The Trial of the Ghost

Chapter 8: Burnt to the Ground

When Roxeldan woke, sweat clung to his body and he groaned. He groaned again when he checked the weather.

Another boiling day. Why did they have to travel to the hemisphere that was in the middle of summer for vacation?

Well, he thought grumpily, pulling himself out of bed. I know why.

They technically weren’t there on vacation. His father had pulled him into mixers and dinners to make business connections. He’d smiled, made the best small talk possible, and stuck as close to his twin as possible.

She had studied public relations and was now working in PR for their father. He trusted her to charm them more than he could.

He’d thought he’d been doing well these past few days, but then he’d caught his father’s eye and seen the subtle disappointment lingering there. He knew no one could see it but him. He’d learned to spot it. It had taken years, but he had learned.

Rox pulled his pants on and felt the strongest desire to flop back onto the bed again. He didn’t want to go to whatever was scheduled today.

There was a knock at the door.

He stifled another groan. “One minute.”

“It better be a minute!” Zrayt called from the other side of the door.

Rox bit his lip. Crap. His sister. He couldn’t afford to alienate her. He actually needed to hurry up. He threw on a shirt and was still pulling an arm through a sleeve as he opened the door.

Rox grinned. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Dad says you haven’t been answering your phone. He wants you to have swim stuff under your clothes. Or pack your bathing suit for the day. One of the two. It’s a pool day.”

Rox huffed. “Why couldn’t he come get me himself?” He knew it was the wrong thing to say the moment the words left his mouth. Zrayt raised an eyebrow and he waved a hand. “Yeah, I know, I heard it.”

Their dear, darling father would never pass on such a menial, unimportant message like that to him in person. He was far too busy to engage in frivolous conversation with his children.

Rox jerked his head and Zraytena followed him inside. He went to the bathroom to collect a clean towel.

“So,” Zrayt called from the main room. “How’d you sleep?”

“Fine. Sweaty but fine.”

“You know, you could have just turned down the thermostat, right?”

“Yeah right. This place doesn’t have a thermostat.”

“What do you mean? It’s on the side of the AC. Did… did you not look for it?”

Rox scoffed, emerging from the bathroom and making a beeline for his suitcase. “Why is it there and not somewhere obvious like, oh say, the wall?”

Zrayt shook her head. “I’m turning down your thermostat.”

“Why?” He knelt, beginning to rummage through for a bathing suit. “We’re only here another night.”

“Doesn’t mean you need to suffer, Zrayt countered. “Um…. Rox? Allelosin is calling you.”

“Let it ring out. I’ll call him back later.”

“He left a voicemail!”

“I’ll listen later.” He smelled one of his shirts. Well, that never should have been marked for reuse. He shoved it into the laundry bag. “You know who we’re charming today?”

“Dad’s talking to some entertainment CEO and we’re hanging with his daughter.”

“Another potential girlfriend?”

“Yep. Her dad has ties to news companies.”

“How come you never get set up with people?” he asked, finally standing, bathing suit in hand.

“Because you’re inheriting,” Zrayt said simply, lounging on an armchair. “Look.” She shoved her phone under his nose. He stared at someone who was admittedly a very attractive girl. “That’s her. Nilkwoyvera Kasregirei.”

Rox took the phone and examined the girl’s face. Nilkwoyvera was gorgeous. Much better looking than the other girls his father had tried to set him up with. “Maybe I can make this work.”

“She does fundraising for Ferihjen’s helpers,” Zrayt chimed in, snatching her phone back. “I’ve heard she’s very sweet.”

“Well, I guess we’ll see later,” he replied, grabbing a bag and shoving the appropriate items inside before slinging it onto his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s meet father for breakfast.”

They did it. It was horrible. Rox hated spending time with his father. He listened to what Pakeldan droned on about the Kasregirei family and tried to internalize as much as possible. Zrayt paid extra attention. She knew as much as her brother tried, he wouldn’t remember half of it, so she tried to make up for it, tried to absorb as much as possible so she could fill in the gaps later.

