Unpredictable, Part 10-Limoreau x black!fem!reader fic
A/N: It's been a long time coming but it's here. The next part will be the finale. Thank you all so much for your support. I love reading all your replies and messages :)
Content warnings: Swearing and some violence
Word count: 6.5k
Series Masterlist
Many experts are concerned with the pervasiveness of serial killers in a supe society. Some people propose intense ideas, like using AI or supes with predictive abilities to kill potential serial killers beforehand. Others…
I paused my fingertips over the keyboard and sighed. “It’s okay, just breathe and think of the words. Dr. Melrose is one of the nicer professors, anyway.”
Then, my fingertips started moving again.
Others think this is too extreme and argue that serial killers have a right to live as much as anyone else. Which is the dumbest idea on planet earth.
Nope, can’t submit that.
I punched my thumb on the backspace button and stared at my two semi-decent sentences. Then, I glanced down at the clock in the bottom right corner of the screen and sighed.
The essay had a minimum fifteen-page requirement and it took me an hour to come up with two sentences.
I groaned and leaned back against the swivel chair and stared up at the stark white ceiling. Last year’s campus library renovation included an impressive update of the study rooms, including making them sound-proof, power-proof, and equipped with the most state-of-the-art technology.
My textbooks and notebooks were sprawled around the table, each with color-coded highlights and meticulous notes that did nothing but make my head spin. Usually, I spent most of my writing time trimming down my page length, especially when it came to ethical issues around crimefighting. But my brain couldn’t focus despite the distraction-free environment.
No matter what I did, I kept picturing the looks on Jordan and Marie’s faces when I told them I couldn’t go to the town hall. They both looked like I had taken away a large chunk of their hope.
But I couldn’t have been that helpful anyway, I thought harshly.
Sure, I helped them gather information and connected some dots but anyone could have done that.
I clapped. “Y/N, you have to stop thinking about them and the town hall. You need to finish this paper.”
Just when I grazed my keyboard, the study room door swung open. I jumped and turned to ask the person to leave, but stopped when I saw Coco standing in the doorway. In her cropped black Tommy Hilfiger blazer and matching cigarette pants, she looked like a debate moderator. Her hair fell in perfect curls and her eyes slightly narrowed at me.
“Hey, you could have knocked,” I said as light-heartedly as I could.
Coco let the door close softly behind her before sauntering over to me. “My bad, I was in a hurry. I thought I’d find you here since you weren’t at the house.”
Coco’s tone was much shorter than usual and she kept her gaze on me. My stomach churned and I straightened up.
“Coco, it was a directive from Sydney, not me,” I explained.
Coco sighed. “I don’t know why I thought I could surprise you when you know everything.”
“Not everything.”
“Anyway, what the hell is that directive about? How does she want to ‘pursue our ambitions’ but not voice our opinions?” Coco scoffed. “I knew her whole I-care-about-all-women schtick was bullshit.”
“Did you talk to her about it?”
The look Coco gave me made me shrink back into my chair.
“Why do you let her walk all over you? She made you do her dirty work.”
“As a secretary, I do have to send out communications about a variety of things; it’s part of my role. Besides, it wasn’t my decision.”
“Don’t hide behind your role, Y/N. You’ll do anything to stay good with them, even if it means missing out on a historical moment.”
I hesitated. This would not be the last time that two polar opposite politicians would face off on core issues, but it would be the first time that the main issue was supes.
“I get that you care about this since it’s your major and everything but, I have to set a good example for the other girls and the initiates.”
Coco rolled her eyes. “Do you know what the other girls and initiates are doing? They’re arguing with Sydney right now and some are trying to figure out if a shapeshifter can somehow change their appearances. Everyone wants to be a part of it; Sydney’s just scared of fallout and I know that you know that.”
While I did have many ideas about why Sydney made the decision she did, it didn’t matter. I tried to push back but it failed and I had to deal with the consequences.
