Iridescence

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

ELIZA

Nothing felt real. As the police came into the house, Apollo took charge, guiding them to my mother's body. Two of the officers remained outside to keep my neighbors from disrupting the scene.

"Liz! What's going on?" Krissy demanded.

I looked at the officers at the door. "Please... I need them," I said.

The female officer took pity on me. "Go up to your bedroom," she said. "We'll send a detective up to speak with you in a few minutes."

I headed upstairs. Krissy's eyes widened with horror at the bloody crime scene before she followed me. Abby was right behind us.

"Are you hurt, sweetheart?" Abby asked me.

"No," I replied. I couldn't exactly tell her that Apollo had healed me.

"Liz, talk to us. What happened?" Krissy asked.

"My parents were arguing... My dad tried to take me, and when my mom tried to stop him, he..." I shook my head. I started crying again.

"Oh God... He did this?" Abby asked in horror.

I nodded. "Liz... Oh my Gods..." Krissy whispered as she hugged me tightly. She wrapped the soothing energy of Water around me. It was comforting, but nothing could possibly make me feel better in that moment.

The detective walked into the room then. He had a woman with him. "Hello, Eliza," he said. "My name is Detective Banks. This is Addison Fields. She's a social worker." He paused, looking at Abby and Krissy.

"I'm her best friend and neighbor, Krissy Berry," Krissy said, "and I'm not leaving. Neither is my Aunt Abby."

"You can stay for now if it makes Eliza more comfortable," Detective Banks promised. "Did either of you hear anything?"

"We heard arguing earlier, but that's honestly not unusual," Abby admitted.

"You didn't hear me screaming?" I asked softly.

"I'm so sorry, honey. We must have had the television up too high. Oh, God, I wish I'd known... I wish I'd come over to check on you..."

"It's not your fault, Abby," I said quickly. I didn't know why, but I had a feeling my father had used magic to soundproof the house during the attack.

"Eliza, can you tell us what happened?" Detective Banks asked.

I took a deep breath, but the words refused to come out. "Take your time, sweetheart," Addison said. Her presence was extremely comforting, although I wasn't quite sure why. She took my hands in hers and added, "Just tell us what you remember."

I started to explain everything. I certainly couldn't tell them this all came down to a battle of deities, so I had to be careful how much I said.

"When my dad tried to take me, my mother tried to stop him. That's when things turned violent," I said, my voice shaking. "I couldn't stop him... It's my fault!" I blurted out.

"It is not, Liz," Krissy said firmly.

"My mom was just trying to protect me... If she hadn't done that, she'd still be alive..."

"Your mother died a hero," Addison said soothingly. "Because of her actions, you're safe."

"Do you have any relatives we can call, Eliza?" Detective Banks asked.

"No," I replied. "I don't have anyone but my parents..."

"You have us," Abby replied firmly. She turned toward Detective Banks and Addison and added, "She practically lives with us anyway. She spends more time at our house than she spends here. I'd be more than happy to take her in."

"We can allow that on a temporary basis," Addison replied. "Eliza needs to be somewhere familiar right now. We'll reevaluate things after everything settles down a bit and make sure the arrangement remains suitable."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" I asked Abby.

"Liz, you're family," Abby insisted. "And there is nothing more important in this world than that."

Apollo came to the door then. "Mr. Ray... I understand you are Eliza's music teacher. I have to ask, how did you come to be here tonight?" Detective Banks asked.

"I've been working with Eliza on independent study because she's very advanced," Apollo replied smoothly. "She had called me earlier to ask that I swing by so she could play a new piece she'd mastered. She was so excited I couldn't bring myself to refuse... Unfortunately, by the time I was able to stop by, everything had fallen apart. I found her mother, so I ran upstairs to look for Eliza and make sure she was safe. She was hiding in the attic."

It was plausible, and he spoke with confidence and his natural charm. I could tell Detective Banks believed him. "Had her father fled the scene by then?" He asked.

"Yes. Eliza was the only one here." Apollo moved a bit closer to me. "Are you holding up alright?"

"I've got Krissy and Abby," I replied. "I'll be okay."

"The police want me to go to the station to make a statement, but I'm worried about leaving you." He paused and looked at Detective Banks. "Her father is still out there."

"We'll be posting guards outside of the neighbor's house around the clock while she stays there, and we're assigning her personal bodyguards for when she's out of the house until we catch her father," Detective Banks replied.

How am I supposed to train with Iridescence while bodyguards are watching my every move? I wondered.

"Eliza... If you need me to stay, just ask," Apollo said.

"I'm alright," I lied. I wanted him to stay, but considering he was just supposed to be my music teacher, that would seem inappropriate to the police.

He gave me a tight hug. "If you need anything, call on me," he said.

"I will," I promised. I knew he'd hear me if I reached out.

After Apollo left, Detective Banks took Abby downstairs to ask her a few more questions, leaving me alone with Krissy and Addison.

"We don't have much time," Addison said. "I am Eleos, the Goddess of Empathy, Compassion, and Mercy. Addison is my current Earthly form. I use this form to help people in times of deep trauma."

"I remember you," I said softly as flashes of the gentle deity played in my mind. "Kleia's memories unlocked fully tonight. She split off of me enough to be her own entity. When I shut down, she talked to Apollo to explain what happened." I paused. "Will I end up in foster care, like Faith?"

