Syeda said nothing, just looked at the newcomer with a kind of shock.

No way. Not...

"Alexis?" Syeda breathed.

But if Jack's yearned-for brother knew where she was, he knew where Jack was too.

And he hadn't got in contact with him.

"Why haven't you met your brother?" Syeda asked mechanically. Her voice sounded dead, dull to her own ears.

Alexis shrugged. Syeda still couldn't get used to the sight of him. That long-ago, twenty-something young man with neatly trimmed hair and equally precise taste in clothing, never a thread out of place, was evidently now a relic of her childhood.

He was replaced by the man before her, wearing everyday, somewhat worn out clothing, but there was still the familiar, confident glint in his eyes.

Eyes that held the same steel of old.

"Look Sarah-"

"You know my name is Syeda. Use it." She  corrected icily.

"Syeda, I haven't got much time." Alex began calmly, expression as clear as a summer day. Where was the guilt at what he had put Jack through, she wondered. Where was the remorse?

"I understand the Chua girl has told you all. Interesting. Rather pathetic, you must think too Syeda, but interesting. You and I were always of one mind."

Syeda nearly hmphed.

"Since it seems to be the trend, I've also come to make my confessions."

Syeda raised a thin eyebrow.

"Sarah, as you know, I grew up in a beautiful home atop a mountainside. I had everything I wanted. I was tough. I was respected. I was loved. I knew my doting mother, unlike my luckless little brother. The Head of Defence was my father. Prince Aetheldred (second in line to the throne) was, by chance or careful interference on my father's part, my best friend. The best teachers in this kingdom were my tutors.

For the longest time, I was ready to serve this country in any way I was told to."

The look in Alexis's changed.

"But that all changed when I saw them all for who they really were. What their motives meant. For us all, for me, for you. The dark side my friend Aethel and his lackeys showed. What the powers that be wanted for your innocent father." He smiled. It was comforting, like the old Alexis, but also held something eerily unreadable.

"Syeda, I'm on your side. I haven't gotten into contact with Jack because it would only endanger him. I'm his weakness and the minute he sees me, he'll see a fantastical life where he has a happy family again and nothing goes wrong. That can't be risked; he has to stay away from me and wait till reach out to him. My brother can't be fully trusted to not let his emotions overpower him, in my case. But I can talk you. I can trust you, Syeda."

He continued talking now, in a more hurried, hushed tone. He was preparing to leave soon, Syeda realised.

"Syeda, I have hacked Christopher's communications with his father. I tell him and his little gang what to do. They essentially work for me."

"Why do you need them? You could hire anyone." Syeda questioned, eyebrow raised, voice steady.

Alexis grinned. "They're readily trained, managed, fully cared for by his father, it's less hassle for me. There's no evidence; I can disappear and it'd be like I was never there."

"I'm not sure you're very good at disappearing and staying forgotten. Your father is doubtlessly on the lookout for you too." Syeda responded stiffly.

Alexis shook his head, still smiling. "Perhaps I'm not good at it. But I'm getting better."

"When  will you face them both?" Syeda asked solidly. "How long will you hide? You have to talk to them eventually. You can't leave them in limbo forever. They will never stop looking for you."

"Some people are not found, Syeda. Their cases are eventually closed. But I don't intend to stay hidden forever Syeda. I wouldn't worry about all that if I were you.

His eyebrows slanted as his words grew more serious.

"Syeda, this government is corrupt. They support unfair and extreme values; outright hate speech is allowed to occur on their own streets. Do you remember that Cornish family, the Bramblebys? Who were rumoured to be witches? People with that (common) surname were murdered around the country, but the government did nothing. People aren't safe"

 "The poor and those unsupportive of the government are cut off and ignored. The people at the top, those pulling the strings, hate outsiders. They support colonial type values that will tear this country apart, city by city, town by town, family from family, because those values are corrosive and not relevant to modern life. On one side we have the 'Brynnland for All' government, who really mean 'Brynnland for Us', and on the other side we have the Royalists. Our so called 'King', a Mr. Gilead Westminster, whose healthy aunt's death is the greatest mystery since the Loch Ness Monster. Him and his people are looking for a medieval style reign to restart, with absolute power pro bono."

Syeda sensed a pause. It was her turn to talk.

"I don't care." she responded flatly.

For the first time, Alexis looked unprepared. Taken aback. After recovering a few seconds later, he finally responded, still startled.

"You don't care about who rules this country?"

"Nope." Syeda then turned around and walked back where she came from.

"The Sarah I knew wouldn't act like this!  I know she's in there somewhere!" Alexis called out from behind her.

Syeda turned just her head, side profile illuminated by the street lamps in the dark night.

"I'm not a social justice warrior, Alexis. I simply live in this world, I don't aspire to control it. No one can. And the way you talk is akin to the people you claim to hate. Count me out."

