeking Cameron's password. When asked if I knew the code, I firmly denied having that knowledge. I revealed that Cameron had apprehended mid-tiers on the city's outskirts. Ted then pressed for more information on the authorities' plans. I offered a partial truth, sharing that they were examining the shipping docks, without disclosing the detail about the freight trucks headed North. Ted appeared convinced and visibly relaxed. I silently rolled my eyes at his gullibility when he swiveled the chair around, facing away from me.

Ted chuckled as he examined my phone. "Aha! These are some excellent memes!" Just then, the phone started to ring, and he smirked, saying, "Oh, finally he's calling you. I figured as much. Here's what I want you to do, Rose. Answer now and tell him everything is fine, and there's no need to rush back home just yet."

With resignation, I replied meekly, "Okay." Ted had cunningly compelled me to use my ability to calm down and suppress my fear. I picked up the phone, my voice trembling slightly as I answered, "Hello?"

Cameron's worried voice crackled on the other end of the line. "Rose, are you alright?" he asked, his words laced with concern.

I assured him, my voice steadier now, "Yes, sir. I'm fine. Just finishing up some cleaning," I replied, hoping to ease his anxiety.

Cameron's voice softened on the other end of the line. "Alright... good. I'm almost home. But if anything seems amiss, go home right away," he instructed.

"Yes, sir," I responded, my voice steady. The call ended, and the phone floated back to Ted, who then handed me an unfamiliar burner phone.

Ted fixed me with a stern gaze, commanding, "Keep that call on the burner phone open at all times. I'll be listening closely. Tuck it inside your breast pocket. Don't even think about trying to text him or anyone else. I've made sure it's set up to only accept and send texts from and to your phone number. Don't try any tricks." His tone left no room for argument.

How the hell did he get my number so damn quickly? I pondered, then chastised myself as I remembered that I stupidly had my contact details on a dog walking business website.

Damn it, what a dumb move that was. Great, now the psycho has my personal number.

Ted's voice commanded with a cold authority, "Show me your hands."

Fearfully, I obeyed his order. Two round, stainless steel balls materialized before me, and he molded them into seamless bracelets that encircled my wrists. There were no clasps or openings, rendering them impossible to remove without his permission.

Ted's demand grew more specific: "Now, give me your fingers."

I complied, and he shaped smaller steel orbs effortlessly around both my pointer fingers. The metal bands fit snugly, cutting off any chance of escape yet allowing blood to continue flowing through my digits.

With a satisfied smile, Ted proclaimed, "There, now. If you attempt to covertly write any notes to him or give any hand signals, I'll be aware. I can detect all metal movements and electromagnetic fields. Furthermore, any attempt to activate your ability will be detected. Don't even think about it. I'll be watching closely." The threat behind his words was unmistakable.

A final orb of stainless steel approached my neck, and instinctively I tried to recoil, but his threatening presence froze me in place. The metal transformed into a slender strip, snugly encircling my neck like a high-fashion collar. My fear escalated, and my anger grew, even as my ability compelled me to remain outwardly calm. His audacity was infuriating.

I began to plead, "Please, don't-" but before I could utter another syllable, the collar around my neck constricted, abruptly cutting off my air supply. My breath hitched, panic swelling within me as I struggled against the metallic restraint.

Ted's voice grew menacing, his anger palpable as he warned, "Don't make me repeat myself. Obey my orders," while producing a mysterious metal vial and handing it to me. He slackened the collar enough for me to catch my breath, then seized a handful of my hair, forcing me to meet his eyes. In a chilling tone, he stated, "You and Cameron have ruined me. You deserve this. If you don’t I will kill you, and right after I make my escape, I will go towards the hospital and bring it down.” In a calculated and sinister manner, Ted continued, "I will unleash a storm of metal shrapnel upon every citizen in this region in retaliation. Do you understand me?" Fear gripped me, and I nodded rapidly in response, wishing I could cry, yet my emotions remained restrained. His rage and malicious intent hung heavy in the air, casting a dark shadow over the room.

Panic gripped me, fear for my own life mingled with worry for Cameron. My thoughts raced as if the entire world was spinning out of control. Ted strode out of the office, his ominous warning about my fate hanging in the air.

“I’ll be close by. Try to run away, and your head is coming off.” He threatened and left from my sight.

I remained standing there, silently praying that this was all just a nightmarish dream. Time seemed to stretch out endlessly as I sat, lost in my own thoughts. Then, the sound of the door opening jolted me back to reality. I swiftly left the office and hastily made my way down the stairs, desperate to catch a glimpse of who had just entered. It was Cameron, who returned from his short notice mission. 

”Any updates?” I asked him curiously.

He remained quiet, leaving me with no answers. He was thinking deeply about what to share.

Cameron's words cut through the silence, his voice laced with weariness. "We managed to apprehend a couple of Ted's associates and saved some girls, but unfortunately, no one seems to know where he is," he shared, shrugging off his slightly damaged coat.

Concern etched on my face, I asked anxiously, "Were you hurt?"

Cameron shook his head, unfazed by the question. "No," he replied casually, "they managed to land a few blows on me, but I healed myself quickly." His calm demeanor contrasted with my deep worry, totally oblivious to the predicament I was currently in. 

As the realization sunk in that Cameron possessed a regenerative ability stored away, a momentary sense of surprise and reassurance washed over me. Yet, this knowledge did little to ease my conscience about the impending betrayal done by me. I pondered the unknown poison hidden within the metal vial, its nature and degree of lethality still a complete mystery to me.

I managed a quiet and somewhat forced "good," trying to maintain a normal facade. While I continued with my chores, Cameron retreated to the kitchen, grabbing an apple, and I resumed pretending to work calmly. As discreetly as possible, I rubbed my aching throat, my fingers fidgeting with the fabric of my collar to cover any visible markings or the metal collar. The duster in my hand, I began cleaning the surfaces, but my mind incessantly returned to the question of Ted's whereabouts. The unease grew heavier with every passing moment.

My thoughts raced, Where could he be hiding?

I glanced anxiously around the surroundings, searching for any sign of him. My eyes lingered on the garage, and a sense of unease settled over me. He's probably concealed somewhere in there, I thought, sensing a subtle, ominous presence emanating from the garage.

Anger and frustration welled up within me as I forcefully gripped my arm. I longed to take action, to do something about this awful situation. But my hands were rendered completely useless. No gestures or writing were possible; Ted could detect any unusual movements. Even attempting to activate my ability to project a calming aura towards Ted wouldn’t work, as Ted would likely immediately sense the attempt.

It won’t work. It takes time for my ability to get past a god-tier’s thick aura. And he can sense my magnetic field being slightly stronger from my ability activation.Then he’s eavesdropping in our conversations with his phone in my breast pocket. I continued thinking deeply about my situation, trying to find a solution to my problem.

With clenched fists and a mix of determination and reluctance, I bit back a wince of pain. I didn’t want any of this - the danger, the betrayal, or risk of both of us dying. I inhaled deeply, steeling myself. I had to take the chance. Once the poison kicked in, Cameron’s regeneration power should come to the rescue partially, hopefully reversing the continuous damage. It was a desperate gamble, but it was the only plan I had.

With a heavy heart, I retrieved a corkscrew and uncorked a bottle of wine, filling two glasses. Then, reluctantly, I poured the mysterious contents of the metallic vial into one of the glasses, watching the liquid swirl around in a nauseating display of deceit. I gazed down at it, my thoughts clouded with guilt, feeling a deep self-loathing for the dangerous gamble I was about to take with Cameron's life

Panic and a sense of helplessness washed over me as I considered the dire consequences of defying Ted's orders. I couldn't risk innocent lives by provoking him. I would rather take my own life than anyone else’s. With a heavy heart, I retrieved the poisoned glass of wine in my right hand and my untouched glass in my left. As I walked to his office, I felt an overwhelming sense of uselessness and weariness. Life's relentless bullshit had taken its toll, leaving me feeling like a mere spectator in this nightmarish situation. I knew that the moment that Cameron started getting sick from the wine. That Ted would make his move, and would instantly kill me. 

