Chapter Five: Forgiveness

Present day

Kenny looks at me while clutching his prosthetic foot. The silence is killing me, and I break it.

“There.” I say. “You know now. Your auntie killed your mother, because she never killed that sniper.” I feel the guilt coming back up as I think about it. I didn’t even hunt the sniper after her death. I just…fell apart. It took Kenny coming to live with me to get me back on my feet, but I never went into the public eye after her death. I just couldn’t handle any of those cameras in my face. “I’m a coward. Are you satisfied, knowing that you can blame me for not having a mother?”

Kenny stares at me in shock as I turn away and march out of the shop. It’s raining now, but I don’t care. I can’t even imagine how much he hates me for everything I’ve done. I know I would. I was a terrible auntie. Good thing he never has to talk to me again, it was such a terrible idea to come here. I should’ve gone to Jaxson’s party.

As I march through the rain, I hear frantic footsteps coming from behind when I feel something– No. Someone.– crash into me and embrace me. I can hear him crying as he sobs into my back.

“I forgive you.” He says, and those words break me. I try to fight the tears but they beat me and I begin to sob as well. We sit in the rain, crying about people long dead, and never coming back.

1 week later

“Are you sure about this?” Kenny asks me as we stand at the bottom of the ladder that leads into my attic. A place I haven’t stepped into for the longest time. “If there’s bad memories up here for you-”

“No. I need to clean it. Besides, I think you deserve to see some of your mom’s old stuff.” He nods at me in confirmation, and we’re about to head up to the top of the ladder when I hear a knock at my door. “You go on up.” I say. “I’ll get it.”

As he ascends, I open the door and see a bandaged, very angry woman. I recognize her, she’s one of the people me and Cassidy saw when we were sneaking through Apollo’s vent. The night Maria betrayed us.

“May I come in?” She asks. I allow her in, and she sits down on the couch. She props her legs up on my living room table as if she owns the place, and I scoff.

“Who are you and what do you want?” I ask. I make sure to puff out my chest to emphasize my Arch Armor. If she’s planning anything, it’s not apparent.

“My name is Koharu Hill, and I have a proposition for you, Architect Williams.” I stare her down, and I realize whatever she’s planning to ask me…isn’t good.