“I know she’s trying to protect Si Chi’s legacy and reputation and even if I don’t agree with it, I don’t have a choice.”
���Damn it, Y/N, you always have a choice! You always choose to follow the rules but guess what? Rule followers get forgotten in history; it’s the people who stir up shit that gets remembered.”
I glanced at my laptop. “Not always.”
“Well, most of the time but that’s not the point.” Coco pulled the chair from the other side of the table around and sat next to me. “You could do some real shit in the real world if you weren’t so caught up in your own head.”
Her words made me pause. This wasn’t the first time that Coco tried to push me to “think bigger” and it was usually flattering. This time, I felt myself get more and more nauseous.
I sipped some water. “I don’t think you always have to rebel to create change.”
“There’s a time for everything.” Coco leaned back in her chair and glanced at her phone. “I have to start walking to the union before everything gets too crazy. I hope you’ll have my back at the house.”
She didn’t wait for a reply and slipped out of the room almost as quietly as she entered. Immediately, I slumped in my chair and pouted.
Not everyone could be like Coco and take risks like that. In her situation, rankings didn’t matter, she just had to graduate and network like crazy. It was different for me and anyone else who was trying to at least get a city contract; rebellion did not look good on a resume.
Coco isn’t the only one risking their reputation, my brain reminded me.
I groaned and rubbed my hands over my face. Even though Jordan was always hellbent on climbing to number one, they wanted to expose everything happening at GOD U. According to Cate, Jordan had a whole meltdown when Andre and Marie’s rankings forced them to number five. Despite all that, they wanted to do the right thing.
And then there was Marie. She’d unexpectedly received everything any GOD U student could want on a silver platter: a high ranking, backing from Vought, and promotions on social and regular media. But she never wavered when it came to the Woods.
And it’s not like I didn’t want to go to the town hall, I couldn’t. There would be cameras everywhere and the news would get back to Sydney faster than A-Train. Her icy glare sent a chill down my spine at the thought.
I shook my head.
I can’t focus on any of that, I had to focus on this essay.
Finally, I started writing:
Other people suggest that such practices are much too inhumane and that serial killers must experience early interventions as soon as possible. However, in such a situation, it is near-impossible to determine the best practices much less who would deliver them.
I smiled to myself as I kept writing and breathed a sigh of relief once I finished my thesis statement.
“Great, now all I have to do is----”
“Y/N, what the hell!” Emma demanded.
I jumped and turned to the study room door. Emma’s face was beet-red and she had detergent stains all over her sweatpants. The door slammed behind her as she stormed over to me.
“What?” I asked.
Emma shook her head. “You know what. I just got off a video call with Marie; what the hell happened?”
My stomach dropped and I almost let my head plant on the desk.
At this point, it was like the two of them were haunting me. After a couple of deep breaths, I explained Sydney’s order and how I had to break the news to Marie and Jordan. As I spoke, Emma’s expression became more solemn.
“Why would you do that? Things were going so well,” Emma mused.
“I have to keep my position in Si Chi, Emma, and I can’t do anything that messes with it.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
I hesitated, wondering if it was a little bit of both. Emma plopped down in the chair and dropped her bag on the ground.
“I know that you’re a good-two-shoes but you’re not that way all the time. I mean, you do regularly sneak off campus with the others,” Emma pointed out.
“Not so loud. You never know who could be listening,” I insisted.
“Anyway, I get that your parents really screwed you up but, when do you get to live your life?”
The last part sounded like something a really good therapist would say. Even if those words did come from a therapist, I still wouldn’t know how to answer. Every move I made since middle school was to get me to be a successful (married/engaged) supe and that was always enough for me. Mom and Dad both seemed please with each stride I made towards that goal, but it was always limited and I never stopped to think about what I wanted.
All I knew was that I was dying to know why Shetty wanted Cate and me to be friends, how long the Woods existed, and why she created the virus. I also knew that the thought of Jordan or Marie getting hurt because of all this made my chest ache.