My mind wandered to my family, and the painful memories of my upbringing came flooding back. My mother's cold neglect, the relentless comparisons to my older brother with his smooth tongue and charismatic demeanor, and her blatant favoritism towards him. He was everything that they wanted in a chid. I reflected on my father's kindness but his frequent absences, his ability to astral project leaving me envious. How I wished to have inherited his ability rather than the one I inherited from my mother. My little brother, distant and dismissive, calling me a coward, only added to the familial isolation. Their harsh evaluations and expectations weighed heavily on me, as if I was perpetually falling short of their ideal. They all thought I was too clumsy, too awkward, and too soft. That I wasn’t fit to carry the family legacy. The realization stung that my family had already made their escape from the country, leaving me behind in the midst of chaos 5 years ago. Their abandonment only served to highlight my own insignificance in their eyes. While they faced death threats and scrutiny, I, being inconsequential in this country’s eyes, barely experienced any similar threats. My younger brother, having already fled before the family’s secrets unraveled, added another layer of isolation to my already desolate existence.

I couldn’t help but feel the weight of being the black sheep, the family disappointment, the one cast aside and forgotten. The pain and frustration grew within me, feeding into my desperation and despair.

As I stood before the office door, I forcibly pushed away the onslaught of painful memories and negative emotions that had plagued my thoughts. I took a moment to compose myself, my expression turning stoic, and bracing myself for what was to come. I knew I had to stay focused and push through the turmoil inside me, as the task awaiting me demanded all my attention. I placed both the wine cups on my left hand to free my right hand. With a final, determined breath, I raised my hand and knocked firmly on the door.

Cameron's voice, a calm and authoritative tone, called out from within the office. "Come in."

I took a deep breath, plastering on a forced smile, and entered the room. With a feigned cheerful demeanor, I held up the glasses and said with false bravado, "Hey, I wanted to celebrate our victory with a surprise glass of wine."

Cameron's gaze settled on the wine glass in my hand, and I detected a hint of apprehension in his voice as he responded, "Alright." There was a slight undertone of surprise at my sudden eagerness to share a drink. He paused for a moment, perhaps sensing an unusual vibe in my behavior, but ultimately accepted the offer.

I approached him slowly and carefully placed the wine glass near him on the desk, taking a step back thereafter. Cameron picked up the glass, his eyes momentarily locking with mine before raising it towards me in a silent toast. I followed suit, extending my arm and lifting my own glass, our glasses finally touching in a somewhat forced show of celebration.

Clink

In a feigned cheerful tone, I raised my glass and echoed, "Cheers! To rescuing the victims!" Cameron offered a slight smile and took a sip from his glass. I followed suit, the wine leaving a bitter taste in my mouth as I swallowed. The detachment intensified, and I sank deeper into a state of dissociation, feeling as though everything was a mere simulation. The world around me seemed distant and unreal, as if I were caught in a dream I couldn’t wake up from.

With a rushed tone, I managed to squeak out, "Excuse me, I need to finish up some work," and hurrying out of the room. I was keenly aware of the abrupt change in Cameron's emotions, transitioning from contentment to a hint of confusion followed by indifference. The weight of guilt and deceit hung heavily in the air as I fled from the office.

As I descended the stairs, my vision grew hazy, tears welling up in my eyes, a mix of anger, grief, and frustration coursing through me. I came to a halt near the staircase, fixating my gaze on Cameron's office, listening intently for any signs that the poison was taking effect. Then, I heard it - a subtle cough emanating from within. My eyes widened in recognition, and disregarding Ted's earlier command, I swiftly made my way back up the stairs, completely forgetting about his instruction to wait in place.

Panic and fear gripped me as I called out Cameron's name. The coughing grew louder, and when I entered his room, I found him hunched on the floor, coughing furiously, visibly shaking. I rushed towards him, dropping to my knees by his side, and whispered in his ear, my voice filled with urgency and concern.

Desperation filled my voice as I hissed in a rushed whisper, "Hurry, Cameron. Activate your ability and fight the poison." His gaze met mine, filled with a venomous hatred that sent a chill down my spine. I was about to gesture to the collar around my neck to explain, but the device suddenly tightened, its grip tightening painfully. The gravitational pull tugged me forcefully towards the door, leaving me with no room for resistance.

Ah, fuck. Not again. I thought. 

He was choking me to death. Squeezing my neck so hard, that I felt like he was going to snap my neck in half. 

The constricting pressure of the collar suddenly ceased, and the metal band snapped in two, released from my neck. I gasped for breath, my lungs desperately craving air, and then I caught sight of Ted standing near the doorway, his gaze filled with repulsion as he looked down at me. But his attention quickly shifted to Cameron, his expression hardening with a mixture of anger and disdain.

Cameron had copied his ability in time. I couldn’t move. I ended up fainting. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

I struggle to regenerate my body system as it deals with continuous toxic stimuli from Ted’s poison. I could feel its effects continuously and relentlessly inflicting damage. While kneeling on the ground, my aura samples Ted’s ability of magnetism. In quick haste I break the metallic collar on Rose’s neck, along with other metal pieces off of her. However, a moment of relief soon turns into further frustration as I attempt to manipulate the metal collar towards Ted, only to have him detect it and halt it in mid-air. He looks at me with a smirk etched into his face. He then hurls my desk towards me, slamming into me and pinning me into the wall behind. I grunt at the impact. Fury consumes me and I burst the desk in half with a laser pulse. I felt a vein pop on my neck, and quickly grew furious at his audacity to try to kill me. I use my speed ability to blitz and weave past the hurling metallic objects that were sent flying at me, and slammed into Ted. The two of us crash and break through the walls and leave the premises of my house. Ted grunts and his aura crackles as his body pulses out a magnetic shield to push me off of him. I crash down onto the dirt below him, and quickly recover back into a fighting stance. My vision is getting blurred. I re-focuses to regenerate myself once more, but the poison’s effects are unceasing, causing me to feel disorientated. He continues to levitate above me, and notices that I waver for a few seconds. He then lifts his hands up to unearth metallic rods and pipes from below me to pincer me. I react in time to levitate off the ground to dodge the rods that Ted was manipulating. I refocus my aura and overpower Ted in manipulating the metal pipes that he tried pincering me with and hurl them towards him in return. Ted dodges them easily and begins stripping more metallic objects from my house as ammunition. 

— Rose’s POV — 

My eyes jolted open and as I came to consciousness, the first thing I noticed was a throbbing pain in my throat and a stiffness in my neck. I was confused and focused on scanning my body. I noticed some debris all over me. My memory quickly returned, I remembered the feeling of a metallic collar wrapping around my throat, cutting off my oxygen and making me lose consciousness. The pain in my neck served as a reminder of coming close to death in Ted’s hands. I then notice the wreckage around Cameron’s room. I quickly stand up and look around and see a gaping hole behind me. 

“What?” I say with shock and disbelief.

I then hear the harsh scraping and grinding sounds of metal being forcefully yanked off from multiple surfaces from inside and outside of the house. The sound filled the air, echoing off the surrounding walls and structures. The high-pitched shrieks of metal being torn away from its moorings grew louder and more frenzied as the pull on the metal intensified. I gasped and realized what was happening and quickly ran out of the office. I noticed that the hinges of the staircase were being pulled away. I then jumped forward and landed on the ground while barely escaping the metallic objects flying past over my head. I realized that I was stuck on the second floor. Then I noticed the couch below me. 

“Well…here goes nothing,” I say with reluctance as I lunge forward and land on it but bounce off and smack myself hard onto the tile floor with a heavy impact. “Ow…”

I rub the back of my head and shoulders and proceed to run outside. Upon running out of the house, I noticed that my car was being levitated off the driveway high up in the air and then it got thrusted towards the backyard. 

“Seriously?!” I yell out with frustration and shock.

I then follow after my car and upon turning around the corner of the house, I immediately halt before stepping closer. I witnessed the surrounding area becoming a chaotic battlefield, with metal objects crashing together and colliding in mid-air. Cameron and Ted engaged in a dizzying display of acrobatics, dodging and weaving as they hurled objects at each other, their every move perfectly calculated and executed. The sounds of crashing metal and the crackle of laser energy could be heard throughout the area, drowning out all other noise.

