“Oh my darling girl!” she says with happiness, running towards me and then hug the daylights out of me.

“You’re – You’re,” I stutter in unimaginable shock. Never in my life had I expect my parents to be alive. Well, maybe a few times when I was younger but it took me months to be convinced that Nate and I were truly alone. Nate was the best brother I can ask for. He was there to comfort me when I was down. He was there when I was close to dying.

It makes me feel useless that I did nothing in return for everything he sacrificed.

“I’m alive,” mum says, pulling away from the hug. Almost all the thick snakes that are stuck to her skull glare at me. I’m surprised that they didn’t attempt to bite me or something.

“And a descendant of Medusa?” I add in, continuing to stare at her. I cannot believe she’s actually right here in front of me. I cannot believe my father is behind me with a wide grin on his face. I cannot believe this is actually happening.

I just wish that if I close my eyes and open them, this moment won’t disappear like a dream.

I wonder for a brief moment why didn’t I turn into stone…

“I’m not,” mum says with a soft sad smile. “Why don’t you sit down and we will tell you everything that you need to know. I promise you that everything we say is nothing but the truth.”

It is almost as if I’m possessed when I take a seat at a small table with a jug of tea and three cups around it which she pointed at. I make sure that I take the seat furthest away from dad and mum yet close to the window.

“Tea?” she asks me, giving me a small sad smile.

“Why didn’t I turn into stone?” I ask, ignoring her attempt to stall.

My mother taps on her shades. “A friend of ours is a doctor who designed this shades for me so I can see people without them turning into stone.”

“If you’re a descendant of Medusa, why didn’t you tell Nate and I? Why aren’t we like you?”

My mother shakes her head slowly. My father, who is sitting next to her, holds her hand so he can comfort her.

“Your mother never was related to Medusa,” dad tells me in a matter-of-fact tone. “It was an accident years ago…”

“Do you locate the next Peacekeeper?” Thomas asked the team of doctors. Each of them specialized in a certain field and they cooperate to make their vision a reality. Thomas and the doctors were in one of the Training Rooms in HQ building, which was thought to be locked.

Not far, Cassandra Meridian who was still an ordinary tiger shifter, listened to their conversation after suspecting Thomas’s odd behavior.

Only she would find his behaviour strange because instead of going out for missions, Thomas preferred staying back and training. Thomas did not let anyone come up to this area for some unknown reasons.

Her husband, Nicholas Meridian, wouldn’t believe what his wife told him so she decided to investigate this matter herself.

Now she knew what those unknown reasons were.

“Yes, sir,” one of the doctors said, looking up from the computer screen. “The location isn’t so clear, but apparently, the marker shows that the next Peacekeeper is in a kindergarten in Little Creek.”

Cassandra gasped softly. Her daughter and son were still in kindergarten and not to mention in Little Creek. Wasn’t this too much of a coincidence? She must find a way to get her children out of their attention and stop them. She knew that when the Peacekeeper is murdered, it would be the end of the world. Literally.

What Cassandra really want to know was; why?

“Perhaps she’s still a toddler,” another doctor suggested.

“Or even a school teacher, who knows,” Thomas said. “No matter how old he is, we have to kill him for revenge and justice.”

“Yes!” all the doctors yelled in synchronization. All of them had a determined look, which worried Cassandra.

Before Cassandra could sneak away, Thomas said something more. “Doctor Izachi, how is the serum coming along?”

“It’s ready, sir,” the Japanese doctor said, not looking away from the microscope. “It will be a success, I guarantee. This will be our only chance because it is from the last descendant of Medusa.”

“Good,” Thomas said with an evil smile. “None of the Medusa lineage is still alive to stop me. Once I consume the serum, I can kill the Peacekeeper and start war with the gods. They must have never interfered with our world in the first place.”

“Hades should give us back our loved ones who died,” a doctor said loudly.

“Poseidon should have never made the seas angry,” Doctor Izachi said remorsefully. Cassandra then remembered that Japan had always been a victim of the tsunamis that take many souls.

“Settle down,” Thomas said but everyone could see the smirk planted on his face. “We’ll all get our chance. For now, let’s go celebrate our victory before the plan is set in motion. My treat, everyone.”

Cassandra heard the shuffling sounds of the doctors’ shoes against the rough tiles. She waited until everyone is gone and then she came out of her hiding spot. She looked around the Training Room to see many desks arranged in a messy arrangement. Some desks were filled with half-opened books and some were filled with bottles of hazardous liquids.