I fidgeted with my hands. “I am living my life.”
“Are you? Do you really want to be in the library while everyone’s at the town hall? Do you really want to give up on looking into all of this?”
I snapped my eyes up at Emma. “Of course, I want to go but I also have to play it smart. Why can’t anyone understand that?” I sighed. “I just got here, Emma, and I don’t want to lose it, I can’t lose it.”
Emma frowned. “You didn’t try to look into the future about this.”
She was confident and her gaze never left mine. I wanted to push back but, there was no point. Out of everyone, Emma knew me best and there was no point in hiding. So, I explained everything about my power loss to her. The words felt like I was digging my nails into an open wound and I could feel my throat constricting towards the end.
“Shit,” she muttered.
I nodded. “I really can’t do anything out of line now; I have no leverage for Si Chi and if they found out my powers are gone, they’d kick me out immediately. Plus, I’ll get expelled, and then what? Work for my mom or dad?”
“I’m really sorry about your powers, Y/N, but you don’t know that they’re gone for good. Plus, there are plenty of other ways you can be successful here and once you graduate. You could write a tell-all book, work in research, or model like I’ve been telling you to do forever!”
I snorted at her words, which made Emma burst out laughing. I don’t know how long we laughed for, but it felt good. However, when it stopped, a realization dawned on me.
“I don’t know, Emma, things don’t tend to work out for me if I don’t follow a plan,” I expressed.
Emma wiped some tears from her eyes. “Like what?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe my powers going away because Cate’s brainwashed or getting caught up in a conspiracy that could get us all killed or maybe having your new boyfriend attack me.”
Emma flushed. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
I rolled my eyes. “But that all happened because I was going off the plan. I was supposed to focus and crack the Top Fifteen this year.”
“But Jordan and Marie weren’t in your plan, and they were pretty good.”
I sighed and rested my head on the desk. At first, I thought our conversation was going so well but then Emma had to bring them up.
“And it’s over before anything really even started.” I propped my chin up on my hands. “But that’s probably a good thing since I need to stay on track. I’ve only gone up to Sixteen.”
Emma pursed her lips and straightened up. Wordlessly, she stood and slowly made her way to the other side of the table. She paced back and forth for a second before slamming her hands down on the desk.
“No, you don’t get to talk like that. In our fifteen years of friendship, I have never seen you look at or act the way you do with Marie and Jordan. You look so happy, and you deserve to be happy, I don’t care what anyone else says and you need to start believing that.”
For a second, I thought my vision blurred but it was the tears welling up in my eyes. I willed them to stay away for a second.
“But what about Si Chi?” I wondered.
Emma groaned. “If they’re going to kick you out because you went to the town hall to be with your girlfriend and partner, then they’re idiots.” Emma stood. “But you have to decide which is more important.”
The issue was that the thought of losing either of them made me nearly hyperventilate. Si Chi was a beacon of social acceptance, but Marie and Jordan made me feel accepted. No matter how uncomfortable I felt sobbing in front of them or not wanting either of them to see me in bad lighting or makeup-less, they made me comfortable.
“They don’t want me back. They’re both…unstoppable and I’ve proven to be the exact opposite.”
“Come on, Y/N, stop with the self-doubt. I can promise you, Marie and Jordan want to be with you too, they just don’t know how to reach out.” She smirked. “You should have heard Jordan ranting about how they’d knock Sydney out of her power trip; Marie had to cut the call short to calm them down.”
I laughed a little at that. “Jordan always said that Sydney was the most mediocre telekinetic on campus.”
“But the point is they both still care a lot about you. They’re obviously hurt but you’re not totally unforgivable.”
“Thanks, Emma.”
“And if they did break up with, you always have me whenever I’m not with Sam.”
“Gee, thanks. Where is he, anyway?”
“Locked away in my dorm. Could you imagine him out there in the craziness?”
“Yes.”
Emma opened her mouth to argue but got cut off by her phone alarm going off. “I have to go switch out the laundry. I hope one cycle is enough to get blood out.”
