I hopped on one leg into the clinic while being supported by Elise and Ken.
The waiting room was still full with mildly injured people. I suppose I'd be included in that category as well now.
But I had no time to wait in line. I had to be healed to be ready to go to Philadelphia as soon as possible once my father sent me the necessary information.
As to how to cut in line, the daughter's-boyfriend privilege wouldn't work on strict William, even if he knew we were dating now. Just barging in and demanding treatment like I did previously wouldn't work either, since I wasn't a priority patient compared to the others.
So…, I guess I simply had to ask nicely and hope for the best.
I shifted my body and hopped to the receptionist desk, dragging the other two with me.
The receptionist was completely stunned by the sight. No words came out of her, so I spoke first.
"Hey. I broke my leg, but that's the least important thing now. There's an absolute emergency I need to discuss with William immediately and in private, and he needs to heal my leg as soon as possible. Can you take us to him now?"
…She opened her mouth, but then closed it again. Her face was utterly confused. She had no idea what to make of it all.
Her gaze shifted from me to Ken, and then settled on Elise.
"Please Beth, it's really an emergency. We need to talk with dad right now," Elise said to her in a pleading tone.
Beth once again looked at me for a moment, and then yielded.
"…Fine. I'll bring you to William. Follow me."
I nodded and said thank you. We followed her towards the doctor's office, ignoring all the other patients staring at us.
Beth opened the door to the office a bit and peeked in, while we stayed back a few steps.
"Is it an emergency" I heard William's clear and calm voice ask from inside.
"They say it is. It's Jack, his leg's broken, and he said he had something important to discuss with you immediately. Your daughter and his friend are with him too."
"…I'm sorry, Amir. I have to give them priority. Do you mind waiting for a bit longer?"
"…No. I understand. Please take your time," Another deep male voice responded to William politely inside the room.
Beth opened the door completely and took a step to the side. Soon after, the other patient walked out. With a grimace on his face
He took a brief look at me, and I kept staring at him as he walked past us.
To his completely burned arm.
It…, it must hurt a lot.
"I'm sorry," I involuntarily mumbled to him.
He halted for a moment, looked me in the eyes.
And simply nodded, before walking completely past me.
…I…, I couldn't identify what I was feeling anymore, so I just kept hopping into the office, thanking Beth once more.
She closed the door behind us once Elise, Ken and I went inside.
And there, William sat behind his desk, staring straight at me.
He looked as serious as I've ever seen him.
"Explain to me now exactly what's happened and what's going on," he said professionally, but with an undertone as sharp as a scalpel.
"…The man who kidnapped my mother appeared just now and attacked us. He broke my leg but I held him back and negotiated terms with him. We're safe for now, but if he changes his mind, we'll be in danger again."
His eyes went as wide as they could upon hearing me. William was stunned, but his thoughts kept churning, until he reached the simple conclusion on what the next step should be.
He opened his mouth to suggest it.
A suggestion I immediately dismissed before he could say it..
"He has the police in his pocket. We can't call them. That's why we were so careful when that officer visited. He wants to use the police to get me if possible."
His face stiffened. He once again took a moment to process everything. And once he quickly connected the dots he could, he was about to ask me for confirmation.
"It's my father, yes."
William's face went slack. His stoic expression cracked slightly. From the brief glances he alternated between Elise and me, I could read what he was feeling.
Concern and fear, for his daughter's safety.
"I'm sorry for keeping everything from you. But I had good reasons, and protecting Elise was always my top priority. If you let me-"
"Jack, slow down please," Elise interrupted me.
I looked at her with a question mark on my face.
"You're overwhelming him."
"…He can take it. He needs to know-"
"I know, I know. But…, just give me a moment, okay?"
A flicker of doubt crossed my mind, but her gaze quickly snuffed it out. I trusted her, so I could only nod afterwards.
Elise pivoted to William, and spoke.
"Dad. I'm sorry for hiding things from you. But please believe Jack, he only had our best intentions in mind. Even if…, even if I don't completely agree with how he went about this. But before continuing, can you please heal his leg? He's in pain, and we can continue talking during."