Cameron tries his best to alternate between huge energy blasts and hurling huge metal objects at Ted. Ted however continues to dodge them with ease. But, something was off. Ted had absolute mastery over his magnetism compared to Cameron who sampled it. He was able to quickly deflect and shield himself from any metallic attacks thanks to his magnetic shield. Cameron then charges lasers on all 10 of his fingers and proceeds to shoot them towards Ted. Ted raises an eyebrow and brings up metallic sheets around him to shield him from the lasers. He does so in quick motion, and then uses the tattered metal, and turns them into thousands and metal shards and quickly shoots them like a chain of fire towards Cameron. Cameron then releases a magnetic pulse to halt them mid-air, but as he does, he fails to notice that Ted had already wrapped a metallic pole around his leg and thrusted Cameron towards him to punch him in the face with a great force. Cameron then uses a magnetic shield to protect himself while he gathers his bearings and holds his bleeding nose. He growls angrily towards Ted who quickly levitates away from him as he proceeds to lift more metal objects to throw at Cameron. He was outpacing Cameron in attacks, overwhelming him at this point. 

“The poison…it’s weakened him,” I say with a whisper laced with fear and worry.

I want to help, but I'm mindful that I'm a liability in this situation. I’m not a god-tier like them. I’m not particularly useful to Cameron. I recall my brother calling me useless and weak, just as I once was in comparison to him who achieved being a god-tier as a prodigy. The memories of being dismissed and referred to as a liability flood my heart, filling it with intense sadness. I know that if I step in too early, Ted will swiftly eliminate me before I can drain him of his emotions. I shake my head in frustration at my inability to find an opening. 

The fight progressed, with two pushing each other to their limits; I noticed that Cameron was reaching his quicker. Cameron was wincing in pain, his body kept shaking and his face looked pale. I could tell he couldn’t leash out a huge number of powerful attacks against Ted, due to him continuously focusing on healing himself. Ted proceeded to create a cyclone of sharp metal fragments around Cameron. Cameron couldn’t find an opening to escape, so he then created a magnetic shield to defend himself. Ted began throwing every metal objects towards him, forcing the shield to take on the brunt of the attacks. Cameron kept his shield up for as long as possible. Then he began charging a bright glowing aura around him as he continued to uphold the shield. Then he unleashes the dense aura out into a massive shockwave. The shockwave even manages to reach towards me and I quickly backed away in time. Ted however uses his magnetic shield, which breaks from the sheer force of the powerful attack. His body begins falling down to the ground, but he manages to bring forward a metallic plate from under him to land on before crashing on the ground. He then jumps off the plate and levitates once more in the air. He notices that Cameron was taking time to recover from unleashing a strong blast. Ted then immediately starts lifting up any metal object once more and begins throwing them at Cameron one-by-one. Cameron then tries to clumsy parry his attacks by shooting those metal objects one-by-one with a laser beam, but one of the objects grazes against his rib cage, making it bleed. I could see that he was trying to push through the pain, but as he strains to continue to shoot away the metal objects that were coming for him he lets another metal object land a hit against his hand. I gasp in shock and notice that his fingers are mangled. 

“Argh!” Cameron cries out in pain.

Ted’s eyes widened, and a huge, wicked grin stretched across his face. He seizes the opportunity to push his advantage. With a burst of energy, precision, and focus, he directs his powers towards Cameron.  He throws a multitude of metallic objects towards him at a rapid pace and overwhelming his defense. Cameron struggles to stand his ground, but the onslaught is too much for him to withstand, and he finally misses his chance to defend himself fully and gets impaled by two metallic poles that forcefully pins him down onto the ground. 

“No…,” I uttered quietly, as my body jolted with shock. 

My entire body trembled with fear as I forced myself to take a single, shaky step forward. My heart thundered in my chest, and my arms and hands convulsed with terror, as if struggling to support the weight of my anxiety. Tears were flowing through my widened eyes. Ted then levitated down to the ground, panting and shaking from exhaustion after the barrage of attacks he completed. He then uses all of his power to gather all the metal objects in his general area and starts creating a metallic spear. Cameron lifted his head and noticed that the spear was finally complete. His expression grew even more distraught, as he tried to use his powers to push out metallic poles that were deeply impaled through him and the ground below. But I see the aura in his eyes flicker, and he fails to concentrate to remove it any further out of him. He began coughing out blood, struggling to regain his composure. I then snapped out of my dissociative daze and began sprinting towards Ted from behind, I activated my ability and extended my aura outward and it engulfed him and I began draining him of his aggressive emotions. Ted throws the spear, but he hesitates, misses the kill shot by a few feet away from Cameron’s head. A small smile breaks out of my fear-ridden expression. But, I could sense that my aura wasn’t draining his fury fast enough, due to Ted turning around to face me with an annoyed expression. I continued to try to drain him, but he quickly covered himself with a small magnetic barrier and my aura was pushed out. 

Suddenly, I found myself growing nervous and decided to take a cautious step back, uttering a hesitant 'Ah...' in the process.

Ted continued to approach me, dropping his shield. I was too scared to run away. My fear took over and I couldn’t think of the next move I should make. Everything led to the same conclusion in my thoughts, I’m in danger.

“Your aura is too weak. Why on earth would you even try to stop me?” He taunted me, he gave me an unamused expression at my stunt. I could feel joy emanating out of him as he continued to humiliate me with his insults. “You can’t even defend yourself.” He said as he punched me in the stomach. 

I gasped as the blow hit my stomach, the wind knocked out of me and left me gasping for air. Doubled over in pain, I crumpled to the ground, struggling to catch my breath.

“See? That was a weak punch! You couldn’t even endure it.” Ted said to me mockingly. 

I heard Cameron from a distance yelling at Ted in an urgent tone to “Stop!”

Ignoring his pleas, Ted flashed a grin and kicked me faceup from being face down on the ground. Without hesitation, he grabbed a short metallic pole and drove it forcefully through my shoulder, anchoring me to the spot. Seizing control, he locked me in place, leaving me writhing in agony as I screamed out in pain. “Now stay there and watch.”

He then walked back towards Cameron pulling out the spear away from the ground approximate from him. I lay there in agonized pain. My heart swells up with shame, and resigned at being able to do anything. I was taken down so quickly and failed to do anything at all. Guilt then overcomes me in a wave. I start crying. I remember every single kind moment that Cameron has gifted me: Lending me his book, reassuring me, and being extremely patient with my mistakes. I felt totally helpless and useless. That word kept echoing in my mind. I trace back my memories to my mother, and grandfather. How they told me that I’m hopeless, a lost cause to their legacy. That I was never going to reach the milestones they have set out for me. Their judging looks, them using their ability on me to mess with my emotions. Trying to make me feel even more depressed on purpose to teach me a lesson. Now, I find myself lying here, about to witness the tragic and premature demise of Cameron. It's as if my life is presenting me with the most excruciating lesson, forcing me to confront the harsh reality of mortality and my lack of ability to be better…

Anger then bloomed in my heart as I thought, I hate you. The words echoed through my mind, a dark reflection of the bitterness and resentment I felt towards Ted.

In that moment, I felt an immense surge of energy that propelled me forward. The weight of my emotions came crashing down like a hammer, I was flooded with an overwhelming whirlwind of emotions and adrenaline. Determination, sadness, frustration, fear, and just raw willpower all swirled together in a tumultuous storm that consumed me. They were so intense that I felt like I was drowning in them. Ignoring the excruciating pain, I gritted my teeth and fiercely pulled myself out of the metallic pole, too consumed by rage to heed the torment. I was determined to break free and confront Ted with the anger that burned within me. As I closed in on Ted who remained focused on Cameron. I activated my ability, but this time, my aura exploded. With a quick move, I jumped behind him, swiftly encircling his neck and head with my arms, attempting to restrain him in a tight hold. I pierced through his aura with ease thanks to being in closer proximity to his body and immediately started draining him of all emotions, not just his aggression. Ted tried to brush me off but still managed to keep his train of thoughts and managed to use a knife from his pocket and stabbed me on the side. I didn’t flinch. I was too blind with rage to care. Then I felt his emotions disappearing. Ted then stopped his assault on me, and by proxy, the spear dropped from the air and landed a few inches away from Cameron’s head. I dropped to the ground, and Ted fell onto his knees. I winced in pain and noticed that he had a completely blank face. His body didn’t move. He just kept staring off into space, apathetic and showing no interest in any of us. He just kept staring. I heard Cameron grunting from a distance and he immediately sprinted towards us in seconds. He looked down at Ted with confusion, who remained stoic and indifferent to his presence. 

