“Should I be happy that I can stand here again and look over these gardens without it being connected to my job?”

  I shrugged, leaning against the stone railing that rested behind the fountain. The weather was nice – and this was a good private place where we could chat about this situation without worrying about people overhearing us. Most of the damage caused by the cultist’s attack had been repaired, although there were still a few scars left behind.

  “Depends on if you’re prepared to move on, I suppose.”

  “Didn’t I tell you that WISA agents don’t retire? Or rather, they didn’t used to.”

  “This is your chance. You’ve got to make a decision eventually.”

  “I’m not going back there. I’ve had enough of it.”

  She felt burned by the takeover and subsequent assassination attempt. It was a perfectly rational response. I’d be pissed too if I dedicated my entire life to working for an agency only for them to try and shoot me during a coup because I was too much of a security risk. Veronica proved their concerns right in the end, but it was possible to avoid making an enemy of her with a defter approach.

  “The Goddess summoned the dead soul of a contract killer and inserted them into my daughter...”

  “That’s right.”

  She shook her head, “What am I supposed to say to that?”

  “It’s obvious that we can’t exactly have that kind of relationship. You’ve never been here to ‘raise’ me, and now that you know the truth, you’ll never be able to see me as your daughter. Not that you’re wrong to be upset. I just don’t think there’s anything either of us can do about it. This is the reality of the situation now.”

  “I don’t blame you. You made it clear to me that you didn’t have a choice.”

  “And what if I was lying?”

  “You weren’t.”

  She sounded very confident in that for some reason. I hoped I wasn’t that easy to read. My earnestness must have shined through when I explained the situation back then. Failing that – she must have agreed that there wasn’t much that could be done about it. Her arms were too short to box with a god, as were mine. Durandia wouldn’t give me a fragment of her power if she thought it would come back to bite her later.

  “Do you trust what Durandia said to you?” she asked.

  “I trust it well enough. She never led me wrong. I only trust what I can confirm with my own eyes normally. Her track record was perfect.”

  “But isn’t it cruel?”

  “Yes, it is. It’s cruel to burden one person with something like this without them knowing. She tells the truth – but she isn’t necessarily kind. She’s like me. She isn’t afraid to hurt feelings if it creates the best possible outcome.”

  “What do you think?” Veronica asked. She wanted to hear my opinion.

  “I don’t think it’s right at all, but I also never believed that Durandia was an unqualified good. She did what she thought she had to, to save the world, even if it trampled over people like you. It’s very hard to put yourself in her shoes when something that huge is at stake.”

  Veronica’s face twisted into a mixture of rage of despair. I’d only seen her lose her composure once or twice before, and it still took me by surprise.

  “Protecting you was the entire reason I kept fighting! It was the only reason I kept swallowing the shit they served me at WISA! And then to be told that I was being tricked, misled, manipulated the entire time? I didn’t know what to do with myself! How could I?”

  I didn’t have more to say. There was nothing I could say. Veronica was letting it all out. This had been building up between us for a long while – and it was time to release the pressure and put it into the open so we could come to some type of understanding.

  “This was it. This was everything to me. If I knew earlier, I never would have stayed there. I would have... been here, even if it was a big risk.”

  “You’ve still got a long road ahead of you. Who says that you’re out of time? As long as we’re still breathing we can remake ourselves, build bridges, and make up for the things we hate ourselves for. I was waiting for the blade to drop on my neck – but it never happened. Now I have to figure out what to do with this second life.”

  Veronica took a deep breath and looked out across the garden.

  “It’s funny. You are a lot like me, even though we only met for the first time a few months ago. Did she choose you because you’re a perfect match?”

  “Answers aren’t forthcoming. She can’t contact us freely to explain herself. We’ll have to reckon with what all of this means without her help. All I can say now is that things are going back to ‘normal,’ and I’d like to put down the gun and try not to fall into old habits again. If you want a fresh start, I can’t imagine a better time to do so. Be selfish for once, take what you always wanted.”

  “What does that mean?”

  I chuckled, “It’s time to drop the mask and take a chance, Gwyneth.”

  She stared at me. Was she shocked that Damien had knowingly shared her real name with her abandoned daughter? She must have convinced herself that he didn’t care about her after over a decade apart. She said he was a romantic once. Now she was being confronted with hard evidence of that being true.

  “I don’t know what we can call this thing between us, but to everyone else we’re already family. We’re going to have to live up to those expectations in some ways. I want to know if you’re willing to meet me in the middle.”