William switched looking between me and his daughter again. But slowly, his gaze started shifting more and more to my broken leg.
"Yeah, you're right. Let's get you onto the operating table firstt and take care of that. Do you have any other injuries?"
I shook my head. And afterwards, William guided us to the operating room again, where he had previously healed my hand.
I took a seat on the surgeon's table, where the doctor rolled up my pant leg to reveal a severely bruised shin.
All of us looked at my wound. William and I were looking at it indifferently, Ken with a slight grimace.
And Elise was staring at it intently, though soon after I saw guilt and disappointment flicker across her face, before she buried it and continued looking worried.
Her powers hadn't healed my wound or improved its appearance once she saw it. I guess her powers don't give a healing effect then? But she healed the bruise on my chest. Wasn't that considered a wound then?
But well, we could discuss it later. This situation wasn't really the right time for it. I at least wanted to reassure her, but William started speaking before I formed the words.
"I need to feel around to figure out if it's broken and how severely."
"Alright. But…" I started while looking at Ken.
"Can you see if it's broken through your glasses?"
"…What? Uh…, no sorry. Can't even see through someone's clothes," he answered after looking and thinking very carefully.
I nodded. But another concern was filling my chest.
That Ken has been too quiet this entire time. He wasn't a very talkative person anyway, but this I felt was more due to a lack of comfort.
Not because of the shadow, but because of me.
Well, of course. When he heard what I did to Elise, all that she and I said towards each other. He said afterwards that he wanted to talk to me later, and that was because his trust in me has definitely taken a hit, even though he's hiding it now. He's just silently reevaluating me.
…Another worry for later. But first, my leg.
"Feel around all you like," I told William.
He nodded, and started his examination, while asking Ken to in the meantime grab some stuff needed for the cast from the storage.
…I hated pain, but I endured it and answered his questions calmly between his vicious prodding while looking at Elise.
At the end of the agony, just as Ken came back with the supplies, his conclusion came.
"I believe your leg is broken, but not severely enough to require surgery. Normally, we'd take an x-ray, but…"
"No hospitals," I finished for him.
"Right, I figured. So I'll just put the cast on you and see if my power works. But there is a risk," he said, switching his gaze from my leg to my eyes.
"From what I figured out, my power instantly completes the healing process once the proper treatment is given. But if the bone is broken in a way that would have required surgery, I won't know if my power will activate and make your bone grow misaligned. Do you underst-"
"I understand the consequences. But time is of the essence right now. Go through with it, and we'll see afterwards."
"…Alright. I'll get started then."
He started by wrapping my leg in bandages, then applying the plaster with wet hands.
And once he was finished, the miracle happened once again.
Rather than drying naturally, the cast instantly hardened, taking all the pain away from me.
"My leg feels fine again. I think it worked," I said without suppressing my honest relief.
"That's good. Can you stand up, see if you can put your weight on it?"
I obliged the doctor, and could luckily put my full weight on the leg again without any issues.
Satisfied, William sawed my cast off and unwrapped the bandages again, revealing my leg to be as good as new.
"Thank you," I said to William once he was done.
"Are you sure all the pain is gone?" Elise asked instead of him.
"Yeah, everything feels great."
"Thank god," she said in relief, sighing all her worries away.
But William was still staring at my face with the look of a surgeon.
Dissecting me.
"Can you tell me what's going on now, Jack?" He asked me in as neutral a tone as he could manage.
"I will. But…, I need you to know something first for you to understand in part why I've acted this way."
William looked deep into my eyes. And I told him the terror I've faced all this time.
"The shadow that… attacked my mother is my father's power. But the shadow can teleport and turn invisible too. He's been stalking me ever since the Whiteout, spying on me. And…, he might also be in this room right now, listening in. I want you to be aware of that."
"…I see," he simply said unfazed.
…No, he was thinking about a solution. Could he think of something?
Maybe Ken could help him?