“What did you do?” He asked in a perplexed, raspy voice. 

I was holding onto the side of my abdomen that was bleeding out. “I-I don’t know? I think I drained him of all emotions?” I didn’t register what I’ve just done completely. Cameron then approached me in a hasty limp and began healing my abdominal injury since it was bleeding the most. I was able to move around again, and motioned for him to focus on himself, but felt faint from the continued blood loss from my shoulder injury. 

“Thanks…” I whispered to him. As I pressed pressure on the hole on my shoulder.

Ted remained totally silent and didn’t react to our chatter. Cameron continued to use his last bit of aura to regenerate his biggest injuries. I kept gazing at Ted, sensing no emotions from him. He looked like he was lobotomized. Then a shiver ran down my back, as I recalled from my childhood, what my mother did when she wanted to punish one of her enemies. Then from the distance I heard a helicopter and multiple vehicles approaching us. As the helicopter lands close by, I see a figure exiting it; Arlo, the director of the bureau officers. He proceeded to trap Ted in a yellow tetrahedron star. 

“Thanks for capturing him, Cameron,” Arlo says while he looks at us both. “You guys look injured, we should take you both to the hospital.” He says with authority behind his voice. He then motioned with his hand at the medical personnel to approach once he scanned the scene being safe enough for them to approach. 

Cameron nods. I notice that he’s still trembling, and holding onto his abdomen that was probably still injured from the poison that needed to be purified out of him. I saw a bureau member with turquoise and brick-colored eyes approach Cameron. She immediately recognized that he was in a far worse condition than I was. She approached him and immediately started healing his injuries.

“You need to take this with you,” I said as I pulled out the metallic vial that once held the poison contents. “It should have traces of the poison that he’s ingested. You guys need to analyze it, so he can recover fully.” 

The woman, wearing gloves, nodded in affirmation before carefully placing the item into a plastic bag for safekeeping. She proceeded to assist Cameron up to his feet and helped him towards one of the medical transports. Arlo gave me a suspicious look before he left in the helicopter with Ted. I suspected he gave me that look for having the metal vial in my possession. A second pair of medics approached me, and assisted me towards a second medical transport truck. We got transported to different hospitals.

I’m guessing they took him up north to a hospital that specializes in treating poison, I thought as I laid down in my hospital bed. I looked at the blood transfusion bag that was hanging near me. Luckily, I got transported to the hospital I worked at. 

When one of the hospital staff tried contacting one of my relatives. They soon realized that the numbers I had listed were no longer in service. I shrugged and acted like it was okay. They managed to replenish my blood, and a specialist healed had already healed all of my injuries. I was having some nerve pinching pain near my neck before but now it's gone. They discharged me after 5 hours of monitoring and recuperating in the hospital.

I sighed and realized that neither me nor Cameron had access to our phones. 

They were probably crushed by Ted during the scuffle, I thought with annoyance. I continue thinking, They were probably still busy having to deal with the other threats and rescuing the woman. No one from the bureau approached me in the hospital…I became paranoid of being in trouble for poisoning Cameron. 

I didn’t want to bother anyone for a ride. I needed time to think and process the events that occurred for the last 13 hours. I was exhausted. I didn’t get any sleep for a day. It was already the morning by the time I left the hospital. I then approached a cellular store, and bought myself a new phone. I stepped out of the cellular store, and began walking down the blocks of the city towards my house. As I walked down the city streets, I couldn't shake the feeling of annoyance at the barrage of noise around me. The honking horns, the shouting pedestrians, the blaring music - it all felt like a cacophony of chaos, and it was making it difficult for me to focus on my thoughts. Every sudden noise made me flinch, and feeling people’s emotions was already annoying to begin with. I kept thinking about the crashing sounds of metal; Cameron’s yelling. I felt so on edge. I start feeling overwhelmed by the city's energy. Despite the vibrant atmosphere, I desperately needed a little peace and quiet. I shut the door behind me as soon as I entered my apartment. I was having a hard time controlling my breathing from having a mini anxiety attack. I proceeded to wash myself in the shower to calm down, but just stood there still  processing the events. Memories flashed before my eyes of almost dying, poisoning Cameron, Ted violently hurting us both. Then I recalled how I used my ability in a similar fashion like my mother did against her enemies. I know I did it for a good cause, but I’ve never dared to do that before. It was all too much. My head spun in circles, trying to reassure myself that I am not my mother or older brother. Then I finally snapped out of it, and stepped out of the shower to scan my body in the mirror. I have scars on my body now…, I thought as I flinched away from the mirror. I began shaking even more and folded down onto the ground and began crying at the entirety of what just happened.

— Cameron’s POV—

I was informed by a provider that I ingested a dense mixture of nightshade and belladonna. Luckily, I only needed to stay in the hospital for only 7 hours. I heard a knock on the door. 

“Come in!” I called out.

At first I thought it was one of the bureau members, but I was pleasantly surprised it was Jane and John.

Jane quickly approached me with tears in her eyes. “I was so shocked at the news!” She said with worry and sadness in her tone. She then wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a hug that radiated with warmth and affection. I gave her a hug back, and she quickly released me as she swiped away the tears in her eyes.

“Wow, I never thought I would find you in a hospital. What happened?” John asked with curiosity, as he cocked his head to the side.

“Well…”

I then proceeded to explain everything and how I ingested poison, but I left Rose out of the conversation, due to wanting to preserve her images in their mind.

It wasn’t her fault, I thought. At first, I felt utterly betrayed and furious with her for poisoning me. However, as soon as I learned that she was simply being threatened by Ted, my anger dissipated, and I understood that she was being coerced into her actions. Jane and John’s faces were pale as soon as I finished explaining to them what happened. Jane continued crying and hugged me once more. 

“I need to go now though. I feel fully recuperated. I’ll head down to the bureau and type out my report.” I then got out of bed and proceeded to go towards the private restroom. But, John grabbed my arm and stopped me in my tracks.

”Hold on. You just barely recuperated and now you want to go out and work again?”

I looked back at him with slight annoyance, but sighed. The look in his face was riddled with worry. “Yes, they need me. They are still needing to rescue those women, but I haven’t heard back from them since Ted destroyed my phone.”

John and Jane looked at one another with uneasiness. John sighed and then pulled out a slightly tattered phone from his pocket.

“Is that…my phone?” 

“Yea, when we went to your house earlier this morning, one of the bureau members who were collecting evidence found it. They wanted me to return it to you immediately.” 

I grabbed it and turned it on. “Thank you,” I said. I felt greatly appreciative of them assisting me. But guilt riddled in my heart as I felt rather ashamed in having to push them away to focus my energy on my job.

”You should look at the news,” Jane said with some hint of eagerness.

I raised an eyebrow at her, perplexed by her eagerness in having me do so. When I went to the news headlines on the web, I saw that the bureau had successfully captured a group of mid-tiers that were transporting 4 freight trucks full of women and children. I instantly felt like a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders. I let out a breath of air, and had a small smile grow on my face. “They did it…” I whispered in disbelief. I felt satisfied and fulfilled with this case coming to an end. Regardless, if there are still some victims out there, this was a huge breakthrough in reuniting many broken families.

“They did,” Jane said while she gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. She gave me a tender smile, her eyes gleaming with pride and joy.

I smiled back at her, and gave them both hugs before bidding them farewell. I called a taxi, and went directly to the bureau. But, in the back of my mind, I kept thinking back to Rose. I looked down on my phone and saw no notifications from her. I then started calling her on my phone to see if she answered. Nothing. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

After 10 minutes of nonstop crying, my emotions took hold of me with a tight grip, but then my ability kicked in instinctively, helping to lower the negative feelings that threatened to overwhelm me with a new tidal wave. I dislike having to do so, but I couldn’t remain in this state any longer. I sat there in complete silence, feeling more and more readjusted to my surroundings. It finally dawned on me that I was definitely left traumatized from this. I stood up and got dressed and quickly went to get a meal for myself started. 

“I have to stay strong,” I whispered to myself as I prepared my meal. 