Their father would be so disappointed in Rox if he failed to make these connections. Pakeldan wouldn’t take it out physically on her twin, but it would be there in little looks and comments that would tear him apart little by little until only a shell was left.

She couldn't let that happen. They had sworn they would survive their father and would turn Thuelar Incorporated into a force for good.

She wasn’t going to let him back down on that. Not now. Not ever.

So when they finally met Nilkwoyvera, she smiled brightly and greeted her as warmly as befitting for an old friend. She instantly got her wrapped up in a wardrobe discussion, praising her blouse. She didn’t lie. It was well made and Nilkwoyvera glowed talking about it and every single piece of jewelry she had on.

Sweet, Zrayt identified. But vain. Sweet, but very vain.

“Rox,” she said, hoping he could pick up the subtle suggestion to pay attention. Rox stiffened, hearing it and taking his sister’s advice. “Doesn’t Ms. Kasregirei look lovely today? Don’t you just love what she’s done with her hair? And how well her ruby earrings match her lipstick and blouse?”

Rox nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, absolutely, my lady. Did you perchance wander out of the Godrealm?”

Nilkwoyvera giggled and blushed. “You are too kind.”

Her tone clearly said ‘say more.’ Rox knew he must oblige. “Those shoes? Where did you get them? They are marvelous. Simply exquisite.”

Zrayt thought that was laying it on a little thick, but their new friend didn’t even notice. She giggled again, genuine and warm. Zrayt found herself smiling a little too.

Rox began forcing a smile on his face when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out and noticed the caller ID.

“Who is that?” Nilkwoyvera asked innocently.

“Just my roommate,” Rox replied breezily, starting to tuck his phone away. “It’s alright. I can speak with him later.”

“Is that the fifth time he’s called?” Zrayt asked.

“You should answer it,” Nilkwoyvera informed him. “If he’s called that much. It must be urgent.”

“Right of course,” he muttered. “One minute please,” he said with as much grace as he could muster.

The girls nodded and he strode away, answering the phone.

“Oh thank Astrakael,” Allelosin said through his phone speaker. “I was getting worried.”

“Alle,” Rox groaned. “I’m on vacation and in a different time zone.”

“Right,” he replied, words terse. “Well, I wanted to tell you our apartment has burned down.”

“What?” Rox exploded. “Everything? Has absolutely everything burned?”

“Yes,” Allelosin said. “Nothing has been recovered. Nothing. Not even my flash drive.”

“Your flash drive?” Rox asked, wondering if he picked up on the implication.

“My flash drive,” Alle confirmed. “When you get back, we need to talk about next steps. For us. You know, insurance and all that. Kra and Corla are letting me stay with them until we can find a new place. You can meet me here. It’s pretty private.”

“Okay….” Rox’s mind kept turning over the words. Something was wrong and Alle was scared his phone was bugged. What was his roommate worried about? “I’ll let you know when I’m free to meet you there.”

“Make it sooner rather than later,” Allelosin replied shortly. He sighed. “I can’t remember what was covered by your insurance and what was covered by mine.”

“Right,” Rox said. “Nothing?”

“Nothing. Our apartment was in the heart of it.”

“Understood,” Rox said. Sabotage. Sabotage by someone who could compromise my phone. “We will discuss… insurance later.”

“Good. Bye then.”

“Farewell.”

Rox hung up. He was going to have to be very careful. There was one person who could have compromised his phone. His father. His apartment had been burned down by his father. Who knew about Alle’s investigation. Allelosin had more than one flash drive. If his singular flash drive had not been recovered, it was almost certainly the one with their research.

He was definitely going to have to be very careful.

“Are you alright?” Nilkwoyvera asked, noting his troubled face.

Rox snapped out of his reverie. “Fine,” he called back, walking back to his sister’s side. “Well, not fine, but nothing that needs to be taken care of right now.”

“Rox,” Zrayt warned.

“Later,” he informed her.

Rox spent much of the moments he had to himself wondering what he’d say to his father. Planning what he would say to his father. He must know. He had to know if his suspicions had any merit.

So, at dinner, he let his face look mildly troubled, as if he was thinking of something upsetting and needed to appear fine. Every second he was on guard, acting as if his life depended on it.