When she left, I mulled over everything we talked about. Were she and Coco on the same wavelength or something? In both conversations, I could have started screaming at either of them but buried deep down, I knew that they both had good points.
Brink was always saying how we have to take calculated risks as heroes and it was important to minimize the damage. Even though he wasn’t my favorite professor, he did have some good points.
Maybe there was a way to minimize the damage with Si Chi and my relationship.
The thought made my hands shake as I packed up my things.
Fifteen minutes later, I was desperately trying to stop my shoulders from hiking up any further to my ears as I walked to the union. The protestors’ shouts all across the green were deafening and did nothing for my pounding head and heart. Throughout the crowd, several people were filming for social media and I did my best to avoid them.
After a few minutes, I spotted Jordan and Marie standing a couple of yards away from a side entrance that was guarded by two burly men. My heart skipped a beat as I watched their focused eyes on each other as they spoke.
Here goes nothing.
I slowly sauntered up to them, my mind racing with something, anything decent to say.
“…well, we have to figure out a way in,” Jordan muttered.
“Hi,” I chirped.
When they both faced me, I had to force myself not to try to run. Marie’s eyebrows raised and Jordan slightly narrowed her eyes at me.
“What are you doing here?” Jordan asked.
I swallowed. “I’ve had a couple of pretty intense conversations that helped me realize that you were both right: the Woods is bigger than GOD U and I should help expose it. I’m sorry about earlier, I was scared and I still am but, I want to help in any way that I can.”
The next couple of seconds felt like a million years. Finally, Marie smiled and relaxed.
“Does this mean that you don’t care about Si Chi anymore?” she asked.
“No, I’m petrified of all the cameras but I’m trying really hard not to think about it,” I admitted.
“Well, it’s a good first step. We’d love your help,” Marie declared.
Jordan paused before sighing. “Just don’t run off again.”
I agreed. “So, you’re looking for a way in?”
Marie nodded. “But we can’t get past those two without causing a scene.”
If I had my powers, solving that would have been easy but I was on my own. I glanced at the two burly guards and cocked my head.
“Did you try flirting?” I asked.
“No, and don’t even think about it,” Jordan threatened.
I turned to her. “You’re jealous about a suggestion?”
Jordan shrugged and Marie chuckled.
“Fine, that’s off the table.”
“Do you know a teleporter?” Marie asked.
“Well, there’s Gia Sharpe from Beta Ro but she’s probably inside already,” I offered.
Jordan started rolling her eyes but paused and grinned when she saw something. “That might not be necessary.”
Marie and I followed her gaze and I gasped when it landed on Justine and Renee. The two were standing on a nearby green and Justine was trying to direct Renee to hold the camera to really capture her dismayed expression. I slid behind Marie and put my head down.
“What’s wrong?” Marie asked.
I huffed. “It’s Justine.”
“Do you two have issues besides what she did to Emma?” Jordan asked.
“Sort of. She and her friend tried to rush Si Chi and after everything with Emma, I couldn’t let that happen,” I explained.
“And?” Marie prompted.
“And, I explained my concerns to the other sorority presidents, including Sydney and none of them wanted to promote her behavior.”
Marie smirked and Jordan’s grin deepened.
“You blackballed that bitch from every sorority?” Jordan teased.
“No, I just gave the other presidents information I thought they could use,” I defended.
“That’s pretty badass, Y/N,” Marie stated.
I smiled as my stomach flipped. “Anyway, I know that she doesn’t know that I did it but I have a feeling that she would take any opportunity to make me look bad.”
Jordan glanced at me for a second before turning her gaze back on Justine. Jordan’s jaw clenched and there was a new glint in their eyes that only appeared right before a fight. As she started approaching them, I moved to stand next to Marie.
“What are you doing?” Marie whispered.
“Causing a distraction,” Jordan called over her shoulder.