"I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure that doesn't happen," Addison promised. "If I have to, I'll fight to get you emancipated and you can stay wherever you like, but if it's possible, I'll help Abby get permanent custody of you."

"Liz, what really happened?" Krissy asked cautiously.

"My father is a recycled soul, too... His name was Viktor," I explained.

Addison gasped. "He was another traitor! He followed Altheos and Chaos until Chaos decided he no longer needed his services."

"Wait... So your dad is actually mixed up in our mess?" Krissy asked. "How many others do you think there are?"

"I don't know, but I don't think he was the only one... And Apollo is convinced Theos is incarnated around us, too," I replied.

"Great... So is our new policy 'trust no one'? Because I'm pretty sure my aunt's not evil."

"I trust Abby completely," I replied. "I do think we'd better be careful of everyone else around us, though." I sighed. "We have to warn the others."

"I'll call Ness and see if she can pull us into one big group dream... That way, we can update everyone at once."

"I don't want to sleep tonight," I admitted.

"It's okay, Liz. I'll be right there with you," Krissy promised. "If we all work together, I'm sure we can keep your nightmares away."

I hoped she was right. I was pretty sure nightmares were all I had left.

***

We were at Krissy's house an hour later. It was almost three in the morning, and I hoped Vanessa hadn't been upset when Krissy called her to wake her up and asked her to pull all of us together.

We were gathered in a large room. It was decorated with shades of purple. "This is my sanctuary," Vanessa said. "It's safe to talk here."

"Did you guys find Billy?" Jenna asked.

"Not yet... He wasn't asleep," Vanessa replied with a sigh. "But that's okay. Krissy made this sound urgent."

"Eliza... What's wrong?" Emily asked.

"I can't..." I said. "I can't say this again."

Krissy squeezed my hand. "Eliza's father is a reincarnated evil deity. He betrayed the Gods with Altheos and Chaos... And tonight, he attacked Liz and killed her mother."

Vanessa covered her mouth in horror. Jenna looked like she might cry. Faith looked furious.

Emily moved closer to me. "What do you need?" She asked.

"I don't know," I replied.

"Yes you do. Don't think, Eliza, just answer. What do you need?"

"Not to dream... I can't handle the nightmares... I saw it, Emily. I saw it all." I started to cry. "I couldn't save her."

Emily hugged me, which was unexpected but very much appreciated. "I know this kind of loss," she said softly. "I'm here. We all are. You're not alone."

I nodded, taking comfort in her embrace. Kleia had been close to both Anastasia and Theadora, and I recognized their souls now in Emily and Vanessa.

"We've got you, girl," Faith promised. "And if I find your evil traitor of a father, I'll set him on fire before he can blink."

"We're with you, Eliza," Jenna promised.

"We'll get through this together," Vanessa added.

"Guys... Apollo thinks all of our families are in danger," Krissy said.

"I'm good. They can't get to my mom, and the rest of my family's dead," Faith replied.

"You still have friends, Faith. Keep an eye on them," I cautioned her.

"It's mostly my roommate, Genie, and Baby Doll... And my other roommate, Liana, whenever she comes back. I'm sure they'll be fine."

"I've got a big family," Jenna said. "I need to find a way to keep them all safe."

"I need to protect my mom," Vanessa added. "She's everything to me."

I nodded. "Guys... I need a distraction," I said as flashes of my mother's murder replayed in my mind.

"I kissed Artemis," Faith blurted out.

"What?" Krissy asked. "Okay, spill the tea, right now!"

"It was amazing... She's amazing. We got attacked by snakes and kicked all sorts of butt together, and kissing her just seemed like the next natural step."

"Did she freak out?" Vanessa asked.

"Only a little... But she kissed me back!"

I smiled, because Kleia knew Artemis and Tana belonged together. "I'm happy for you," I said despite the pain in my heart. "At least something good happened tonight."

"We'll keep talking," Vanessa promised. "I'll keep us all here until it's time to get up. Nothing bad can touch us here."

"We can't hide out here every night," I replied softly.

"No," Emily agreed, "but let's just worry about tonight right now. For this one night, you're safe, and you have all of the support in the world."

"You guys need to find Billy," I protested.

"And we will," Vanessa replied, "but tonight, you need us more than he does. When I'm meant to find him, I'll know exactly where to look."

"Tomorrow," I said with certainty. "You'll find him tomorrow."

"How do you know?" She asked.

"I just do, Vanessa... It's an Oracle thing."

"You're embracing the title?" Jenna asked in surprise.

"It's part of who I am," I replied. "Kleia helped me understand that... And if I want to get through this, I need to embrace everything that Kleia was."

"Does that include embracing Apollo?" Faith teased me.

I blushed. "I don't know what I feel for Apollo," I replied, "but I know what Kleia feels for him, and that's kind of overwhelming... I still don't know where Kleia ends and I start. It's hard to sort out what my feelings are."

"Well, you're in luck," Krissy declared. "This is basically a slumber party, and romance is the perfect distracting subject!"

Trying to figure out my love life when I'd never had one before might be overwhelming, but it was a lot better than trying to process the fact that I'd witnessed my mother's murder that night and my father was evil, so I decided to go with it.

"Okay," I agreed awkwardly. "Romance it is."