And maybe it did.

Pakeldan sighed. “What is it son?”

Rox blinked and shot his father a confused look. An obviously fake one. “Nothing, father. It’s nothing.”

Pakeldan gave Rox a ‘seriously?’ look. Rox couldn’t tell if it was genuine. “Boy,” he said, setting his fork down, “what is the matter?”

Rox pursed his lips, hesitating. He kept his eyes fixed on his father’s face. “I… well…. I found out my apartment burned down this morning, father. I… I need to call my insurance companies.”

Pakeldan blinked. He brought his hand to his face and his eyes widened. “Oh my boy, that is horrible.” He sounded genuine. “I will have my lawyers call the company for you.” Roxeldan didn’t believe it for a moment. “I will take care of everything. If you wish, I can see about replacing your roommate’s belongings.”

Rox nodded. “Of course, yes. Thank you. I am sure Alle will appreciate it very much.”

Pakeldan offered him a smile and if the perfectly expressed concern hadn’t tipped Roxeldan off, that sympathetic smile would have done it. “Let me know if you need anything, son, I will see to it.”

His father was a liar. His father had burned down his home. He didn’t know why, he would have to talk to Alle.

“You can stay with me if you want,” Zrayt offered.

He nodded at his sister in thanks. Alle probably already had a theory.

Rox would have to tell him all of this.

He mentally rolled his eyes. As if they needed more evidence his father was responsible. The moment he repeated this conversation, Alle would be as convinced as he was. His roommate was smart like that.

They would find a way to show the world Pakeldan was a liar and a crook. They would.

Roxeldan smiled back as genuinely as he could. Somehow, imagining burning down everything his father had built made the smile feel as real as any smile in his scumbag father’s presence could be.

“Again,” Fledgling told Thaekymrodti.

For her part, Thaekym wanted to flop onto the ground and pass out. She’d been repeating this combination for an hour. One hundred minutes. One hundred thousand seconds of the exact same punches over and over again. Fledgling insisted this was necessary to learn how to fight properly.

Thaekym was eleven. She wasn’t quite sure. At this point, she was tired and sore and convinced that approaching Fledgling was the worst idea she’d ever had.

And Fledgling wants to torture me. Can’t forget that.

“Thae?” Fledgling asked, her tone coated with concern.

“I’m fine,” she insisted, repeating the combination.

She’d gotten herself into this, she’d get herself out of it. She had tracked down Fledgling and insisted on being trained as her successor. She had spent a week figuring out the new patrol routes. She had set the net to catch Fledgling. She had done this of her own accord. She had wanted this and she wasn’t about to give up now that it was getting hard.

Besides, it was getting easier every night. Fledgling had assured her that as she trained more, her body would be able to go longer.

Five more minutes and she’d make a personal record.

Five more minutes before she was allowed to pass out.

How hard could it be?

Her knees began buckling, but she kept going.

“Stop,” Fledgling insisted, blocking her punch. “Astrakael, Thae, stop. Please. You need to rest. You need water. Come on.”

Fledgling put a hand on her shoulder and forced her to sit. The concrete was hard and cold in the night air, but it felt better than being on her feet.

Fledgling handed over a water bottle and Thae drank. The more she drank, the more she realized how close to dehydration she’d been.

Thaekym groaned. The water tasted so good.

Fledgling looked at her hands, ashamed. Crow would have seen this. Crow would never have let it get to this point. Crow would have known to stop Thae sooner.

Fledgling was glad for the mask. It hid the shame very well.

“I’m sorry, Thae,” she whispered. Crow had never told her that. Crow had never needed to.

“Whatever for?” the little girl asked, grinning so wide, a little water ran down her face. She wiped it away.

“I… I should have stopped sooner,” Fledgling whispered loud enough for Thae to clear hear. “I… I did this training.” Only three years ago. It felt like a lifetime ago. She’d been the same age as Thae. “I had forgotten how much energy it saps before the muscles are adequately built.” She still trained, every single day, but how much did she rely on those muscles she’d already built for her stamina? “I should have given you a break sooner. I am sorry. I will pay more attention in the future.”