I gulped and stared as Jordan called Justine before delivering a right hook to her jaw. Justine stumbled for a second before straightening up, her jaw askew. She snapped it back into place with a flick of her hand and hissed something back at Jordan. Seconds later, Jordan was beaming in the middle of a full-on brawl.
“Does Jordan always get like this when they fight?” Marie asked.
“Yes. One time, they almost got us kicked out of a club because they sent a group of guys to the hospital.”
“Almost?”
“Cate.”
“Oh.”
I smiled as Jordan dodged one frat boy’s sloppy left side kick only to spin him to collide with another frat boy that was approaching her from behind. “They look really good when they fight, though.”
Suddenly, the guards rushed past us, and Marie grabbed my arm.
“Let’s go before you start drooling.”
Victoria’s makeshift green room was immaculate and complete with various notes for the town hall and water bottles and snacks. She also looked immaculate in her navy-blue suit and perfectly coiffed dark hair. Her eyes were wide, eerily wide, and it felt like she saw everything. Those eyes watched Marie with intensity as she explained everything with the Woods and handed over the drive.
Victoria rubbed her thumb over the device and pursed her lips. “What you just expressed to me is a serious matter. Have you told anyone else?”
“We don’t trust anyone else,” Marie answered.
“Understandable.” Victoria’s slow head nod made my blood boil and I didn’t know why. “Of course, I will get this into the right hands as soon as possible.”
“And we won’t get in trouble?” I asked.
Victoria faced me. “Of course not. If anything, you and your friends should be heralded as heroes. However, I understand your concerns and appreciate your courage in coming to me.”
I nodded stiffly. “Thank you for your time. You probably have plenty of other last-minute town hall things to do.”
“Yeah, thanks for listening,” Marie agreed as she stood.
“I do but, I also wanted to speak with Marie for a moment, alone.”
Her words made my heart rate pick up and I could hear several alarms going off in my head. Something was off with Victoria but I didn’t know what and I couldn’t just drag Marie out of there with no explanation.
I turned back to Marie, and she nodded. Slowly, I stood and one of Victoria’s assistants guided me out of the room. I couldn’t stop myself from pacing up and down the hallway. There was no telling what they were talking about, and I hated not knowing.
If only---
No, that won’t be helpful. I just had to be patient and wait for her.
But patience was hard when my gut felt so uneasy like it was on a rocking boat. I’d never met Victoria until then and I knew Coco thought she was an acceptable candidate. So, I had no cause to feel the way that I was feeling.
Maybe it was paranoia or stress; both were known to make people perceive things differently.
But my intuition was never wrong.
Finally, Marie walked out of the green room, her eyes wide but she seemed okay.
“Hey, are you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she confirmed.
As soon as we were out of earshot, Marie started rambling but I got the gist: Victoria was a supe with the exact same powers as Marie, she and Marie were both in the same facility as kids, and Victoria was Marie’s benefactor.
“She even told me about how she can see people’s internal organs and that it happens when you focus enough,” Marie gushed.
“That’s cool,” I mused.
The sunlight was refreshing when we got outside but it didn’t distract from the rowdy protests in front of the union. Each “Supe Lives Matter” sign made me cringe but both sides were extremely passionate. It was hard to understand why people loathed finding a middle ground so much.
“What’s wrong?” Marie asked.
“Nothing, I’m glad that we handed over the information and she was receptive,” I stated.
Marie frowned. “You’re holding back.”
The last thing I wanted to do was start a fight and I could already feel the roots of tension appearing.
“I just…I don’t have a good feeling about Victoria,” I confessed.
Marie paused in her steps and I hesitated before facing her. “What do you mean? She was our best option and she’s the one who got me in here, she can’t be that bad.”
“I know and I’m not saying she is, I just feel like something’s off.”
“Don’t start that self-sabotaging bullshit,” Marie warned.
“I’m not. You and Jordan want me to be honest and that’s what I’m trying to do. I can’t ignore my gut, Marie.”