The HQ agent slowly made her way towards the Japanese doctor’s desk while looking around. She knew Thomas was up to no good. All she needed to do is to convince her husband who was currently Director. Once Thomas is stopped, she’ll make sure that no one will ever do such thing in the HQ building again. HQ has good relationship with the gods and it will be terrible if HQ decides to go against the gods.

It will mean that all HQ agents’ lives are in danger.

Cassandra grabbed the small vial that Doctor Izachi was holding. It contained a red liquid that looks so much like blood. She shuddered at the thought that it is from a Medusa.

Cassandra was about to sneak out with the evidence when she was caught be a doctor who was still lingering around to find something.

“Stop!” the young doctor cried, pointing a small gun in her direction.

Cassandra froze. Her blood slowly turned cold.

“Turn around. Slowly.”

As instructed, Cassandra slowly turned around to face the youngest doctor she had ever seen. He was sweating bullets and the gun he was holding is shaking.

“Give me the vial,” he said, trying to sound stern.

“You don’t have to do this,” Cassandra tried to persuade him.

“Yes, I do!” he yelled at me. “Give me the vial and no one gets hurt.”

The HQ agent tried to find a way to escape in her head while she distracted him. “What you’re doing is going to hurt everyone.”

“Only those who deserve the pain will receive pain. Just give me the vial,” the stubborn doctor said.

Cassandra looked at the transparent window that showed the empty hallway outside of the Training Room. Her mind did little calculations as she ran towards the window and broke the glass with her body. It happened so fast that the doctor didn’t have the time to shoot Cassandra. The sound of glass smashing made the alarm blare. Cassandra felt panic as she tried to get on her feet and limp away. She tightened her right grip on the vial so he wouldn’t try to get it from her.

“Stop!” the young doctor yelled from behind.

Cassandra did not listen, only try her very best to move towards the elevator where she could go directly to Nicholas’s office.

The young doctor fired and the bullet hit Cassandra in her right leg. Cassandra cried out loud in pain as she fell to the ground hard with a thump.

The vial that was still in her right hand broke. The liquid inside started to ooze out from the crack. Sure enough, Cassandra’s right hand was cut open and the liquid entered her body system without her realizing of it.

“I said, give me the vial,” the doctor said in a threatening way when he was close to her fallen form.

Cassandra didn’t feel the change in her body as she looked up to see the doctor. The boy had fearful look on his eyes when he saw her bloody red eyes. He saw the wavy brown hair that was becoming thicker and forming into snakes. He knew very well that Cassandra now was a Medusa.

And he was staring straight into her eyes.

“No!” he screamed. His body started to turn unnaturally grey. His body posture stiff and unmoving. His fearful eyes were locked onto Cassandra’s confused ones.

The next thing she knew, the doctor who was breathing just a second ago was now a grey stone.

“Hey, you!”

Cassandra looked in direction of the elevator where the voice came from. It was Doctor Izachi who now has the scared look. He said something which Cassandra can’t understand before him himself turned into stone at the sight of her eyes.

Cassandra got to her feet, careful so she wouldn’t injure more of her right leg. She looked at the reflective elevator door to see herself not herself any longer.

The HQ agent let out a scream at the sight of herself. She was ugly. She had the eyes to kill. She was Medusa.

Cassandra wanted nothing more than to cry and hope that this is nothing but a dream. She hoped that if she closes her eyes and then open them, she’ll be in her bed next to Nicholas with her children running in to wake their parent’s up just like every morning.

Instead, the Medusa self of her looked back at her.

The elevator dinged. Cassandra watched in horror as she saw all the doctors from Training Room earlier are in the elevator, staring back at her in shock.

One by one, they turned into stone, not even having the chance to grab their cellphones to tell Thomas of this.

Cassandra stepped away from the elevator that is now full with stones who were once people. She felt like a monster. She did not deserve this curse.

She looked at her left arm that was bare since she’s wearing a white short-sleeved blouse and white pants. To her horror, her guardian animal tattoo of a tiger had disappeared. She tried to contact with her tiger in her, but failed.

The curse had not only changed her, but also killed her guardian animal.

Cassandra knew that she would lose everyone she loves; Nicholas, Nate and Melanie. She knew she can kill them and the only way to save them is to stay away from them and kill herself.

“I have to get out of here,” Cassandra mumbled to herself. Now that the elevator was occupied with stone people, she used the stairs instead. She silently thanked God that she bumped into no one along the way. She was about to open the door that leads to the parking lot at the basement when she heard a familiar voice calling out for her.