Then an hour passed by after having finished eating, I was sitting on the couch looking at the news.

”They did it!” I yelled out cheerfully. I jumped off the couch excitedly, and began jumping up and down.

Then I heard aggressive tapping sounds from the floor below me from where I stood, and a man yelled from below, “QUIET UP THERE!”

I then quickly retreated back to my couch and continued watching quietly. I was so relieved to see that they’ve rescued everyone and that Ted's accomplices were also captured. My fingers then fiddled with the phone in my hands, and I realized that I had forgotten to turn on my new phone. I quickly did so, and I realized that I had missed a call from Cameron. 

“Oh!”

Oops, that was not intentional, I thought.

So I quickly tried calling him back. But, as soon as I called I was sent directly to voicemail. I then decided to text him and waited for a reply back. 

knock knock

It was someone knocking on my door. I walked towards my door, and when I opened it, there stood a bureau member. He stood dressed in the customary outfit, adorned in a tailored black suit that perfectly fitted his physique.

“Good afternoon, Rose. Would it be alright if I came in?" The man with piercing blue eyes politely inquired.

“S-sure…” I said with hesitance. 

They entered my apartment and did a quick scan with their eyes. The man proceeded to walk towards an available chair in my living room and sat down. He then proceeded to talk to me in a neutral tone, “I came here because I wanted to inform you that we are extremely grateful for your assistance in capturing Ted. Cameron had already submitted a statement that informed us that you were able to neutralize him before he…killed him.” He took a brief moment to regard me closely, his gaze unwavering. I couldn't help but feel jittery, fidgeting absently with my fingers in mild unease. Then he proceeded to speak once more, “Also, rest assured. You won’t be given any fines or be charged for poisoning him. We understand that it was Ted who coerced you into doing so.” His features shifted from one of neutrality to one of compassion, a sympathetic smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he gazed at me.

Despite my efforts to suppress such emotions, guilt still churned within me. Yet, alongside that guilt, a sense of relief tugged at my heart, providing some consolation.

“Thank you…I doubted my ability to make a difference. But, I'm thrilled that I was capable of providing assistance." As happiness and nerves intertwined, my voice began to tremble slightly with the weight of these mixed emotions.

The bureau member nodded, before proceeding to take out a set of keys and a piece of paper from his pocket. "We'd also like to present you with a new car, as your previous one was regrettably destroyed during the altercation. This gesture is a token of gratitude, and reparations from the Bureau of Authorities." He continued, "Additionally, the hospital expenses you incurred were covered by a charitable foundation."

He held out the keys, and I felt a wave of shock wash over me. In the back of my mind, I had resigned myself to the notion that I was truly in dire straits as a result of everything that had occurred. Consequently, a fresh onslaught of emotion welled up within me, and fresh tears began to gather under my eyelids. It was an expression of the sheer relief and gratitude I felt in that moment. The officer patted my shoulder, and said that ‘we would talk again later once things had cooled down’ and once Ted’s hearing was scheduled. He wished me a good day and left. I kept crying tears of joy for a short while, and I then decided to look outside and saw my new car parked below my apartment complex. I decided to return my focus to seeing if Cameron replied back. 

“He hasn’t read it yet…” I said, feeling troubled by this. 

At this point I started getting concerned. He’s usually quick in responding back to my messages. I then tried calling him again. No success. My mind was starting to swirl with a multitude of “what ifs” and “whys.” There wasn’t any way I could find him easily now that he doesn’t have a house. So, my next best course of action was to go directly to the bureau for answers. As I drove towards my destination, I found myself stealing frequent glances at my phone, which was placed on the passenger seat. Each time, I hoped that a notification message would appear on the screen, but the screen remained perpetually dark and lifeless. Upon arriving at the bureau, I quickly ran up the stairs and went towards the receptionist.

“Hello, I need your assistance.”

The baby-blue haired woman looked up at me and squinted at my face. “Ah! You’re the woman that helped capture Ted! Yes, what may I help you with?” She said with a cheery and eager tone.

I was a bit taken back by her eagerness in helping me, and at the fact that they already knew who I was without even introducing myself. “Oh, yea, I just wanted to know if you could help me get in contact with someone? It’s urgent and they’re not answering their phone. I just wanted to make sure they’re okay.”

She fixed me with a perplexed gaze before asking gently, “If the wait hasn’t exceeded a day, I imagine they should be fine. Could you tell me who it is that you're concerned about? Is it a family member, a friend, or perhaps your significant other?”

At that moment, I couldn’t help but feel a bit hopeless and somewhat dim witted. “No…nevermind. You’re right, I think I should just wait it out for more than a day. A lot has happened…I’m sure he’s busy.” I said to her in a defeated tone. 

Then her eyes widened, “Oh! You mean Cameron. Yes, he’s recovered fully. I know it's not my place to say, but he got discharged from the hospital earlier today. That’s the word around the office.” She said as she winked at me. I smiled at her then left. I didn’t want to continue pestering them and asking about his whereabouts.

It wasn’t my place anyways. I’m not family or a super close friend. I thought.

Then I pondered outside the building, wondering what he called me for. I couldn’t help but remain worried.

— Cameron’s POV —

 The morning passed by quickly, I had already turned in my report and made my way towards the ruins of my house. I stepped out of the rental vehicle and scanned the area. I noted that the officers from the bureau were already gone. Strangely, instead of searching through the ruins of my home for anything salvageable, I found my feet carrying me to the backyard instead. Then I stopped in the middle of the backyard, where the battle took place. My eyes slowly drifted to the place on the ground where I had nearly met my end, my heart began to hammer in my chest, sending a rush of adrenaline through my body. Instinctively, I turned away from the scene of my near-death experience, but then my gaze fell upon my shattered home, and a wave of despair washed over me.The walls were torn apart, the windows shattered, and the roof caved in. It seems almost surreal to see the place where I sought refuge and solitude reduced to rubble by the force of our battle. 

My hands tightened into fists. “This is my fault.” I told myself.

 I thought it was only true. This was all because of my plan that I felt was foolproof. I put Rose and myself in danger. As I think back on how I’ve been using her who should have remained an outsider in all of this, an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame washes over me. There could have been many different options that I could have picked out, but out of all of them, I chose her to assist me. Initially, when I interviewed her, I honestly saw the huge potential of her ability and having her be more than a housekeeper. She was from the shadowy Rose family after all. She didn’t have to accept helping me, but it was clear that she did so because she probably had something she wanted to prove to herself. I couldn’t help but feel like I manipulated her to agree to help me. That I hired her in hopes of later on having her be of better use.

This wasn’t the safest way for her in trying to build up her confidence, what was she thinking? No…What was I thinking? I’ve failed in protecting someone once more.

Then, the haunting image of the corpses of the woman whose deaths I could not prevent that night in the abandoned building flooded back into my mind, causing me to wince and shake my head in an attempt to banish the disturbing memories.

“We saved a hundred others…that was enough, right?” I asked myself out loud.

Wrong…I’m wrong…the bureau rescued them. I wasn’t even able to stop Ted. I almost died. 

Then Scarlette’s voice echoed in my mind, He’s dead. 

I opened my eyes, only to find tears beginning to form around the edges, threatening to spill over. Then the image of William’s rotten corpse haunted me once more. My breath hitched in my throat, and I gasped before gradually falling into a pattern of shallow and quick breaths. I started walking towards my house, my steps feeling unnatural and stilted as I struggled to regulate my breathing.

It was all my fault. I should have stepped in. John and Jane…they should hate me for not helping William. I don’t understand why they still care for me; I’ve failed them all because of my disgust towards cripples…weaklings.

I remember confessing to them that I was the last person that William spoke to about Jane’s whereabouts. They both tried their best to hide the disdain in their eyes, but, all Jane said to me was an, ‘I see…’ However, John punched me in the face, and told me, “You don’t have the right to feel sorry for yourself, when we were the ones who had to go through that bullshit.” I confessed to John first before telling Jane later on. It took years for him to stop giving me hate filled gazes. I never spoke to him about it after that. We moved on from it and never brought it back up again. I don’t think he’s ever completely forgiven me, but that's alright. If I could atone for not helping William, then I would gladly trade places with him in the grave. 

