Should we trust her? What could she possibly have to say that would sway Cordelia?
[Cordelia]"Before you ask again," she removes her scarf revealing her scarred face. "Yes, I am the real Suzanna Steele."She lets that statement stand-alone, giving me a chance to accept and process my words."But...""Oh, the comb," she grinned. "Yes, I recognized it but the thing is...I wasn't sure if I could trust you. Magnus has a way of digging his claws into people, loyal people, and forcing them to behave against their better judgment. I needed to make sure you weren't under his sway. To be honest, part of me was not convinced at the time you fell over the edge of the boat.""Fell," I snap. "You pushed."The corners of her eyes crinkled, as she closed her eyes remorsefully. "It wasn't my intention. I was trying to startle you, not kill you. I needed to test you, but I'd never take a mother from her children," she looks down at the table sadly, "Nor a wife from her husband."Her words sound sincere, but were her intentions that pure?"Maybe if I tell you a bit more about who I a
[Cordelia]"Prove it? How?" "How much did Jude tell you about the seven families?" Suzanna inquires as my mother reenters the room. She sits beside Suzanna and pats her arm encouragingly, "And Magnus." "He thinks he's some kind of immortal," I laugh waiting for them to join in.The room slowly falls silent as the two ladies wait."You can't mean to say you believe that," I look at my mother. "That's not real. That can't be real.""I don't know about immortal," Suzanna confirms, "but he is impossibly old. I remember him from when I was a little girl and he's always looked the same. I don't think anyone has ever seen him as a young man." She then goes on to describe how her own father researched Magnus and watched him over time. "The first time I saw him he looks exactly as he does now, and that was 45 years ago. If anything, he looks a little younger." "Good plastic surgery, therapy, and a personal trainer," I list off, shrugging. "I'm still waiting for you to show or say something t
[Cordelia]"You do understand that you are the only one of us who can do this," Suzanna's eyes sparkle with excitement as if this is all just a big caper for her and not the life and death of her entire family. "You are the right age, and as a Devaroux, they will want you even more. They say their school is open to anyone who applies as long as you add yourself to the list. They don't tell you they screen that list for certain families.""How would they know if I were a member of one of those families? People get last names for all sorts of reasons." I think of my own situation. I was once Cordelia Greyson, even though I don't have a drop of Greyson blood. "They also do a DNA test," Suzanna continues. She tells us about their lengthy admittance procedure and how once your name is approved from the list, they bring you in for their "prescreening process." "You carry more than one primary line in your DNA. They'll want to see what you can do.""Wouldn't enrolling me in the school set
[Cordelia]We make a pact that night. Working together we will make Magnus suffer for all the harm he's caused not only to our family but families around the world--countless unknown cousins who have committed no crime except to have a unique flaw in their DNA. When I wake the next morning, Sasha is already gone. He got the call this morning that his employment application had been approved and that he was needed immediately to process his paperwork under a false identity Suzanna had provided. Steeling myself, I kiss my son goodbye and leave him in the loving care of his grannies, who both begin doting on him from the moment he wakes up.Even as I wave goodbye, he is already engrossed in a game of peek-a-boo with his "Gamma Kissie" while his "Gamma Zanna" makes him oatmeal. It's all too much. But there is no such thing as too much love, and a bit of the ice in my heart melts when I see how much Suzanna genuinely loves my son. He'll be safe with them. They're tougher than they look.
[Atlas]Clark and I decided to grab drinks at a local pub after seeing Cordelia off to Vancouver. He asked me why I was on the phone and when I told him he laughed. "You sent special ops to watch your wife," he snorts. "Jesus, Atlas! You're sending her to another country. You think maybe you're being a little overprotective?""Have you met my wife?" I raise an eyebrow. "Even if she doesn't always seek trouble, trouble often seeks her."She should be safe there, but just in case, I have arranged for a full security detail to watch over her. She tends to get herself into unnecessary trouble. I love my wife more than air and sunlight, but that woman is insufferable. After a few drinks, we both head back to the boat. Clark is miserable. He sent his girls away, and now seems unmoored, wandering without an anchor. "We should continue searching for the cure," he insists, wanting to leave this island as quickly as we can. "We need it for the kids. We don't need to get mixed up with whatever
[Clark]My sleep was plagued with dreams, each scenario worse than the one before. In one dream, I saw what would happen if we didn't try to stop Magnus and just walked away. And it chilled me to the core. I was standing in a field of bodies, burning piles of flesh after a virus ripped through the world. The worst pandemic in human history, even worse than the bubonic plague. The bodies left behind were not only highly contagious but twisted and warped. It was a new kind of bioweapon, one that targeted the DNA, not just the immune system. And when it found what it wanted, it created monsters. Any doubts I had about stopping Magnus disappeared. What would be the point of finding a cure for my family if everyone else died? When I woke in the middle of the night covered in sweat, I got right to work gathering what we'd need to make this operation a success. I had my drones tuned and shipped overexpress and contacted our security detail, the ones that had not been sent to guard Cordy,
[Jude]Delilah took me back to her hotel, disguised as one of her security detail. When I suggested I just continue in this role, rather than pretend to be her date at the wedding, she eventually agreed that it made more sense. "Dad would be suspicious if I suddenly showed up with you at the wedding, especially since you're supposed to be dead." She points out as she twists her lips in concentration. "We'll need to find some way to disguise you. When she returned, she had a small team of hairdressers and stylists. By the time they were all done with me, I looked like a completely different person. They shaved my hair, lightened my eyebrows, and re-contoured my face. A few small prosthetics and glue-on facial hair later, I don't think my mother would recognize me. "Last touch," she pulls out some colored contacts and I put them in, replacing my usual golden hazel eyes with bright blue. "If anyone asks, your name is Jason," she instructs as she hands me a copy of her itinerary. "Just
[Jude]She doesn't recognize me. The love of my life, a woman I'd burn the world for doesn't know my face. "So my sister said you are a friend of hers. Are you staying for the wedding?"Is this real? Does she not recognize me? "Angelica, it's me, Jude."She tilts her head to the side and stares. "I used to know someone by that name...I think. It sounds familiar. Did we meet at one of the mixers last week?"My heart sinks."No Angelica," my small smile falters, "We met at a nightclub. It was a rainy night." I began relaying the moment I first saw her. I was a medical student, almost done with school, and she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. "You came up to me and bought me a drink."She shakes her head sadly. "I've never been in a nightclub. Magnus would never allow that." She turns back to her mirror and grabs her lipstick, dismissing me. "You must be mistaken. Maybe you met one of my sisters. Sydney perhaps?"Cringing, I turn my head. Does she know about Sydney and me?