Marie opened and closed her mouth several times. The furrow between her eyebrows was deeper than usual and I wished that I knew the best thing to say. It was difficult to tell my girlfriend that I was happy that she knew who her benefactor was but that I was also suspicious of said benefactor.
“Let’s go find Jordan,” Marie muttered.
I quietly agreed and followed Marie to the protest area since that’s where most people were. Even though I saw a couple of Greek Life people I knew, I couldn’t find Jordan.
It’s hard to say what exactly started it but in an instant, I was caught up in a sea of protestors pushing and shoving each other. Then, the shoves turned into punches and kicks. I saw several teeth get punched out of heads and people resetting their broken noses before going back in for more. All I could do was my best to dodge all the mayhem and in it, my stomach sunk when I realized that I’d lost Marie.
“Marie? Marie!” I called.
I thought I was being loud but I quickly got drowned out by the yells and grunts of the protestors. A burly jock lunged for me but I grabbed the back of his collar used the momentum to send him flying into the people behind me. I kept trying to call for Marie but got distracted by all the jostling.
Breathe, just breathe, Y/N, I thought.
Then, someone grabbed the back of my right arm and yanked me through the crowd. I yelped at the strength but couldn’t fight back as I was finally pulled to a fairly clear sidewalk. The same someone grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face them and I sighed when I made eye contact with Marie.
“Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?” Her eyes frantically searched my face and she felt all over me for any bruises. “You have some blood on your dress.”
I gasped. “Is it mine?”
Marie shook her head and hugged me.
“There you two are, we’ve gotta get out of here!” Jordan rushed as he approached us.
Marie and I pulled away and trailed after Jordan. After a few minutes, we stopped at a clear green and I slumped against a tree.
“You didn’t get in trouble for the fight?” Marie asked.
“They didn’t catch me,” he said with a wide smirk. “How did things with Neuman go?”
“Good, she actually listened to us and said she was going to hand over everything to the proper channels.”
Jordan nodded. “Did she say what would happen to Shetty?”
“She wasn’t sure but probably firing,” Marie reported before glancing at me.
I huffed and pushed myself to lean straighter against the tree.
“How long will it take?” Jordan asked.
“She didn’t say,” I answered.
“But, she’ll do it; she actually wants to help, Jordan,” Marie insisted.
Then, Jordan looked at me and I glanced down at my shoes.
“What’s going on with you two?” he asked.
“Y/N’s suspicious of Victoria even though she’s willing to help us,” Marie said.
“I just have a bad feeling and I was trying to be honest,” I defended. “Plus, Jordan brought up a good question. She never gave us a timeline or the names of those she would be speaking with. There are kids still down there.”
“I’m sure Victoria will be as quick as possible. If she was willing to help me, she must be willing to help others.”
“Wait, what?” Jordan asked.
“Victoria’s my donor,” Marie explained.
“That’s amazing.” Jordan paused and looked at me. “I’m not gonna pick sides or anything but, you both have good points. Neuman is our best option to expose the Woods and have people listen. Y/N has sensitive intuition, and she might be picking up on something. But, no one should be fighting right now, especially since we just made up.”
“I didn’t mean to start a fight,” I pleaded.
“It’s not a fight, it’s a disagreement and I’m okay with dropping it for now if you are,” Marie offered.
I nodded.
“Good.” Jordan stepped closer to me and frowned. “You got caught up in the brawl.”
“I don’t think it was long, though, and I’m not hurt. Marie found me but I was able to evade several people; I even threw a guy further into the crowd.”
Jordan smiled. “That’s my freshie.”
I didn’t have long to bask in the praise since my vision was overrun with the clearest image I’d had in a long time. Cate was standing in Shetty’s pristine living room and the older woman was cowering against the wall, eyes blown wide with fear and shaking her head.
“Cate, please, don’t do this, you don’t have to do this,” Shetty’s voice echoed.