Then amongst the rubble of my house, I found a tattered white bag with a broken bottle of cologne, alongside it: the book “Unordinary.” I reached down and picked it up. I couldn't help but compare myself to the hero portrayed within its pages. They had faced seemingly insurmountable odds and still managed to overcome them single handedly. I, on the other hand, needed the help of others to succeed. Feeling ashamed and down on myself, I couldn't help but think that I didn't measure up to the hero that I was supposed to emulate.

I’ve let them all down…I thought gloomily. I was standing amidst the rubble, I felt utterly vulnerable and exposed.

— Rose’ POV—

I returned home and just laid on my couch watching more news snippets. My phone was out in front of me on top of the coffee table. Only an hour passed by and there wasn’t a single call from Cameron yet. 

Man…I hope he’s okay and that the call wasn’t anything urgent, I thought to myself as I kept switching between tv channels. Then my phone lit up and started ringing. I quickly answered it without looking at who was calling. 

“Cameron?”

The other person on the call was silent, but then they spoke, “Um…no. This is officer Jesse from the bureau. I just wanted to call you to inform you that we have had a lot of journalists and representatives from media outlets that would like to have your permission for an interview. You have every right to-” 

“NO PRESS!” I yelled out. I put a hand over my mouth and felt super embarrassed at yelling at the poor man. I cleared my throat and proceeded to speak once more. “I mean…No… I don’t want my name released to the public…,” I said sheepishly. I was furious, not only for the fact that I was waiting for Cameron’s call, but at the fact that the press was being nosy. They’ve ruined my life…my relationships. I didn’t want anything to do with them ever again even if it's for a positive image. It could always be contorted somehow. I just wanted to lay low for a while. He verbalized understanding and hung up. I was getting so impatient again that I went ahead and sent him another text message. 

Then I waited again…then finally a chirp notification came in. 

I jolted up from my seat and quickly grabbed my phone. “Finally,” I said with joy and excitement. Then I immediately felt like my worries were confirmed as I read the messages, my face instantly dropped its smile.

Cameron: Oii I'l beryl sty at y wet evved  n situaiun

The rest of his messages were all nonsensical and filled with many typos. I just sighed and tried calling him again so I could help him out. No answer. “Cameron…” I groaned and started feeling anxious, then proceeded to screenshot his message. I then ran to my room and pulled out from my nightstand drawer, Jacob’s business card with his contact information. When I met him at the dinner party, I realized at the end of the night that he snuck the card into my pocket when he leaned in and whispered in my ear. He was sly…Then I called him. 

“Hello? Who’s this?” His voice asked. 

“It’s me, Rose.” 

“Ah, Rose! What can I do for you? Is Cameron causing trouble again?" He asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Not really," I replied. I hesitated for a moment, feeling a mix of empathy and concern for Cameron. "I think he's struggling with something. I'll send you a screenshot." I forwarded the messages and just heard complete silence on his side of the call for thirty-seconds. 

He muttered with a hint of resignation and worry in his voice, "Well, I can't say I'm surprised."

“I don’t know where he’s at and I want to help him again…”

Then I heard some audible keyboard clicking in the background of the call. “I do…And don’t judge me! I have my valid reasons for hacking his cellphone.”

I was confused and perplexed as to why he had hacked his phone, but I didn't want to press him about it. "Oh… okay,” I said, changing the subject. “Where is he right now?”

Jacob provided me with the address and wished me luck. I went ahead and grabbed my tote bag with my essentials, and also my maid outfit. I immediately started the engine of my car and drove to the luxurious hotel where he was staying. When I entered the lobby of the hotel, my eyes darted around the area, quickly scouring my surroundings for a suitable spot to change. As my gaze landed upon a restroom, a flicker of hope sparked within me. I cautiously glanced around, ensuring that no one was watching, then quickly slipped inside, finding refuge within its walls to discreetly change into my maid outfit. Swiftly, I slipped out of the room and blended in with the group of cleaners making their way to the employees' only door close by. As I followed them inside, no one batted an eye at me. I stealthily trailed behind a maid, taking advantage of the moment when her back was turned and covertly pocketing her keycard. I walked away from their group, and made my way toward an elevator. I made my way up each floor, and used my passive to sense any negative emotions in each hall. As I made my way to the top floor of the luxurious hotel, an overwhelming wave of sadness and melancholy washed over me. The air seemed heavy and suffocating, filled with a palpable sense of despair and sorrow. I could almost feel the weight of despair pressing down upon me, and the air was thick with the scent of tears and heartache. It was as if the very atmosphere was a reflection of the anguish and sadness that Cameron was feeling. 

I proceeded to exit the elevator and gulped. Anxiety and worry had settled firmly in my chest. The heavy air seemed to press down on me, making it slightly hard to breathe. I became increasingly uneasy as I stepped closer in front of a door that I felt all the source of these dark emotions coming from. I swiped my keycard and entered. As I entered the room, the strong, distinct odor of alcohol hit my nostrils, causing my nose to wrinkle involuntarily. The air was thick with the smell of whiskey and wine, and I felt a sense of concern and sadness wash over me as I saw Cameron slumped on the couch, clearly drunk. The room was dimly lit, with only a single lamp casting a faint glow on the scene. The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, filled with a sense of despair and hopelessness. It was like the very air was thick with the weight of my friend's pain. I quickly approached him. 

"Cameron!" I called out, hurrying over to his side by the couch. Placing my tote bag on the nearby table, I accidentally knocked over his whisky bottle in my haste. Taking a moment to assess his condition, I recognized the signs of intoxication.

He sluggishly lifted his head from the cushion on the couch, his gaze unfocused and hazy, his eyelids struggling to stay open. Clearly intoxicated, as if his senses were dulled and his movements slowed down.

"Oh, Rose…, it's you," he muttered with an audible slur in his speech.

I swiftly turned my attention to taking his vital signs, "Yes, it's me," I responded firmly, my voice steady and reassuring as I began my examination.

He fumbled for the missing wine bottle, his movements disoriented. Failing to find it, he slumped back against the couch with a disheartened sigh and muttered, "You should go." His voice wavered.

I shook my head, and then stopped. I looked up at him with some tears filling up my eyes. “No, Cameron. You need help.”

With a weary sigh, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch. For a moment, he remained silent, lost in thought. Then, with a heavy voice, he finally spoke up. "How can I ever make it up to them...?" The guilt and regret in his tone were palpable, tugging at my heartstrings.

Confusion clouded my face as I repeated, “Them?” My question hung in the air, tinged with curiosity and bafflement.

He opened his eyes, revealing a gaze devoid of life and hope. His voice was slurred and heavy with despair as he lamented, “Every single soul I've failed to help or protect…” The weight of his perceived failures hung visibly over him like an albatross, pulling him further into the depths of his self-loathing.

"Jesus," I muttered to myself quietly, feeling a surge of worry and anxiety welling up in my chest. His self-hatred and judgement was so intense it was also weighing me down. I couldn’t help but feel both pity and sympathy in his predicament. I thought for a moment, to gather my thoughts before speaking, “You shouldn’t do this to yourself…” I whispered earnestly. 

He glanced down at me, a look of intense regret and guilt in his eyes. His voice quivered as he spoke, the weight of his words sinking like a rock to the pit of my stomach. "I never should've dragged you into this," he continued, his tone somber and filled with foreboding. His shoulders sagged in defeat, and with a final sigh, his eyes fluttered closed as he succumbed to unconsciousness.

I sat on the couch beside him, stunned by the pieces of information he had just shared with me about the reason behind his current state. My mind racing with a jumble of questions and emotions, I couldn't help but feel distressed. As I mulled over his words and watched the shadows play across his face, I couldn't help but wonder what had led him to this point. It seemed his pain had a long and complicated history, and there were depths to his story that I could only begin to fathom. “How many people has he ‘failed’ in saving?” I asked myself.

With careful and firm gestures, I gently guided him onto his side on the couch, taking care to avoid any sudden movements that could further disorient or harm him. Once he was in a safe position. I grabbed a blanket, and draped it over him, ensuring he was comfortably covered and warm as he slept off the effects of the alcohol.