Alexis chuckled darkly.

"Fine. But you've already chosen a side. When they come for you, know that you had a choice. You could have prevented it. And to think I thought you clever, Syeda."

Syeda turned her head to the street before her, and continued walking away.

From the dead silence behind her, she knew he was gone too.

"Syeda!" Halima chirped the minute her charge walked through the door.

"Guess what came in the mail! Ooh, guess!"

"What." Syeda responded monotonously.

"A letter from the Institute of Physics! Out of all the scientific institutes, this one's your favourite, right?"

"Mnng." Syeda responded wanly.

"Well go on, open it!" Halima thrust the letter at Syeda, all but shoving it eagerly in her face. Syeda grumpily took it between two fingers and perused the envelope cynically.

Maybe it was a comment on a thesis she had submitted recently on radiographical innovations.

She removed the letter from the envelope, scoured its contents, and finally grimaced in abject distaste.

She then tossed it into the nearby recycling bin.

"Hey!" Halima cried, looking betrayed. "What was it?! Those papers looked really important, and the envelope had a red wax seal and everything! Was it important?"

"No." Syeda proceeded to hang her coat and ascend the stairs. 

Halima decided to do something she had promised herself she wouldn't do. No, it wasn't quitting her diet; she'd already done that this morning.

She decided to, ever-so-slightly, just-a-teeny-tiny-bit, invade Syeda's privacy. After all, this situation surely required parental interference.

She fished the paper out of the recycling bin (empty except for shredded paper and Syeda's letter), and gave it a read.

Her dark eyebrows shot up sky high.

"SYEDAAAAAAAAAAA!" 

"We are going." Halima stated stiffly, trying to mimic Syeda in the hopes of persuading her.

"No we're not." Syeda responded equally archly.

"Yes we are."

"No we're not. It's my letter, my invitation. I say no."

"Syeda, it's an invitation from ROYALTY! You're invited to attend the annual Crystal ball hosted by Her Royal Highness Princess Alessandra (the Crown Princess, in case you forgot)and her brother Prince Aetheldred in London at Darlington Palace! All because of your spectacular contributions to Physics at such a young age and for being, quote unquote, 'a bright and shining role model for our youth'!"

"They just want some diversity there to make them feel better." Syeda grumbled. "I'll be the only hijabi in a bunch of Brynnlanders. Not to mention Norwegian. I doubt they've ever met either."

Halima cocked her eyebrow and thought. Brynnish described anyone living in Brynnland with citizenship, but Brynnlanders were those who'd been on the island historically.

"Honey, you absolutely belong there. It's commemorating you, it's your show. You're a Brynnish boss betch. Put them in their place, girl."

Syeda rolled her eyes.

"I don't want to go!" She replied more forcefully, her voice raising in pitch. Was she... whining? God, no.

 "Syeda."  Halima made puppy dog eyes. "I absolutely respect your wish not to go if you don't wish to, but... I would love attend with you as your plus one! It would make my year! Just imagine, me and the Princess could talk! Maybe become friends! Maybe even swap numbers! Heck, we could get invited somewhere again!  Ayeeeeeee!" Halima suddenly let out an 'eh-hem'.  

"But anyway, that's if you want to of course. No pressure. Fine by me if you don't want to go." Halima sadly moped away to the other room, giving Syeda one last forlorn look before she went.

Halima had a strange obsession with the idea of Princesses. Whenever it was Syeda's birthday, the cake had to be a Princess one, as did the cupcakes, and even the specially bought birthday outfit (with embarrassing cartoon princesses printed on) for Syeda to wear. Syeda, of course,  always politely declined the clothes and offered to return them for her. She didn't mind the cake all that much, since it was just food,  and obviously people who excessively decorated something that would soon disappear were weird, but she didn't want to hurt Halima's feelings.

Halima even had a tiara sticker on her own bedroom door. Even her mug was pink with 'Don't mess with a Princess' printed on it. Come to think of it, Halima was obsessed with royalty in general. There was this old show called 'The Crown' that Halima used to be glued to a while back. The whole idea had always struck Syeda as a bit odd. 

Though she hadn't believed Alexis completely (the self-serving ass, she thought to herself), she had always regarded Royals with a strong degree of suspicion. It was no secret that the King had offed his own aunt for a hunk of metal to put on his head.

But the King wouldn't be in attendance. Maybe she could observe and decide for herself what these tiara-sporting, starry-eye-inducing folk were really like.

And avoid a moping Halima for the next three months.

And since (she hadn't bothered mentioning to Halima for fear of extra requests to go) this was the same ball Jack was going to, she'd at least have someone to complain-away the evening with.

Hopefully nothing would go wrong.

Syeda grimaced. She shouldn't have thought that.