Tamarious' POV

Meanwhile, at the Tillman residence in the Pelham Springs community...

Folks, I was facing one hell of a losing battle.

Since the confrontation regarding Marion Dennard being a double-agent and York now a full-fledged super-powered pretty boy, the pressure was on for the last of my squad as more and more of the Neutrals (those who haven't picked a side between us Outcasts and those Populars) decided to leave Berkeley while they still had a chance. "There's a lot of shit going on, Browning," one of the AV kids, a pale-faced and tow-headed junior named Arwin had explained when Kelante and I stopped by at his place. "The Populars are gaining more and more ground as I and everyone else who hadn't chosen a side are being pressured by Dermott and his gang to give them a chance. Mom and Dad said that I needed to stay human after my older brothers jumped ship when they got involved with the Army last month. I'm taking online classes until the end of this semester so my folks and I can start fresh over in Indy."

Kelante himself wasn't too pleased to know that his old hometown of Waxiacalatchee was being shut down due to the influx of superhumans coming to them via Biloxi as his old schoolmates decided to flock up north to either Jackson or Oxford to start new lives there. "I'd flee to Oxford myself if I didn't come here," he had groused when he got the news. "May Governor Hoult find the backbone to kick out those souped-up lunks for good and keep them out of Mississippi."

Even my new foster grandparents had lost a few of their allies to either de-aging into being superheroes or deciding to pack up and leave town completely. "This is a sad day for our nation," Grandpa Tillman said, shaking his head as he and I helped others with putting their packed belongings into moving vans. "God is getting ready to set this place on fire, Tamarious. If one more person decides to side with my daughter and her husband, I...I...I just don't know what I'm going to do!"

I couldn't blame him. I was feeling the same way. But as long as we got our usual group alongside Khadijah and Khandi still fighting for the cause, we weren't going to back down without a fight. All we had to do was stick it out a little longer before making our move.

********************

"What the hell do you mean that you're moving out of California?!" I exclaimed angrily.

Khandi and her twin sister had just dropped a major bombshell on us with their announcement to leave the Outcasts completely and start fresh somewhere else. "Browning, you said so yourself. The more that our dad has total sway over everyone, the more people will see that superheroes are the new celebrities," she said as she clutched her large Hermes handbag. "Khadijah and I know that Kyle's now aware of what's going on and decided to take his place alongside our dad. Plus, your old school is getting to be more and more pro-Super than before as everything else is going by the way of the dodo bird."

"But what about fighting for what's right?" Grandma Tillman asked them sharply. "Y'all know that your parents did Kyle wrong and you two left him to fend for himself when my husband and I were the ones to take care of him."

"We know, Grandma, but Khandi and I worry that we'll be next to be persuaded by our parents to join them," Khadijah rebutted. "And with those serums in place to turn anyone into either a fan or a superhuman, there's no telling what might happen next."

"Wait, there's more of that serum going around?" Kelante's mother asked, eyes lit in shock.

"Yeah, Auntie Rita," Khandi replied. "The Dennards and Deverauxs have been working with Dad in creating more and more of those liquid nanobots since last year. Not only that, they've been tested on prison inmates all over California and approved by the government. Imagine how things might be when they go global. The whole human race would become superheroes and those who refuse would either face death or imprisonment."

"Shit," Kelante hissed, shaking his head. "This is getting to be a real nightmare. How long do you think we have until they do go across the state?"

Khadijah shrugged her shoulders. "Best guess, sometime before Kyle's graduation," she answered. "That doesn't give us much time to work with. If I know Dad by now, he and those Dermotts will make sure that stay under lock and key with the military until Kyle and Marcel seal their wedding vows with a kiss."

"That's not going to fly by me," I replied fiercely, my mind already formulating plans. "We gotta find a way to get rid of those serums and fast before the wedding."

"No, Browning," Khandi barked. "You and my family need to pack your shit right now as well as the Detweilers and make your way out of this state for good. Trust us when my sister and I say that we're WAY over our heads on this one. If Brian York or the Dermotts have their way, they'll get rid of you as easy as you can blink twice. Finish your schooling at Sandifer Bay while you can and then pack up and leave California behind."

Grandpa sighed heavily, shaking his head. "You're asking us to give up so easily just when there's a way to put this all to bed," he said wearily. "Khandi and Khadijah, I know you two mean well and all, but we can't just walk away. What about Kyle? Would he want you two to run like cowards or fight back?"

"Grandpa, there's a time to raise your bluffs and call the stakes; and there's a time to know when to fold your cards and walk away with whatever you have left," Khandi said gently. "Khadijah and I aren't going to become superwomen or transformed into supermen like they did with Telfair and Maldonado. We just don't want to see what's going to happen if we stay in California. Dad will do anything it takes to have his way, you know that."

"Well, I won't stop you two from leavin', if that's how you feel. But your grandmother, kinfolk, Tamarious, and I are still going to stay here and make sure that we win this for all the future Outcasts and their families who want to keep their sanities and identities from being forced into assimilation," Grandpa said. "Pray for us, granddaughters, and know that the Tillman, Parrish and Samuels family legacies will never die out as long as there's someone who keeps moving forward."

I watched the twins hugged their parents before both of them came to me. "We're sorry that we have to leave you, Browning," Kahndi said morosely. "Maybe you can be the one to end this nightmare and let my brother rest in peace should you have to put him out of his misery. But all the same, consider our warnings. Leave town if you value yourself. Stay blind to the inevitable future."

With that, they sauntered out the door.

"What will we do now?" Grandma asked me.

"We fight until the end," I replied fiercely.

And that'll be my vow until graduation. Let's ride!

And it looks like we're on our way to the last 12 chapters of this mega-saga, boys and girls! Tamarious and company have a goal to get rid of the serums and take down the superhumans once and for all. But were the twins and the judge right about their warnings to leave town? Or could he pull off a big Hail-Mary pass straight out of a thrilling action movie?!

Coming up, Tamarious and Kelante run into Marcel and his boys (Kyle included) just as Tiffany and her parents face off against Kennedy Deveraux with sass, class, and roasts galore!

Dedication: E_Manawari.

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