"Ken, could you make this room shadow-proof like you did previously?"
"…Um…, I… I don't know. I can't think of anything," he said while looking around the room.
"What did you do previously?" William asked Ken while turning around to look at him.
"…I used my power to make the wooden floor in a room upstairs creak loudly when stepped on."
"…The shadow has a presence then?"
"Yes, even when invisible," I answered in Ken's place.
William turned back to me, thought for a bit, and then asked me to make sure of his plan.
"What if we lightly smoke this room with incense?"
"…Yeah. That works. It's a good idea," I said, impressed.
He nodded and then turned to his daughter, asking her to quickly grab incense candles from their house.
Elise obliged, and quickly went back and got them.
When she was back, William lit them. At my suggestion, Ken used his power to hasten the materials burnability, quickening the smoke generation.
Soon, the operating room was filled lightly with smoke, and a peaceful, serene smell I couldn't identify.
No air pockets were seen in the smoke caused by the invisible shadow. My father was not here.
With nothing holding us back anymore, I finally told William everything that happened, all that I did, and why.
I told him that after he cured my hand, I didn't call the police, but instead went back to my house with Elise and Ken, after they agreed to help after I told them what happened.
Back at my house, I deduced that the shadow could turn invisible, and could thus be watching.
Which was why I decided to act like I didn't notice, since I could lure my father into a trap I had set last night to kill him.
But Elise saw through me last night, and then I told her the whole truth.
I also told William that the trap failed.
Elise and I decided to come up with something else the next day, but Ken contacted us because he needed help getting out of his house, after I texted him the whole truth and he agreed to help.
I contacted the police to assist us with Ken, and during the phone conversation I deduced how my father was likely influencing the police. That's when I learned I could likely use my mother's stalker to bring my father to justice.
I went back to my house afterwards to get the escort from the police after Elise covertly communicated her unease at me.
Then my house exploded, the stooges attacked us after we got Ken, and my father called me, putting the final nail in my coffin that he had seen through me all along.
After Elise saved me from completely breaking down, my father appeared to attack us, breaking my leg.
Lastly, I told him that I managed to negotiate terms with him, and that I soon needed to go to Philadelphia for my brother and that Willow girl.
William heard it all while asking a lot of questions to get every detail possible out of Elise, Ken, and me until he was satisfied.
He did it all with a calm face. I only saw cracks in his facade when I talked about anything that put Elise's safety in question.
And when I told him that my mother's kidnapping was a ruse by me, and that she was indeed dead. I apologized sincerely for keeping that from him.
At the end of it all, when William had taken it all in, he looked one last time between Elise and me before speaking.
"Jack. I would like to speak with you alone."
Upon saying that, I saw Elise immediately open her mouth to retort.
"Elise, it's alright," I interrupted her before she could speak.
She closed her mouth, and turned her attention towards me.
I just nodded at her with a small smile on my face.
"…Fine. I'll be waiting in the clinic then. Let's go, Ken."
Ken agreed, and those two left, leaving William and I alone in the smoke filled room.
…We stared at each other for a bit, me still sitting on the surgeon's table and him standing in front of me.
And eventually, William started giving his judgement.
"Jack. Firstly, thank you for telling me everything now, and taking my daughter's always into consideration. I see you two care for each other, and I believe your intentions regarding Elise are honest…"
He paused and looked deep into my eyes after having said the pleasantries.
Before coming to the crux of the matter.
"So I'll be honest towards you too, Jack. I don't know what to make of you."
…We kept staring at each other. At each other's masks.
The seconds passed. Until…
One of them slipped.
"I'm sorry. But I…, I would like you to understand me better. Can…, could you explain why you feel that way?" I asked, letting genuine emotion enter my voice.
William kept staring at me for a while longer, until his answer came.
"I can't tell if everything that you say comes genuinely from you, or if you're just saying the words everyone wants to hear."
A wry smile formed on my face. It seems I now know who Elise has gotten her sharpness from.