“Cassandra!”

It was her husband Nicholas. She wanted to call back to him, but stopped herself just in time. She couldn’t risk losing him. She’d rather kill herself before that can happen. She loved Nicholas too much. Even if he didn’t believe her about Thomas, she knew he loves her too.

“Cass, stop, please.” His voice is closer than before, echoing from above her.

Cassandra sprinted across the dark parking lot and towards her Acura NSX. Unfortunately for her, her injured right leg slowed her down. Her hands were trembling so hard that she struggled to grab the car keys from her pocket.

“Cassie,” Nicholas said from behind.

She tempted to turn around to see her husband. With all her power, she ignore that temptation.

“Stay away, Nicholas,” she warned him.

“What happened, Cass? You were right about Thomas, love. I’m so sorry for not believing you,” he said with regret. “I thought he was my best friend.”

“I forgive you, Nicholas, but I really have to go. Something happened and I might kill you just like I did to the men just now,” Cassandra said with regret.

“Stop moving, Cass, you’re injured. What happened?”

Nicholas took a step towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. The parking lot was still dark so he couldn’t see the snakes that were glaring at him. Without a warning, he turned Cassandra around so he could read her expression.

“Stay away!” Cassandra screamed at him, closing her eyes immediately.

Nicholas gasped at the sight of his wife. He wasn’t sure that the woman he was looking at was his wife or not. Nevertheless, his hands were still on her shoulder.

“What happened, Cass?” he asked softly.

Cassandra continued to close her eyes with her hands as she explained everything to him. The more he heard, the angrier he became.

“We’ll find a cure,” Nicholas promised, hugging her. The two of them sat on the floor of the parking lot, not caring if the floors were dirty. What was important was that they have each other.

Cassandra cried, unable to comprehend why he wasn’t disgusted with her. Afraid of her. “I’m a monster, Nick. I could have killed you just now,” she sobbed.

“But you didn’t,” Nicholas sternly said. “We’ll find a way, Cass. I promise you.”

Cassandra put her head on his shoulder, accepting the comfort and warmth he provided. She was very careful not to open her eyes even if she wanted to do it so badly. “Thank you, Nick.”

Nicholas kissed the top of her forehead, close to the root of one of the snakes. “I love you, Cass.”

“But you should have told Nate and I,” I protest, looking at mum and dad. “Not just disappear off the earth. I thought Thomas was a good guy. I thought you really died in the Gurney Battle. You two lied.”

Suddenly, everything they said actually makes sense.

Someone did warn me about trust.

“Honesty is in your nature, but you’re wary of the people you converse with. You don’t easily trust people, but the person you trust have secrets kept away from you and they do because they care for you,” Athena said.

The note one of the doctors dropped when I accidentally bumped into him that was written: Test #416. Status: Failure as before. Reconstruction of the DNA has failed due to the period of the cells taken from deceased host. Cells are dead for too long to be used to make a new formula. No living relations found yet in system. 

The DNA belonged to a Medusa that was dead for years.

"Due to all respect, sir, but the only ones who do know the formula has - " – turned into stone…

“Dad, where’s mummy?” I asked, tugging on his pants in the kitchen once I saw him come in with a troubled look. Nate screamed in glee and hugged Dad’s other leg.

Dad gulped. “She’s going to be away for awhile, Melanie.”

“How long, Daddy?” Nate asked, looking up at Dad with round brown eyes.

Dad kneeled down so he can meet us in the eye. “I don’t know as well, Nate. I hope it’s soon though.”

Mum was Medusa before the Gurney Battle.

Augustus Caesar.

Great York.

Nate.                      

Serum.

Hybrids.

Doctor Solomon and Doctor Galileo.

My list of suspicions in HQ.

Dad sighs whereas mum takes out her white handkerchief to blow her nose. She was crying when dad told me the story. Dad has a faraway look when he continues to tell their side of the story.

“What can we do, Nick? We can’t just leave the kids alone,” Cassandra protested when Nicholas proposed a plan to take down Thomas once and for all. She was blindfolded with a black cloth so she couldn’t see Nicholas and turn him into stone.

“We’ll watch over them, Cass. All this time, we’ll just have to find a way to get him away from our family. I’m pretty sure he can’t make another serum since the last descendant of Medusa is in you. It would be also convincing that when the two of us are dead, he wouldn’t know that you were the one who took the serum instead and changed those men.”