As a precaution, I placed a small trash bin next to the couch, below where his head was lying down. I then kicked off my shoes, and plugged my phone to charge. I sat on the edge of the bed, my gaze fixed on him with a worried expression. I could feel his emotions gradually softening as he descended into sleep. As I watched over him for one full hour, my heart filled with a quiet melancholy and sadness. I remained there, silently guarding his sleep, until my own eyelids slowly grew heavy with exhaustion. I slowly leaned back against the soft surface of the queen bed, allowing my eyelids to droop and my vision to fade entirely as I surrendered to the sweet embrace of sleep. The exhaustion of the day washed over me, and I felt my body relax and sink into the comfort of the bed, lulling me gently into a peaceful slumber. 

As I began to stir from my sleep, my ears were suddenly alerted by the sound of rushing water echoing from the bathroom. I sat up straight in bed, shaking off the remnants of sleep as my heart began to race. My eyes quickly darted to the couch, and my heart sank when I realized that it was vacant. I leapt to my feet and turned my attention towards the bathroom. "Cameron?" I asked, my voice echoing slightly in the quiet room. Almost immediately, the sound of the running water ceased and was replaced by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching the bathroom door. I stood there in suspense, waiting for him to exit. Slowly, the door to the bathroom creaked open, revealing Cameron as he stepped out into the room. He looked weary and haggard, his face marked with exhaustion, and a heavy white robe draped around him. His eyes looked darkened, and he moved with a slowness that betrayed his fatigue. He then stood a couple of feet away from me looking at me with resignation. 

I stood there silently, waiting for him to say something first, but before I could even utter a single word, he cut me off abruptly.

Cameron spoke to me curtly, his tone slightly rough and apologetic. "I know you probably came here because of those texts I sent you, and I just wanted to say I'm sorry for once again sending you those when I’m in that condition. I haven’t forgotten you expressing to me how that was not okay of me to do." His words hung in the air, and I could sense the weight of the situation weighing on him. Before I opened my mouth to speak, he raised a hand for me to stop. Cameron's voice was firm and resolute as he spoke. "After careful consideration, I've made the decision to terminate your services. Understand that you have done nothing wrong, but my current circumstances make it necessary." 

His words hit me like a cold bucket of water doused over my head, sending a shiver down my spine. My stomach churned and my breath caught in my throat, an overwhelming mixture of shock and distress washing over me. Tears sprang to my eyes, unbidden, and I could barely hold back a whimper in response to what he just dropped on me. I could also feel his emotions beginning to increase in sadness in having expressed himself, and seeing me greatly upset. There was nothing I could do or say in response, and acceptance sank in. His house was in ruins, and with it, my job had sunk with it. I gritted my teeth, balling my hands into tight fists, and took a deep, quivering breath to steady myself. I raised my head and looked up at him with a steely determination, refusing to let my emotions get the best of me. “I can’t help but feel like you’re trying to push me away. I also understand that you’re letting me go for my own safety. And, I’ll accept the resignation, if that brings peace to your mind.” Then I took a few steps towards, gazing up at him with a mix of sympathy and sadness in my eyes. “But I can’t leave this room without knowing what's eating away at you. And leaving without knowing if you’re going to be stable afterwards.”

Cameron glanced down at me, his eyes reflecting a whirlwind of complicated emotions. His brow furrowed slightly, and he hesitated, torn between remaining silent and opening up about the burden weighing on his heart. I waited in quiet anticipation, sensing the turmoil within him as he wrestled with the decision of whether to share the depth of his pain. After a momentary pause, he finally spoke up, his words breaking the silence. Cameron's voice was heavy with emotion as he spoke. "I've tried and failed so many times to make up for my past mistakes," he said, his hands balled into fists at his sides. A mixture of shame and anger washed over his face, and he continued. "I feel utterly pathetic for not being able to save or protect those around me. We almost died because of it. I took a huge leap in depending on others, and it backfired in the worst way. I knew I should have done this alone." His words hit the air like a punch, his frustration clearly palpable. He averted his gaze and closed his eyes, as if desperately trying to block out the flood of emotions and vivid images that threatened to overtake his mind and heart. 

My breath hitched in my throat and let out a shaky sigh. I was distraught and completely saddened by his complicated situation. And I know he shared me a similar confession last night but I had no idea what exactly he was trying to atone for and felt like it wasn’t a good thing to pry too deeply with his current state. My lips pursed in a thin line, and a couple of tears dropped out of my eyes. In a swift motion, I reached out and gently took hold of his hand, my touch a gesture of comfort and understanding. His furrowed eyebrows relaxed slightly, and he looked down at me with a mixture of skepticism and bewilderment.

I began speaking to him in a very soft and tender voice, “I may not know the gravity of your past ‘mistakes’…” I gently squeezed his hand in mine. "It seems like you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself, and it's taking a toll on you. Sure, things didn't go exactly as planned, but let's focus on the end results. We're still here, alive, and that's what matters most. It's true, we can always encounter challenges that are beyond our control, but what's important is that you’re here now to continue to make a difference. You’re not alone, and its okay to have help.”

Cameron didn't immediately respond, but as I spoke, I sensed that some of his darker emotions - such as shame, sadness, and grief - seemed to ease. Yet, one powerful emotion remained, a single feeling that weighed heavily on him: guilt. He inhaled deeply, exhaling a heavy sigh. His tense jaw finally relaxed, and his lips pressed together into a tight line. I could see a hint of tears forming at the edges of his weary eyes. Suddenly, I felt a gentle pull on my hand, and his arms encircled around my shoulders. Caught off guard by this unexpected gesture, I froze and stiffened, utterly surprised by his embrace. His head rested on my shoulder, and I could hear his quiet sobs and feel the turmoil in his emotions gradually subsiding. With a gentle touch, I slowly placed my hands on his back and offered him further comfort with soft, calming strokes. I continued to soothe him further, as he continued to silently cry for a short while. He calmed down a short while after, and we separated after he regained his composure. His eyes were glistening with tears, their rims tinged red, and a subtle, barely perceptible smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. With a soft "Thanks..." he stepped away, and I could sense a hint of embarrassment in his movement. I nodded in acknowledgment, and stood there silently, lost in thought as I tried to think of how to continue the conversation.

“Cameron, if I may suggest something else?” I asked.

“Go ahead.” He replied.

I averted my gaze and spoke in a straightforward tone, "You should probably talk to your family now. They may be able to help address the other problems you're facing.” I glanced back at him, meeting his eyes with a steady gaze. I got the impression that he rarely visits them, or makes excuses in not being able to see them due to him being a workaholic. During my time working under him, I noticed that…

Cameron's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise, and a look of confusion and fear crossed his face. His expressions alone spoke volumes about his emotional state. His voice was soft and quiet as he replied, "I'll consider it."

I gave him an encouraging smile and nodded in agreement. Then, with a turn of my body, I headed over to my tote bag, slinging it over my shoulder. I grasped the straps with my arms, taking a few steps closer to him. Looking up at him, I gave a saddened smile and said, "Well, I guess I'll be going now. Please take better care of yourself."

He glanced down at me, I sensed a mixture of emotions that were also evident on his face. I fought hard to suppress my own feelings, knowing that succumbing to them might lead to further tears. He responded with a saddened smile of his own, saying, "Take care, Rose. I appreciate everything you've done." 

We shared a final embrace, and as I stepped out of the room, the grief-stricken scowl on my face spoke volumes about the emotional turmoil I was going through. I then walked away and ended up using my ability in the privacy of the elevator to prevent myself from crying uncontrollably. Once I made my way down to the garage, I started my car and drove off, knowing deep down that this would not be the last time I would see him. As I drove, I let out a heavy sigh and started planning my next steps to move forward with my life.

Chapter Text

Epilogue 

A couple of months passed after the disastrous events that took place. It was the dead of winter, and people were practically hibernating within the warmth of their homes, seeking refuge from the biting cold of the frosty morning air. During the summer months, Ted had been taken into jail, along with his henchmen, as Rose and Cameron had given testimony in court. In the end, Ted received a life sentence, his power disabled with a disabler syringe due to the threat of him breaking out easily. News of the use of the disabler on a god-tier quickly spread like wildfire through headlines and media outlets, painting a stark reminder that no one, regardless of power or status, was completely above the reach of justice. Whereas, his goons were handed down hefty fines and over 20 years of imprisonment. As soon as the trial ended within the courthouse, Cameron and Rose spent some time together on the stair steps, reminiscing about their recent experiences and catching up on each other's lives gently.