"I understand what you mean. And to be honest…, I…, I don't understand myself anymore, if all I can do anymore is automatically say and feel what's most appropriate."
William said nothing, only kept staring at me. But…, I saw his face soften somewhat.
He…, almost showed a hint of sadness and empathy, for how broken I truly was.
"But even with all that…, I… I'm sure that one thing I feel is absolutely genuine."
I stared into his blue eyes, and spoke the truth.
"I love Elise."
…He didn't react strongly. Only his gaze sharpened, urging me to go on.
"When my father called, I broke down. And she saved me. She told me she loved me, despite everything. And, and I'd loved her for a while too, but I was scared to hurt her. And I did, and I told her. But even so, she still thinks there's something good in me, so I told her I love her too. We're dating now. I want her to be happy. But…, but I don't know if I'm good enough for her. I put her in danger, selfishly. I… I don't know anymore, so if you think I should leave, then I will. My father wants me. I'll face him alone then. Win or lose, she'll at least be safe. So…, so…"
My tirade halted, because I suddenly noticed I wasn't even looking at William anymore, but down at my legs.
I… I slowly looked up, and when I did…
What I saw almost tore my heart apart in agony.
William had dropped his stoic facade slightly. His jaw was stiffened, like he was having trouble getting out something difficult to say.
Well, of course he'd send me packing, after I said that incoherent mess of an explanation that wouldn't convince anyone.
I resigned myself. But this was alright too, maybe even better. As long as Elise was safe, I don't mind leaving her for now.
Having come to terms with my fate, I waited for William to say his piece.
But when he did, he talked about something I never would have expected.
"When you first came to me, carrying your mother on your back, pleading for me to treat her. And when I did, and figured out what was going on, I could hardly believe a 14-year-old kid was taking care of his mother like that."
…It caught me completely off guard, but I remembered what he was talking about.
One day, my mother just kept vomiting. She couldn't keep anything in, and became dehydrated. I thought it was alcohol poisoning, but not wanting to turn it into a scandal, I first carried her to William's private clinic instead of calling emergency services. Luckily, it just ended up being a stomach virus. But that was the first time I had met William.
…And Elise, how she was back then.
But where was he going with this?
"I talked with Ruby then briefly, when I connected the dots" the doctor continued, pulling me out of my remembrance.
"I told her she couldn't keep putting a 14-year-old kid through that. And what she said in response, I didn't understand a part of it then, but I think I do now."
My attention piqued. I never heard anything substantial about William from my mother.
"She said she was working on getting better. Because the one who was really suffering was you. What she wanted the most was for you to be able to genuinely smile again."
…What!?
No…, that can't be! She… she knew!
I felt like I was having a heart attack.
She couldn't!? Why didn't she say anything about me putting on an act!
Why! If she did, we could have… we could have…
No, even if… I…
I… I don't know anymore. If she knew or not. If it would have mattered or not.
…It didn't matter anymore now anyway.
I focused on William again, who was now looking at me…, with sympathy in his eyes? Once he saw I had fixed my expression, he continued.
"I saw that she was determined, so I let her go, with a promise that she would get proper help should she need it. So you two left again then once I explained things to you too. But when you two did, Elise, for the first time, she…"
I saw emotion overwhelm his face briefly, but after a moment of composing himself again, he got the words out.
"She talked about you two. Especially you. Instead of hiding away, she showed interest again in others, and a boy to boot. I could hardly believe it. I don't know what you two talked about when I was busy with Ruby, but for the first time since her mother passed away…, since she hit puberty, she… seemed like herself again."
…I couldn't say anything back. His stern face, with love and sadness shining through for Elise.
I… I waited for him to continue.
"And since then, she slowly became herself again. That's all I wanted, for her to be happy and live again. But I never managed to accomplish anything, everything I tried only made her withdraw further. It was you that brought her back over all these years, I can only be thankful for that."
…I looked away from his kind smile.
Because he didn't know…
"I hurt her too, and put her in danger now. …Like everyone around me. I… she might be happy now, but later, I… I don't know. I just want the best for her, and I don't know if I'm the right person for that."