“But, Nicholas. Melanie and Nate are just ten.”

“I’m sure another family would do a better job to take care of them,” Nicholas said. His voice was thick with sadness.

“There is another way,” Cassandra said out of nowhere.

Nicholas just gave her a look to continue whatever she was about to say. He had forgotten that she wasn’t able to see him since she’s blinded.

“I can sew my eyes shut,” she said.

“You can’t do that,” he argued strongly, putting his hand on her small ones that are on the desk separating them.

“If it means maintaining the balance and keeping my loved ones alive, I would do anything,” Cassandra said with determination. She would risk her own sight just so everything will go on normally like it never happened before.

“Cass, no. We’ll find a cure and you’re not going to sew your eyes shut. I won’t let you. I want you to see your children. I want you to see me. I want you.”

Cassandra wanted to cry again, but pulled herself together. “Today is the day then?”

“I’m afraid so, love,” Nicholas said, looking at the photo frame of Melanie and Nate at their sixth birthday. Included in the photo are their friends like Lisbeth, Dennis and Sam. Lisbeth and Melanie were laughing together while Dennis, Sam and Nate showed funny faces at the direction of the camera.

“How is it going to work?” Cassandra asked once again.

“There would be rogues on the way to Gurney City as we speak. The thing is, these rogues are nothing but guardian animals that are microchips are planted in. The microchips would show the huge screen in the middle of HQ so everyone, including Thomas, would think that there is large number of rogues on the way…”

“Where did you get that many of guardian animals?” Cassandra asked, remembering about her guardian animal. Her tiger spirit was dead because of this curse.

Nicholas smiled sadly, even though he knew she couldn’t see him. “You’re not the only who was suspicious of Thomas’s plan. I was the one who was blinded all this while. I’m sorry for not trusting you in the beginning, Cass. It’s my fault that you’re what you are now.”

“Nicholas,” Cassandra said to stop him from blaming himself even more. “Stop that. It’s not your fault. I wouldn’t have believed it either if I were you. Now, stop with the pity party and start the plan to stop Thomas from finding out about me or even try to get me through you or our kids.”

“Right, once Predator reaches me, I’ll give the signal so all the HQ agents that are involved to take out the microchips and destroy them. Then we’ll make our way to Little Creek immediately. The others will have to be separated for awhile until Thomas is Director and our children will be away from their attention,” Nicholas said.

“After that we’ll find them?” Cassandra asked with hope.

Nicholas nodded. “And we’ll tell them everything.”

“Of course our plan changed when we learnt that you and Nate decided to become werewolf hunters,” dad explains. “Thomas was keeping an eye on you all this while and we can’t risk showing ourselves since there are HQ agents close to hunters. So instead, I sent Predator to watch over you.”

“We moved close to wherever you moved,” mum says, looking at me through her black glasses. “That was until I was caught years ago.”

I give her a look of confusion. “What do you mean?”

“One of the HQ agents spotted us,” dad explains. “That is when Thomas knew that it was your mother who snuck into the Training Room that day and turned into a Medusa by accident. Since then, Thomas had always been trying to kidnap your mother. Luckily for us, we managed to escape from him many times by outsmarting him. Bibiana was there to inform us about his plan to get us, so we were lucky that she was there.”

“Thomas knew he can’t get me through your father, so instead he tried to get Nate and you instead,” mum says with guilt.

“And he sent us a message that if we want Nate back, your mother must give herself up,” dad adds in, staring at me. “I don’t know what to do, Melanie. I’m sorry for hurting you and Nate.”

Augustus’s voice enters my head out of the blue.

“He did not do anything, I can assure you. He’s kidnapped because of his lineage. You would be kidnapped too if it hadn’t for me, which is why I was in a hurry to get you out of Blanefield.”

Nate was kidnapped because of his relation with mum. I could have been kidnapped as well.

My head starts to overwhelm with all sorts of thoughts. It is as if I’m trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle with dinosaur bones.

Then everything goes as dark as vantablack, which sucks me in deep enough so I can never escape from the truth behind Augustus Caesar’s words.

Author's Note

I'm really sorry for the late update and it is because I didn't have any internet since Friday until just five minutes ago. Blame it on a certain company that supplies the internet to my house. I was nearly out of my mind, but to make this up to you guys, I wrote a super long chapter. (Happy?) I'm just wondering whether this story makes any sense so far. Do you like this story? Do you think Augustus is still an ass?

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-M.