Thae playfully punched her shoulder. “It’s okay. I wanted to keep going. I… I’m glad for the rest, but I’m getting better, Fledgling.”

“Jay,” Fledgling whispered.

“What?”

“Jay,” she repeated, turning to this stubborn, clever girl. They didn’t look alike. “My name is Dostonjay.” They had different kinds of golden skin. Her hair was much darker and straighter than Thaekym’s. “But please, just call me Jay.”

“Jay,” Thae said, smiling. Jay’s eyes were slanted, eyes of those from this continent, Agmaler. Thae’s were Arnirtern through and through. “Thank you for trusting me, Jay.”

Jay smiled. “If you ever need to convince Crow you know me, just tell her my name is Jay.” Thae had hazel eyes whereas Jay’s were so brown they were close to black. She laughed. “That should convince her. Probably.” She winced. “She's a pretty suspicious person.”

Thae nodded. “Noted.”

No, they would never be confused for sisters, but Dostonjay knew she would die for this little girl. Just like she would die for a sister. Just like she would die for Chidaera.

This girl was going to be her successor. She was going to join her family. Jay found herself excited for the moment she could introduce Thaekymrodti to Cebrua. She was excited for her little sister to be accepted. She couldn’t wait to see how proud Cebrua would be at the good job she’d done.

Of course she’d remember to tell her that she hadn’t been able to dissuade Thae. It was the first thing she’d done, and Thae would back her up on that. But this small girl had been insistent. Hadn’t taken no for an answer.

And Cebrua would be proud. Of both of them. Of how well Thae would do as Fledgling when it was Jay’s turn to go to college and of Jay for taking initiative and training her so well.

“Crow is going to love you,” she told Thae. “Well, she’ll be furious at me for not persuading you to give up on joining us, but once she gets to know you, she’ll love you.”

“You really think so?” Thae whispered and looked at her.

There was so much hope in her eyes. Had Jay ever been that small? Look at Chidaera or Cebrua with that much trust? Reverence?

Well, Jay reflected as she grinned at her protege. I might have been small compared to me now, but I was never as short as Thae.

“I really do,” she assured the girl.

“Jay, how did you meet Crow?”

Jay tried to smile, but it wasn’t her favorite memory. Still, she opened her mouth to speak.

“I was an orphan when I met Crow and Fledgling for the first time. It… it wasn’t the most ideal meeting, but I should probably back up. I don’t think you’d understand otherwise.” Jay took a breath. “You see, I don’t remember my mom. Not well. I have only the faintest memory of her face. She left when I was really young and my dad cared for me. He was amazing. The best. He loved me unconditionally, even after….” Jay glanced at Thae. Should she say this? “Thae, do you know what transgender means?”

“Yes, I do,” Thae said brightly. She gave Jay a onceover. “Is that you?” Jay just nodded. Thae hugged her tightly. Jay felt the love in the embrace. It was similar to how her dad used to hug her. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah,” Jay replied, wrapping an arm around the little girl. “My dad knew. I told him when I figured it out and it never changed how he looked at me.” She looked at the stars, her gaze getting distant. “He loved me so much.”

Thae pulled away and her expression turned inquisitive. “What happened?”

“He loved me too much,” Jay admitted, her eyes still on the sky. “We barely scraped by. I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back, my dad would sometimes nearly starve to keep me well fed. Well fed being relative. Healthy enough, I guess. That’s who he was. He’d do anything for me, and we wanted to give me the option to transition, properly transition, when I got older, if I wanted.

“So he started taking even more extra jobs to save. And… it got to a point where he started doing odd jobs for shady people. Like the mob.”

“Jay,” Thae said, “you don’t have to go on.”

“It’s okay. It was three years ago. I’m working on it with my therapist. She wants me to talk about it. Anyway, they came and my dad told me to hide in the closet. They… the gangsters wanted him to keep some drugs in our apartment for a few days. He refused. He wouldn’t risk having anything illegal if the police came. He wouldn’t risk me being taken away from him. So the gangsters just shot him and left.