“Yes, I do, you gave me no other choice.” Cate’s voice was hollow and her eyes were bloodshot. Then, my gaze fell down to her hands and in one, she held a sizable butcher knife.
When I blinked, Jordan, Marie, Emma, and Sam were looking back at me. I flinched a little.
“Do you zone out a lot?” Sam asked.
“No, Y/N just had a vision,” Emma replied with a grin.
I slightly nodded and pushed myself off the tree. “We need to get to Cate, now.”
Shetty’s house was as pristine as any college dean’s would be: the houseplants throughout the house accentuated the ivory and pastel décor and the scent of chamomile filled the house. The space in itself oozed serenity but I felt my skin buzzing as I traipsed through the house with my friends.
Just like in my vision, Cate was standing in the living room, her back facing us. Across the room, Shetty cowered against the wall and kept trying to crawl to no avail.
“Cate, what’s going on?” Jordan asked.
When she turned to us, everyone else gasped except me. Cate’s pupils were dilated, and her eyes were redder than I’d ever seen them. Her arms rested at her sides and the butcher knife glinted in one of her ungloved hands. Cate’s loose posture would have been more concerning if I hadn’t seen what I saw.
“You were fast,” Cate commented.
“We were on our way when you called me,” Marie shared.
“I caught a glimpse of what was going on and thought we should all talk,” I added.
Cate smiled and walked over to me. “Your powers are back, that’s amazing.” She went to grab both of my hands, but I flinched.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
“Y/N, please, help me,” Shetty pleaded.
Cate whirled towards her. “Shut up! Only speak when I tell you.”
Shetty immediately closed her mouth but nothing Cate said wiped the terrified expression off the dean’s face.
“Cate, I think you pushed too much. Why don’t we sit down and you tell us what’s going on?” Marie offered.
“Also, where’s Andre?” Jordan asked.
“He had to go into the city and I feel perfectly fine. I realized that it wasn’t my powers that were making me sick, it was the prescription Shetty gave me,” Cate stated.
“What?” Emma asked.
If the prescription Cate took for her headaches somehow dulled her powers, then that meant…
“She gave you suppressants,” I concluded.
Cate nodded. “Exactly.” She turned away and started walking towards Shetty. “When Indira came home, I got her to admit to everything she’s been doing. Plus, the clips I saw from the town hall inspired me. We’ve been letting non-supes control us for far too long. They’re just scared of us because they know we should be the ones running things.”
While Cate was partly right about some non-supes being scared of supes, that didn’t mean the answer was to subjugate all of them. The situation was worse than my vision led me to believe and I wracked my brain for the best words.
“Cate, you don’t have to do this. We gave over all the information to Neuman and she’ll get it out soon,” Marie offered.
“Yeah, all of this will be exposed and Shetty and everyone else involved will face the repercussions that they should,” Jordan added.
Cate seemed unimpressed as she glanced at the knife in her hand. “That’s too good for Indira.” She faced the woman. “You brainwashed me and made me believe I was helping Luke when I was part of the reason he died. I should have reported you as soon as I got suspicious.”
Shetty shrunk away from her as much as possible and made some sort of noise behind her closed lips.
“Cate, that’s enough,” I tried.
The blonde turned to me. “Don’t you want to know why she wanted us to stay so close? Just ask and I’ll make her say.”
“You don’t have to do that, Y/N,” Jordan said.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” Emma voiced.
As I stared at the petrified dean, my curiosity didn’t matter. What did matter was that Cate was unhinged and I had to talk her down. She didn’t have her gloves on, which meant that she could peek into any of our heads at will. The best solution was to keep my head as clear as possible.
I took a deep breath and did my best to sweep away any annoying thoughts.
“I appreciate the thought but it’s okay. I don’t care about that anymore; I care about you.” I approached Cate like a zookeeper would approach a tiger. Her eyes never left mine and I forced myself to relax as I grabbed her free hand. “I’m still hurt by what you did but that doesn’t mean I hate you; none of us hate you. You’re one of my best friends and I know you have good intentions and Shetty took advantage of that.”