Cameron expressed his concern, asking about her current employment situation. Rose explained that she was working on multiple projects but assured him that she would share more details later whenever she had the chance to reach back to him. For now, she was staying busy as a nurse, and everything was going well. Relieved to hear that she was doing okay despite their parting ways, Rose shared no ill feelings towards him. Cameron reassured Rose, telling her that he was doing fine as well. He added that he had been working on improving his alcohol intake with private medical detox treatment and was staying at Jane's house temporarily until his own residence was completely rebuilt. After their conversation ended, the two stood there, an awkward silence enveloping them, unsure of how to break the tension between them. With a final, awkward goodbye, Cameron and Rose went their separate ways once more. Despite the lingering tension, there seemed to be a mutual understanding and acceptance of their current circumstances.

As winter approached, Cameron received a message from Marlen's wife, informing him that they were nearing completion on the interior design of his newly rebuilt house, and that he was welcome to take a look around and inspect it for any further suggestions. 

That following week, Cameron looked around his new home, it was almost an exact replica of his previous house, but with additional modifications that he had requested. Beatrice was overwhelmed and needed help dealing with everything. She had to balance her workload while finding time to care for her children, making the last six months exceedingly challenging for her. Marlen's wife faced an uphill battle as she had to cope with her grief, fulfill her job duties, and take care of her children, all while having to deal with the constant barrage of invasive questions from the press who showed no remorse or empathy. Nevertheless, she generously offered to reconstruct Cameron's home as a way of making amends for her father's wrongdoings, promising to do it free of charge. Cameron declined at first, but, Beatrice persisted, refusing to take Cameron's initial polite refusal for an answer. 

That late winter night, Cameron uncorked a bottle of champagne and raised a toast to his new home, joined by loved ones: John, Jane, and Sera, who gave him housewarming presents and showered him with their unwavering affection and companionship. Enjoying the celebration, Cameron reminisced having pondered Rose's earlier advice and did initiate the plan to eventually have a talk with John and Jane in private to resolve some issues. Cameron recollected the day he decided to share his feelings of guilt with them, explaining how his self-hatred had tormented him since refusing to assist William on that day he pleaded for his help. To his relief, Jane made it clear that she didn't hold any animosity towards him for his decision. John joined in on the discussion, confessing that over the years he had come to realize the error of his ways, admitting that he felt remorseful for placing all the blame on Cameron’s shoulders regarding William’s death.

John acknowledged that his father felt isolated and alone while facing an uphill battle against the Bureau. While he did attempt to reach out for assistance during his most desperate moments, he was turned away by Cameron. However, in retrospect, William’s ultimate downfall was a result of his own poor judgement, as he failed to take precautions, and didn’t seek safety right away and impulsively published the book "Unordinary" online, without proper consideration. Despite the dire consequences, William's arrogance and naiveté kept him from fully acknowledging the dangers of his actions, ultimately leading to his unfortunate demise. John had come to the conclusion, albeit late, that his father's actions were a result of a certain degree of selfishness. William had acted impulsively, without regard for the impact his actions would have on him. Leaving him without a father.

It was clear to John that he had been abandoned by his father, specifically at a pivotal moment when he desperately needed his presence and guidance in the midst of his personal struggles, which snowballed to almost resulting in his own death. He felt saddened by his dad’s impulsive actions, and how he had wished that his father had come to him instead. 

John reflected that his father had concealed so much from him, revealing only a fraction of the truth about Jane or his plans. Despite this, it was William's impulsive choices that eventually led to his downfall. Cameron should have never been tasked with carrying the burden of his father's impulsive decisions, and the conversation had greatly alleviated his sense of guilt. Jane had agreed, and shared the same sentiments as John. She wanted nothing more but to have him move on, and to protect himself and John.

As Cameron immersed himself in watching his loved ones chat and laugh together, he slowly brought himself back to the present moment and forced the memories that had resurfaced to fade away. The gathering came to a close as everyone bid each other goodnight and exchanged warm embraces. Cameron made himself comfortable on the couch and took a deep, contented sigh as he scrolled through the photographs taken during the celebration with his family. 

Cameron smiled tenderly as he looked down at the images, his gaze softened. Then, the sound of a knock on the door caught his attention. He rose from the couch, puzzled by the unexpected visitor at this late hour. He walked towards the door, feeling a mixture of bewilderment and disbelief, as he had made no arrangements for any visitors.

Cameron's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the feed from the doorbell camera and saw Rose's familiar figure. Without hesitation, he quickly swung open the door, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw her standing there. A flurry of emotions washed over him, a mixture of shock, confusion, and a hint of something deeper he couldn't quite put a finger on. Cameron and Rose stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, neither one speaking. Finally, just as Rose was about to break the silence, Cameron spoke up at the same time, their words overlapping each other. 

As the two stood in an awkward silence, Rose spoke up, her voice casual. "It's been a while," she said. 

Cameron nodded in agreement. Rose then broke the tension by pulling a white bag from behind her back. 

"I heard from Jacob that your house was finally rebuilt," she said, her tone light.

Cameron took the bag from her hand, his expression stoic as he thanked her. "Thank you, that's very kind," he replied in his usual neutral tone. However, inside his mind, he couldn't help but silently curse his friend for telling Rose to show up unannounced and add to his already complicated emotions. 

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he peered into the bag and noticed a bottle of cologne, its presence a delightful surprise. “Cologne?” 

Rose smiled warmly and nodded in response, placing her hands into her pockets to warm up a little. "I thought it would be a nice gift for you," she said softly, a hint of amusement glistening in her eyes as she glanced up at him, savoring the sight of his rarely seen smile.

Cameron continued to smile warmly as he looked at her, his gaze softened. He then placed the bag on the table beside the door and leaned against the doorframe, his casual stance suggesting he was willing to have a longer conversation with her. “Do you want to come in?”

Rose shook her head gently, “I have to go soon,” she explained. As Cameron leaned against the doorframe, a slight disappointment flickered across his face as Rose declined his invitation to come in. She continued, “I have a long day tomorrow.”

Cameron’s smile faded slightly and he couldn’t help but feel saddened by the realization that their conversation would be cut short. “Oh, I see,” he replied, his voice tinged with disappointment. “What’s got you so busy?”

Rose's eyes gleamed with excitement as she produced a business card from her pocket. "I've actually switched careers," she said, grinning at Cameron. "I'm now working with an agency that specializes in handling high-risk situations and assisting individuals in need." She handed him the card. Rose continued, her voice laced with excitement and pride. "They saw a great use for my ability," she explained. "So now I'm busy saving lives, deescalating high risk individuals, and stopping dangerous individuals."

Cameron took the business card and scanned it, reading through the information. It featured Rose's name in bold golden lettering, along with her ability level: "5.4+." The name of the agency was printed prominently, and beneath it, her title: High-Risk Task Agent. His eyes widened in amazement at her jump of ability level, and looked at her with awe. He couldn’t believe she grew her ability so much between the time she worked for him to now. And that she was still had room to improve.

Cameron couldn't help but express his amazement as he looked down at her business card, still somewhat in awe. "Wow..." he murmured, his eyes wide. Rose chuckled in agreement, her grin widening. "I know, right? I finally found my true calling," she exclaimed, her voice filled with joy. "You were right. My ability is useful after all." Cameron smiled warmly at her, brimming with pride and happiness for his friend's new-found purpose and status. "It certainly is," he replied sincerely.

Both Cameron and Rose exchanged prideful glances, their eyes locked in mutual acknowledgment. After a brief moment, Rose broke the silence. "Well, I should head out now," she said with a smile. "See you around, Cameron. Don't hesitate to reach out if you ever need my help again, okay?" With a cheerful wave, she turned on her heel and began striding down the path, leaving Cameron to watch her go.

Cameron lingered for a moment, contemplating calling out to her and insisting to her to stay a bit longer, but he eventually decided against it. He remained silent, leaning against the doorframe as he continued to gaze at her with respect and contentment. His eyes fell upon the business card he held in his hands, and slowly, he ran his thumb over the surface, a small smile playing upon his lips. With a gentle motion, he slipped the card into his breast pocket before slowly closing the door and retreating back into his home.