“He… I came out when they were gone.” Her hand wandered to her chest, right over the ring. “He told me where the extra money was.” He gave me our family ring. She let her hand wander away from where it hung against her skin on a chain. “He told me the cops were likely corrupt so I shouldn’t trust them. He… he died in my arms.”

Thae hugged her again and Jay rested her head against Thae’s. “I followed the mobsters to their headquarters and asked for a job. I spent the next few months training and gaining their trust. I was going to burn it all down once I was ready and certain they would never suspect me.

“I never got my chance. One night, I saw someone sneaking in. It was Fledgling. I followed her and when I knew she was about to get caught, I made a loud noise. She hid; I pretended to be sleepwalking.” She smiled to herself. “I already had a reputation for it. Once it was safe,” After the mobster patrolling the halls had hit me and ordered me to go to bed, “we talked a bit. She said she knew the good cops and was planning to bring them down. I thought my burn it down method was better.

“A few days later, she was shaking me away and dragged me out. It was time for their raid and she wanted to get me out so I wouldn’t get caught. She said she couldn’t recruit me if I burned them down because, ‘C doesn’t kill.’ Her exact words. Words I’ve lived by since.

“Not that I wasn’t angry. I was furious. I wanted to bring their ruin so badly but I also wanted to know why she’d wanted me.” Jay let out a laugh. “You know why? It was because I snuck up on her. Before I knew it, I was on my feet and following her out of that place.” She said it like the worst insult she could think of. “A few rooftops later, she introduced me to Crow. And well… the rest is history.”

Crow and Fledgling had left her in front of the police station with instructions on what to say to get into the foster care system. Fledgling had hugged her and said they’d come back for her. A few weeks later, Cebrua Kaenwe and Chidaera Rosnagref-Kaenwe had shown up. Dae had hugged her and whispered that she’d told her they’d come back for her and it had dawned on Jay exactly who was adopting her.

It hadn’t been long before her formal training had started. She trained for a year before she was allowed to even accompany the two of them on patrol. The wait until she was allowed out had been torture. She’d wanted so much to make sure what happened to her never happened again, but she’d also recognized that her new guardian would never reward impatience. So, she’d trained and trained and committed herself until Cebrua felt confident in her abilities.

For the most part, it had been perfect. Mostly. Her ring, her family ring that gave her the ability to create and control fire when she wore it, she’d wanted to wear it as Fledgling and Cebrua had forbidden it. They were a nonpowered team. It helped with anonymity for the public to believe they were mundane, no access to magic as the vast majority of people were.

It was the only serious argument they had ever gotten into. Eventually, Cebrua let her wear the ring on a chain under her costume.

The rest of the time, she’d been the perfect adopted daughter. Cebrua hadn’t recruited her herself; Jay had been desperate for Cebrua to like her, to keep her. She never expected her new mother to love her like her father had, but it was enough to enjoy her presence and be proud of her. She’d been so good, bending over backwards to be so good, she’d felt that she’d definitely accomplished both.

For the most part, life was good. She had no reason to be angry. None at all. She was the adoptive daughter of a billionaire. She had everything she could possibly want at her fingertips. She was the protege of a superhero. She protected the innocent in a way that would make her father proud.

“I am so sorry, Jay,” Thae whispered.

Jay shrugged. “It’s not your fault. You had nothing to do with this.”

Life was good. She had no reason to be angry. She had no reason to feel this boiling thing churning over and over in her stomach. She had no reason to want to take her ring and just burn everything to the ground.

“Still, it’s awful what happened to you. I wish you never had to deal with any of this.”

“Thanks, Thae.” She blinked and plastered a grin on her face. “How are you feeling? You ready to keep going?”

Thaekym gave her an odd look. “When will I meet Crow?”

“When you’re ready,” Dostonjay said simply. She stood and offered the girl her hand. “Ready?”

Thae nodded but she knew Jay was avoiding saying something. Maybe she’d been given an answer, but it wasn't the complete one.

Still, she knew she would one day. She trusted that Jay would introduce them eventually, would put in the good word for her as the next Fledgling. That was enough.

So she took Jay’s hand and let her pull her back to her feet.

It was time to train.