  Admitting that you were wrong was the hardest thing to do, especially once you’d dedicated so much of your time and energy because of your mistaken impressions. Gwyneth grew up in a system that was much harsher than the one that existed today. The old WISA would kill people who knew too much or broke the rules. I had no doubt that she was right about that.

  But maybe there was a way to slip out of the net, to put her feet up and enjoy her retirement after one last ride. That was what we both wanted. A life without all of the drama and danger that followed me like flies on shit. The only question was if she was willing to take that chance and try to lead a normal life.

  “I don’t deserve it. Do you have any idea what I’ve done for this job?”

  “People more righteous than us get screwed over every day, and people less deserving than us get off with a slap on the wrist for horrible crimes. The only judgement that matters is your own – because nobody else is going to hold us to account. Durandia made it clear that she can’t just strike me with a bolt of lightning for breaking the law.”

  “And you’re willing to play along?”

  “I don’t exactly have any other options. As far as everyone in the know is concerned, we are mother and daughter. I can’t start insisting that I’m actually named Jensen and I’m almost three times my current age. Nobody will believe that.”

  “Sounds to me like you’re trapped.”

  “Well, there are worse cells to lock yourself in. I’m not going to bemoan my circumstances, I’ve been pushed into a life of immense privilege and wealth. I suppose the best thing to do is find some meaning in that and put it all to good use.”

  “That’s fine – as long as you don’t try to tear apart the universe and summon a demon.”

  “I’d never do something that foolish.”

  “If you say so.”

  There was a moment of silence between us. Gwyneth’s eyes kept drifting to the scars that ran down my cheek, neck and shoulder. Those doll-like looks that everyone fawned over were no longer the first aspect of my appearance that people made note of. Part of me was thankful that it would scare away the vain by filtering them from the masses. If only the heroic truth behind it was known, rather than the cover story about being burnt in a fire caused by the fighting.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “That Samantha girl did a... good job. I can’t even describe what you looked like when we pulled you from the rubble of that museum. I almost forgot that you aren’t really Maria.”

  Now that was an evocative image to have in my head. She didn’t exactly like showing her emotions outwardly unless it was really out of control. That flash in the safehouse was one of those times, and when I was unconscious she must have felt the urge to worry about me.

  “Don’t go thinking that you need to step in and be a surrogate mother for me. My old parents were good, I turned rotten all on my own without their help.”

  “Noted, but I still haven’t said whether I’m going to stick around or not.”

  But the decision was already made.

  “Gwyneth?”

  Our heads turned to one of the flights of stairs that led down onto the fountain’s stone platform. Damien was standing there with his mouth agape and a bag of his belongings in his hands. Gwyneth was stunned. This was not included in my plan when I asked her to visit – and by a stroke of chance he had stumbled upon us while we were discussing the future of our relationship.

  She might not have known how to feel about me, but it was very clear that she held a lot of affection for him. Her feet were still glued to the floor. It would take a lot of cheek to run to him and hug him after spending so long away from the compound. Damien’s eyes turned to me.

  “You...”

  “I know. I didn’t expect you to be back this early. She insisted that she only stay for a while and discuss recent events.”

  I didn’t arrange this – although that sounded like a total lie to the two adults in the room.

  Damien smiled, “It’s been a long time, Gwyneth. I heard from the staff that they saw you visiting this place after the attack back then, but I assumed that it was only for the sake of your work. You never break a promise once you make it.”

  She sighed, “You’re right. I was assigned to that case and had to come here to gather evidence. I can’t give you the same excuse now. I came here because Maria asked me to.”

  Damien put his bag down onto one of the benches and got closer.

  “I always thought about what I wanted to say when I saw you again, but now I find myself with the words. Keeping up this play for thirteen years is more than I should have asked from you.”

  “I was the one who suggested it,” she contested, “You didn’t know how they worked back then. When I told you the risks, I was the one who-”

  “-But I should have stopped you.”

  “I would have gone no matter what you said. I told you then that protecting Maria was my number one priority, and if that meant stepping away and continuing to be a member of WISA – that was the sacrifice I was willing to make. I didn’t know what would happen if they found out about our little love affair.”

  Damien laughed, “You’re gotten soft in your old age.”

  “Maybe, or perhaps I look a less menacing presence with Maria standing here. She inherited a lot from me for better or worse.”

  I rolled my eyes, “The scars do give me a certain menace, don’t they?”

  “Hm. You look wonderful, love,” Damien said in a poor attempt at damage control.

  “I’m not complaining. It’ll keep people from bothering me at the academy...”

  Damien frowned, “I’ll just be happy that you’re seeing the bright side, then.”

  Gwyneth really didn’t know what to do. The atmosphere of their ‘tearful’ reunion was being stifled by my presence. I gave her one last look and decided to leave them alone.