"…I don't know either. I know you lied to her, and put her in danger…"
The doctor paused his sentence. I looked at him again.
His face was as conflicted as I've ever seen it. But after a moment, he had resolved something within himself.
"But Elise knows you best, and she trusts you. She's truly happy with you, and… and I can't take that away from her. So…, I don't know you well enough to make a judgement, and I'm out of my depth in this entire situation, but I'll trust my daughter that you know best. If you'll need it, I'll do anything in my power to help you, although it's not much."
…I was staring at William wide-eyed. I could hardly believe it.
I… I was truly glad that he was willing to put his faith in me. Because I… I don't think I would have, if I'd been in his position.
"But please promise me. Whatever you do, please keep my daughter safe. If I lose her too, I… I will have nothing left," William said at last, with the weakest voice I've ever heard from him.
"Of course! Uh…, I mean, of course. If something happened to Elise…, I…, I would have nobody left either. I promise, I'll always put her safety first."
William looked me in the eyes, and nodded. I saw some mediocre assurance in his gaze.
"I see, then I want to ask you lastly, what do you plan to do about your fath-"
*Ping*
I stiffened completely at the sound of my phone interrupting his sentence.
N… no! How!
I grabbed the phone from my pocket and looked at the screen.
I had a text message, and the sender was my father.
I immediately scanned the entire room!
I spun in a full circle, but no matter how much I looked, all the smoke in the room drifted undisturbed.
A stillness that made my heart explode in panic.
that's impossible! Just as we were about to talk about him! The timing's too convenient! He has to be here!
…That can't be. Is… is it truly!?
I looked at my shadow and then William's, cast by the strong surgery lights shining through the smoke.
Has he been hiding in our shadows the entire time, and tricked me into thinking otherwise?!
But if that was the case, what chance would I-
"Jack, it might be a coincidence."
I snapped my head back and looked at William.
He was still as calm as could be, while also looking around the room.
C… coincidence? Really?
I looked at my phone again. It was 13:20.
…Our conversation, having reached that moment at that specific time, was extremely unlikely. If my punctual father wanted to specifically interrupt us to make me paranoid, he wouldn't take the time into account.
And, why would he interrupt us when I was just about to tell my plan. There would be no benefit to him. He would have waited instead for me to spill the beans if he were spying on me.
Or... did he want me to think that?
I looked at my shadow again.
I… I didn't know anymore.
"Besides, it doesn't matter."
…What!?
I looked back at William as if he was suddenly a moron. I barely kept my expression straight to avoid offending him.
No, he's sharp, smart and calm. Am…, am I missing something?
I… I had to calm down. I was missing something.
So, I thought.
…Doesn't matter? Missing something?
Could…, could it be!?
What had we been talking about this entire time?
I recalled the entire conversation I had with William, and then I realized with great relief.
Everything we had said to each other was information my father already knew or had no use for as far as I knew.
As long as I could control the information coming out of my mouth in a way my father could not determine or use, like with the hidden phone, it wouldn't matter if he was present.
"You're right, thanks. It's likely just a coincidence. Let me look at what he sent."
William nodded, and I opened the text, which I glanced over.
The message was simple and compact. An address where my brother lived in Philadelphia with a description of the building. A high-end college house on university terrain. It included a floor plan, marked with my brother's room on the highest floor.
There was a also photo of an adolescent girl standing in a big garden.
Willow.
I saw everything I needed to.
Caucasian. Curly brown hair to shoulder length. Above-average-looking face, with the most notable feature a small scar on her left cheek.
Black turtleneck and white pants. Simple yet fashionable.
She was slim and I estimated quite tall compared to the background.
I immediately saw that she had a presence. She looked fit and stood firm and confident, looking straight at the camera.
That's what drew me in first. Her gaze.
Light brown eyes, full of incredible will.
Which was odd, since this was just a simple picture. Why did she need all that willpower in that moment?
