Chapter 14: Familial Interests

"Ancestry is a big part of your life- it makes up your lineage and expectations as well as your legacy and potential. You must learn to connect with your family, no matter how mad you are at them."

- UNKNOWN TO US

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For the most part, it was relieving to find out that Melissa slept. By the time she walked in, Melissa was well asleep on her bed, her hood on over her head, her necklace's pendant being held softly in her hands.

Sakura smiled softly as she slowly closed the door. She walked on over closer to Melissa's bed, and she pulled the blanket so that it was covering the brunette more properly. 

She then turned and went over to sit on her own bed located on the other side of their shared room, and pulled out her notebook from her very own dark blue hoodie's pocket. She flipped it open to the current date.

And so she began to write a basic summary of her day so far.

'And now,' she wrote, 'We've found out that at least the possibility of our families still caring for us is there. At least Leotard appears to at least care for our well-being-' She stopped writing as she heard the sound of footsteps outside of their room.

Sakura quickly shut the notebook and left it behind as she walked over to the door. She opened it to see that Yugo was walking down the hall, and he noticed Sakura and he smiled at her.

She waved back in response,and she began "She's asleep, don't worry."

"Is she now?" Yugo questioned, and he stopped near the door.

"Yes, I am."

"How you holding up?" he changed the subject.

She shrugged. "I'm not too sure if I'm being honest. I was just writing in my notebook just now."

"Is it hard?"

"What?" she stared at him blankly.

"Writing about emotions."

"Not really I guess."

"You guess?"

"I mean, it's hard to describe them with pen and paper. Speech even."

"How is she sleeping?" he nodded in Melissa's direction.

"She has been motionless, is that a good sign?"

"It sure is," he smiled, "Thanks Sakura." he turned to walk away.

"Hey, Yugo?"

"Yeah?" He stopped and turned to look at her. 

"Do you think that she'll be okay?"

"You want my honest opinion?"

Sakura nodded.

"I honestly don't know," he looked past Sakura, and she assumed that he was meaning Melissa, "I can only hope she'll be okay, especially with her... Circumstances."

Sakura watched silently as he walked away from her, and she slid back into her room stealthily, closing the door carefully.

She rested her back against the door, and she only looked at Melissa, who's back was facing towards Sakura now. Sakura walked back over to the desk, and she sat down and resumed to write.

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Melissa slept well for a few hours, and suddenly saw herself back on the beach all of those years ago.

"Not back here." she groaned out, disappointment in her voice.

"It's not like you can choose where we chat at." a voice said.

Melissa turned around, surprised, to see Jean standing on the beach with her, his light brown hair waving with the wind and his grey eyes clearly visible. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"That;s rude," he began, "Not even saying hi to family I see."

"All of mine are dead."

"And you have my condolences. All eighteen of you Heirs."

"You never really explained the rules to me."

"The rules are more like expectations more than rules."

"I don't understand."

"I don't expect you to understand."

"Your 'Secret'..."

"Project: Godsend. I didn't think that it would work. I intended it to be gone after I gave it to my kids, but obviously it did more than I expected."

"You died a tragic death if I recall correctly."

"Indeed, it was not as tragic as history makes it out to be."

"How so?"

"I wasn't executed to begin with, I was caught by the Hunters, and struck down near my own home, in front of my wife."

"Then ho-"

"My wife already had the pendants."

"You're not making any sense."

"It's perfect sense, you just don't understand."

"What does that have to do with the rules?"

"Be careful when you grow up."

"How so?"

"Procreation is a pain to deal with. I suggest it after marriage."

"Why're you telling me this? I'm not even looking anywhere near that... Subject." She felt her face grow hot from that comment.

"I'm just saying," Jean held his hands up in defense, "Kids these days your age are just-"

"I get the point," she cut him off, "What does that have to do with this dream?"

"It's not really, but that doesn't  mean that it isn't necessary."

"Then why are we having a conversation then?"

"We were cut short last time. Besides, I want to help all of you."

"So," she began, "You're telling me that you, my dead ancestor, wants to help the dream me. For what?"

"These dream visions are supposed to help the each of you fulfill your role."

"My  role for what?"

"You are an Heir, and Heirs are like a more passive version of the Hunters."

"So, we're supposed to watch the world, and use our Affinities to prevent global crisis, thanks." she remarked sarcastically, resting her hands on her hips.

"Sarcasm aside," Jean mentioned, "That is true in the whole sense."

"I don't get it," she changed the topic, remembering the glowing substance, "What about Renegus?"

"What about it?"

"Back when me and Yugo were interrogated, he held some, but the others were-"

"Petrified? Afraid?"

"Yes, and what was with that"

"That is another thing. Renegus is dangerous to people."

"Then why are we okay?"

"To put it simply, you're all immune."

"How?"

Jean stared at her. "What do you think? Your alchemist ancestor can't tell you everything."

It finally dawned on her. "You," she pointed a finger at her ancestor, "You've figured it out."

