Money still ruled supreme when it comes to the earth. People with power only cared about more money, not the environment. It was difficult to fight against Terratrex when the trees they were experimenting with could cure world hunger. For a hefty price, of course. What country wouldn’t give them everything they had to help feed their people, making them dependent on the government? The whole situation sucked. Of course, I’d been invited over to have a family dinner, and that didn’t help anything. But instead of joining the family occupation of being an asshole, I talked about my art, and all the good I was doing in the world. I thought it was going to give my dad a heart attack that his once-favored son was a hoarding artisan that played with trash.
“This is one problem I don’t know how to fix. We’ve yet to see all the powers resurface this decade. For all we know, someone in France could have the gifts to sort this mess out. But the Hero Society is still new and growing.” Draco looked frustrated along with me, the dead fish, crabs, and seaweed floating around while we watched the swells roll to the shore.
“Mankind has stopped caring about the only planet they live on. Centuries ago, everything used to be so pure. Not plastics, no trash like we have everywhere now. The air was cleaner, and the water sparkled. I’m glad my time as an immortal is done, for I don’t care to be around when the earth takes its last toxic breath.”
He shook his head thinking about it.
Immortality had to have sucked, watching everyone you cared about die, witnessing how far mankind has fallen from the connection to one another and nature.
There was hope, though. Companies like Griffin Enterprises were fighting to make the world a better place. We were fighting to make the world a better place. More people with powers were stepping up to the plate every day, wanting to use their gifts for good.
With a renewed feeling of hope, I got back to trying everything I could think of to help the issue in front of us. I’d deal with Gwendolyn and everything else later—right now I had to give this everything I had.
Apparently, everything I had wasn’t enough. In fact, the algae were dispersed more and more throughout the water and was going to hit the Davidson current off the coast in approximately three days, and that would be it. There would be nothing we could do once it hit one of those Pacific water highways.
I was tired as hell but managed to paint a large canvas of waves and dirty-looking water. The picture mocked me, but I kept looking at it, trying to figure out what I could do to make it better.
My phone beeped, and I hopped over my chair to see if it was Gwendolyn.
Gwendolyn: Can you come over? I need you right now.
I shot her back a reply quickly as I grabbed a jacket and ran out the door.
Not even bothering with my car, I jogged to her apartment. She answered after the first knock, and my knees went weak. She looked fine—a little flustered, but fine.
Even though I wanted to launch into a million questions, I waited for her to initiate conversation. Too many questions might throw her off.
“Thanks for coming. I—uh—don’t do well with new things, and something new has happened. I have no idea where my head is right now, and I just needed you with me. You calm me down and help me see things differently than my mind is telling me.”
Instantly, I opened my arms for her, and she snuggled herself between them.
“I’m always here for whatever you need me for.” Which I hoped was everything—I wanted Gwendolyn to need me for everything…to be her lifeline when she felt like she couldn’t keep her head above water.
Was it a proper time to propose to her now? The thought ran through my head, and I was about to when she threw me a curve ball.
“My parents died a few days ago, and me being the only kin left to my sister, I’m now her guardian.”
My heart stuttered. I did not see that coming.
She left in a rush to go to her family that abandoned her, to see her sister. Did that mean she was here?
Looking around, I didn’t see anything out of place, including a ten-year-old girl.
“She’s in my bedroom. Obviously, it came as a shock to her that she had a sister she didn’t know about. Even more so when she found out why they left me. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything, I just—I just don’t know how to do any of this, and now I’m essentially her parent. I’m freaking out right now, and I know if I have a meltdown it’s probably going to scare her, which makes me freak out more.”
I tucked her in a bit more tightly against my chest. This was a big deal. A very big deal. I wasn’t even sure what I could do to help the situation except be here for her.
“What do you need me to do?” I pulled back and cradled her cheeks between my hands softly, wanting to look her in her blue eyes.
“I called Lynn, who’s on the way to help me. I know she can do the most. But I just need you here; I can’t do this alone.”
She’d never be alone in this. Hell, if she asked me to move in tonight with her, I would.
New sister, new complications and all.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Arthur
Honestly, it was like looking at a younger version of Gwendolyn, only with brown eyes. From her father, as Gwendolyn told me.
Emily was the young girl’s name. She was ten years old, like I already knew, and was having a lot of problems with the situation at hand.
Lynn pulled us to the side and told us the truth. Emily was feeling conflicted. She loved her parents and felt their loss, but also had anger swimming inside her finding out about Gwendolyn. They never mentioned her, and she was upset that she had a sister she never knew about. Her parents’ image in her little head was being distorted and at an emotionally charged time.
She didn’t want to speak to anyone after talking with Lynn, and I could tell Gwendolyn was getting close to losing it.
Lynn and Gwendolyn did the best they could to explain Asperger’s to Emily, how it affects Gwendolyn and the challenges she faced, hoping it would make their new arrangement being in the same house together a bit smoother. She nodded and remained quiet.
Her face looked much like Gwendolyn’s when she pulled that ice mask of hers over.
The poor girl—I felt bad for her. Everything she knew was gone.
Lynn did everything she could to help the girls get better acquainted and promised she would be back tomorrow to help further.
She’d taken a fancy to Cora, who sat next to her leg, working as a therapy dragon. It was what she was programmed to be, essentially.
“Are you tired, Emily? Or hungry? I can make you something.” Gwendolyn looked so out of sorts with herself, but I could tell she was trying.
“I’m just going to go to sleep.” She gave us both a nod and went into Gwendolyn’s bedroom to sleep.
“I’m sleeping on the couch until I can convert my office to a bedroom. Maybe we should move and get a bigger apartment. Or a house.” The wheels in Gwendolyn’s head were rolling, so I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her cheek.
Her body started shaking, and then little gasps for air rumbled against my chest.
“Oh, goddess. It’s going to be okay. We just have to take it one heartbeat at a time.”
She was crying.
Pulling her over to the couch, I held her against my body and rubbed her back in comfort.