Cate nodded and breathed. “She did.”
“Yeah. So, why don’t we get out of here and let the police or whoever’s in charge of taking down people like her do their jobs? We can go get milkshakes at Vought-a-Burger if you want.”
Cate paused for a moment and mulled over my words. My heart rate felt like it raised with each passing second. Then, she eyed me. “Thanks for trying, Y/N but this is for your own good.”
“Cate---”
“Indira, tell Y/N what your plans were for her,” Cate cut me off.
Shetty sat up and responded, “Upon receiving your application and seeing your powers, my plan was to admit you into the school but admit you to the Woods before the end of your first semester.”
“What?” The word felt like it was punched out of me and I took a step away from Cate.
Shetty continued, “A future probability supe with a ten percent margin of error is too dangerous. There is no way of predicting any of your moves or motives and I wanted you sedated and monitored. But Brink stopped me just before sending out acceptance letters; he insisted that you were much more useful in the classroom than you were in a lab.”
My stomach churned as I kept backing away from Cate, whose gaze never left mine, and Shetty. I could feel my neck and shoulders tense and I suddenly felt lightheaded.
“Stop,” I requested.
“Keep going,” Cate instructed.
“Cate, stop!” Emma pleaded.
“She needs to hear this.”
“I disagreed with him but set up check-ins with you in an attempt to get his perspective. On first impression, I knew that you were intelligent but anxious and you had no malintent in your power use. I paired you with Cate as a peer mentor because I knew she would be able to keep a close eye on you and make sure you were taking your medicine without being suspicious,” Shetty articulated.
“Did you put me on power suppressants too?” I asked.
“Partly. In each session, I made sure to play upon your insecurities, which would heighten your anxiety. You had so much self-doubt that your attempts to strengthen your powers were limited. Also, the medication I gave you only included a minimal amount of anti-anxiety medication. It also included power suppressants that dulled your abilities but not so much that you would notice.”
For a year and a half, I aired out all my insecurities, fears, goals, and grievances with Dean Shetty. She’d always made me feel secure in her office and was quick to offer advice. She listened every time I cried about my parents and gave me ginger tea after each episode. The fact that she’d been manipulating me and drugging me this whole time made it feel like the floor fell out from under me.
When I remembered she wanted me committed underground, I had to take really deep breaths.
She never cared about me or Cate; we were the enemy. Everything we told her was just more ammo that she could use.
“You never helped me; you almost made me worse,” I hissed.
“You’re too dangerous, all you supes are! It’s just a matter of time before you kill us all!” Shetty snapped.
“So, you kill us first?” Jordan shot back.
Shetty didn’t respond but glared defiantly at Jordan.
“She’s the enemy, Y/N, they all are. We can’t let them control us anymore,” Cate insisted.
“But hurting her doesn’t make us any better,” I whispered.
Cate nodded slowly. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
She turned on her heel and walked back over to Shetty and I couldn’t take my eyes off the knife.
“Cate, wait, I get that Shetty’s deplorable, but she isn’t worth killing,” I pleaded.
That and all my other pleas fell on deaf ears as Cate walked over to Shetty. She turned to me and glanced at the others behind me, all were similarly asking her to stop.
“Slit your throat, Indira,” Cate ordered, handing the butcher knife to Shetty.
The woman easily accepted it and obeyed the commandment in one swift motion. The gurgling noises were the worst and my hands slapped across my mouth as I forced myself to take deep even breaths. Then, Marie brushed past me, gently pushing me closer to the others as she approached Cate.
Marie stretched a hand towards Shetty but Cate grabbed her arm.
“Cate, let me help her,” Marie insisted.
“I can’t do that. This is what she deserves,” Cate said slowly.
For a moment I froze. Part of me wanted to lunge forward and free Marie and the other wanted to get as far away from the bloody scene as possible. Either way, I knew that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the life slowly draining from Shetty’s.
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