"Sure, let's go with that."

"Because," she grabbed her pendant, "These necklaces, the pendants, are made out of the substance."

"How can you tell?" Jean began to smile slightly at her.

"The characteristics. No glass I know of can glow."

"Ever since me, our family has been immune to it's volatile effects."

"One question: Why can't we switch The pendants."

"That is due to how they work. The Affinities are attuned to you. I'm not quite sure as to how this'd affect you. And I don't want to find out anytime soon."

"What if it's absolutely necessary?"

"Then pray that it won't be a bad thing." He paused and looked up towards the night sky, "We'll talk more soon."

"Hey, wait you haven-" she was cut off as there was a flash of white, and suddenly, she was awake in her bed, and she heard Sakura talking to what sounded like Yugo.

"Do you think that she'll be okay?" She heard Sakura ask Yugo.

"You want my honest opinion?" Silence, to which Melissa assumed that Sakura nodded because Yugo continued, "I honestly don't know. I can only hope she'll be okay, especially with her... Circumstances."

She heard the door slide shut, and the footsteps of the heterochromiac, who sat down.

"You can talk now." she heard Sakura speak after thirty seconds.

Melissa shifted her body to face Sakura, who turned in her chair to face the brunette.

"How long were you listening in?" Sakura asked her.

"Long enough to know that I shouldn't have heard it." Melissa replied.

"Why didn't you speak up then?"

"It wasn't my conversation to begin with," she sat upright, "You writing again?" she nodded in Sakura's direction.

"I guess so."

"When's the next time that you go in?"

"Few weeks, the 30th."

"And do you think that we'll be left alone by then?"

Sakura didn't answer that at first. She then pursed her lips, and then she replied "I can only hope." She almost sounded like a programmed AI.

"'You hope'? You sounded like a robot, and that manner of speech was just like Yugo," Melissa stifled a laugh, "Almost like a robotic Yugo."

"I guess so," she looked at Melissa in confusion, "I'm being honest here."

"Yeah yeah yeah," she slowly turned her body so her legs dangled over the bed's edge, "I don't think that is helping your case at all."

"Just stop that already, I get it. Now get some more rest."

"Fine fine, I'll do just that." Melissa laid back down, and shut her eyes yet again.

And the last thing that she heard was the movement of Sakura's pencil writing in her notebook.

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"Do you really have to use so many tools to pry out one bullet?" Zach asked annoyed.

"These?" Leotard implied, "Are for show. But these," he gestured to a pair of tongs and a few needles, "Are completely necessary, we won't know how deep that wound is."

"I know it's deep enough to hurt whenever I move my arm."

"Then stop moving it."

"Why should I?"

"You could be causing the bullet to delve deeper into you."

Currently Zach was seated in what he concluded to be a bathroom, fit with a large, white, marble counter top in the middle of the space, and a walk in shower and a jacuzzi bathtub. There was another counter with the sinks.

Man were they rich.

Zach was on top of said counter, and Leotard grabbed the tongs, which it and the needles were place on top of a towel right next to Zach. "Remove the shirt and sling, without moving the gunshot arm please."

Zach used his free hand to remove his dark bowler hat and placed it next to him. He then proceeded to lift the sling over his head and off of his arm. 

But he hesitated when it came down to his shirt. Zach shut his eyes tightly and he lifted his shirt off, a blinding pain shot right through him. He fought hard against the pain.

And after the shirt was removed, the pain began to recede before it disappeared.

Leotard crossed over to the boy, and he placed a hand against Zach's shot shoulder, and he lifted the tongs near him.

"You ready?" he asked sternly.

"Just do it already." Zach replied through gritted teeth in an attempt to prepare for the foreseeable pain.

Leotard nodded, and Zach felt the tongs press deep into his wound. His eyes squeezed shut as tears threatened to spill.

And after a few minutes of agonizing pain, Zach heard a "Clunk!" and he let out a sigh of relief.

"I was pretty deep in there, but I got it out," Leotard set down the tongs, "Now I just have to stitch up the wound."

"Go right ahead then."

"Alright then." He the proceeded to sew Zach's wound shut, and afterwards Zach felt sore.

"There you go.. You're free to go now."

"Thanks." Zach gingerly rubbed his shoulder, which he could tell that the pain was indeed replaced by soreness. He put his shirt and sling back on.

He got off the counter, and he walked out of the bathroom, only to be met with Dylan, who just looked at him and nodded.

"I'm fine, just a bullet wound." Zach reassured him.

Dylan replied with "Just wanted to be sure because you could still be-"

"I get it man really. I'll be more careful if it helps you sleep at night."

"It doesn't." the dirty blonde deadpanned.

"Oh well then." Zach felt his phone vibrate, and he took it out of his pocket. He opened his messaging app, only to find a text from Carrie. 'Don't forget about tomorrow. :P'

"Crap." Zach said.

"What is it?" Dylan inquired.

"I have to see a friend tomorrow."

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