But I had no time or interest to contemplate that now, because now that I saw the woman my brother was in a relationship with, I finally found a small amount of hope again.
I'd immediately found it odd that my father put so much emphasis on this girl.
There could be multiple motivations for it, but now that I had seen her, I immediately could cross one out that had thrown me for a loop.
That playboy brother of mine would never genuinely get a girlfriend!
In the short time since he left the house, I couldn't see how he could have changed from what our father had made him into.
My father valued aesthetics in women above almost anything else. And he trained James personally. There was no way he specifically forgot to embed those 'family' values within him.
So if my brother attached himself to someone…
It would be for something obvious. Something surface-level. Something that fits those ideals.
My gaze flicked back to the picture.
She didn't.
So that would cross out my brother keeping her around for the same reasons as my father with his supermodel wife.
And… my brother being genuinely in love, after all those pretty servants he used and discarded…
It was incomprehensible to me that James could have changed in such a short time span.
I couldn't even imagine what sort of woman could make my shallow brother's heart beat faster.
So, from everything I knew…
The most likely explanation was that my father wanted something from Willow for some reason or another, and he was using my brother to get her into his hands.
I could only speculate as to why, but the specific reason didn't matter as much. If my father wanted something, then I'd have leverage to use against him.
I felt it deep inside me. I couldn't pinpoint why, but my instincts screamed at me that this Willow might become incredibly important in overcoming my father.
…But I'd have to meet her first. I could only get so much from just a picture. There was only one way forward for me.
I looked at William again.
"I know everything I need to. I need to leave now. Thank you for everything, and I promise I'll do anything I can to bring everything to a good end. And once I do, I want to talk with you more, especially about Elise and my mother."
…He briefly flashed a smile full of conflicting emotions, but he soon suppressed it to let his rationality dominate again.
"I understand. But I have to ask, will you bring Elise along with you?"
"…I thought about it, but the city is in an open riot. She has no means to protect herself, and in that chaos I can't guarantee her safety. I can't risk it."
"I see. I'm… relieved to hear that. But…, do you plan to go alone then?"
"…I understand that Ken's powers are useful, but I'd lose the travel speed my powers grant me if I brought him along, which might be the only way to get through everything unscathed. I can't justify it when that's the case."
"…Yeah, you sound logical, and I can't argue otherwise. But I suggest you bring it up with him before you leave. Having his perspective on the situation might let you think of something else that would convince you otherwise."
"I see… I… I'll consider it"
"....Okay. And as for me, I can't do anything for you, but I can grab a first-aid kit for you to bring along. God willing, you won't need it, but it's best to have it in case of the worst."
"You're right, I'd be reassured to bring it along with me. If not for myself, then maybe for someone else in need of it."
With that marking the end of our conversation, William walked to the storage cabinet of medical supplies.
And I gazed at the exit of the operating room, in the direction of the clinic, where Elise and Ken were waiting.
I was thinking about how best to quickly tell them what I discussed with William and that I'd have to go to Philadelphia.
Alone.
Elise was obvious, but despite what I'd told William, I just couldn't bring Ken along.
Because what I had left unsaid was that Ken's trust in me had taken a hit, and trust was something we absolutely needed if we were headed into a dangerous chaotic mess together.
I wasn't so naive to think that everything would go smoothly. Nothing ever does.
And to get through it in a riot, morality comes last. Survival first.
I might have to do unspeakable things to stay alive.
My father would very likely be spying as well, judging and evaluating me.
Another reason he sent me instead of using his shadow to get James out himself. A test, to see if I was still worth the risk of his investment.
I'd have to perform for him again, put on the act he wanted. Because if I didn't, he would likely kill me on the spot if I proved either useless or too rebellious.
Which meant putting on an act my friends would watch in horror. I couldn't let them see that.
I… I hated performing like that, but I had no choice. I have to protect them, whatever the cost.
…And yet, what William said. Their perspective.
I paused.
…I didn't know anymore.
If I should bring Ken along.
Whether there was another way or not.
…What kind of man I needed to become for everyone to survive this.