  “Make a choice you won’t regret.”

  I parted after leaving her with those words, heading up the garden and towards the house. Franklin was waiting for me on the patio.

  “Sorry, ma’am. I couldn’t stop him before he went looking for you.”

  “It’s fine. This needed to happen eventually.”

  I didn’t see Gwyneth the following day, which was a shame. Her decision was still up in the air. Even if she wanted to stay there was some clean-up left to do. She was a key witness in the case against the conspirators. She had been in and out of the courthouse for months, offering testimony and getting up on the stand. It seemed like the cloak of secrecy over WISA was starting to falter now that they realized how dangerous it was to maintain. They needed accountability.

  I was going back to the academy for what was left of our final term before the year ended. It had been a tumultuous time for the staff and teachers – but that was the unfortunate reality of running a civil service during a time of political and social upheaval.

  Regardless of what happened, they were going to put on a brave face and welcome the students back to the campus. There was going to be some serious catch-up needed if we wanted to get through the year’s learning before we went home again, but that was going to be difficult when the only thing people wanted to talk about was me.

  “How unsightly...”

  “I’m upset. How could that monster ruin her beautiful face like that!”

  “I’m thinking twice about my plan to propose to her now. I know she’s from a well-off family, but I couldn’t cope with seeing that grisly visage every day.”

  It took a lot of restraint not to go over there and put them in their place. The problem wasn’t that I looked like hell – it was that they thought they ever had a chance to make me accept a spontaneous marriage proposal. Who did they think I was? I’d already shot down dozens of would-be suitors in exactly the same way! There was nothing exceptional about this one either, they all thought they had something the other didn’t.

  Talia wasn’t happy about it either, but for different reasons.

  “I can’t believe how two-faced these people are! They were fawning over you before, but now that you have a few scars, they’re acting like you have some kind of infectious disease!” Talia seethed.

  “You didn’t figure that out already? Nobles are all about appearances. I expected this much. They probably thought I’d hide away in my mansion and never show my face in public again.”

  Which wasn’t effective anyway. One of the journalists watching the sentencing for the trial had sketched a picture of me for the paper, and it had become a noteworthy flourish on top of a trial that had already captured the attention of everyone in the country. The scarred face of a beautiful noble lady – a sign of how far-reaching the consequences of his actions really were.

  Samantha, Max, Claude and Adrian were all waiting in the dorm’s study. We walked through the door together and approached the table.

  “I hope you’ve all been well since we last saw one another.”

  Claude chuckled, “My mum isn’t happy. Not just because of me. My dad’s become a bloody hero! They’re coming to our house and asking for interviews all the time.”

  “My brother is back at home, finally,” Max added.

  I looked at Adrian, “And you?”

  He sighed, “I’m trying to get things back on track. I can’t keep moping around in our family home all day.”

  All’s well that ends well. I sat at the table with them and took a moment to appreciate the comparative calm of my surroundings. Samantha was already nose-deep into one of her books. We’d spent so much time talking in the hospital that there was nothing more to say.

  “So, does this mean you’re officially a part of our little circle of friends?” Max wondered.

  “I can’t seem to get away from you lot – so let’s say yes for the time being.”

  “Typical. Never a straight answer.”

  Samantha finally spoke up, “You just have to get your qualification in decoding Maria’s unique manner of speech. She means yes, but she’s too embarrassed to admit to it.”

  I crossed my arms and turned up my nose, “I don’t know the meaning of the word embarrassed.”

  Nothing could rile me after having to start using a bra suddenly. That was the kind of issue that put a lot of my life into perspective. Adopting this person was full of moments like that. I had to own it because there was no changing it.

  “I’ve seen you blush – once or twice!”

  “When? During the cold weather?”

  She leaned in closer to the table and lowered her voice, “Do you really want me to detail it with everyone sitting here? I’ve got a lot of ammo to use on you. I got to see your vulnerable side!”

  Claude blinked, “Maria has a vulnerable side? I thought she was an unfeeling, unflinching banshee.”

  “That would be a more accurate description than whatever Samantha is implying,” I scoffed.

  Talia was more than a little lost about why we were all bickering.

  “Uh. Is there something going on between you all?” she asked.

  “No. Nothing important. I’m okay so long as Claude mellows out a touch and stops accusing me of being responsible for every crime committed in the local area.”

  Max shook his head; “Good luck with that. He was still doing it while you were under anaesthesia in the hospital, like you were sneaking out between visits and burglarizing the surrounding homes.”

  “That was only a theory!” Claude said, “Solving a crime is like art. You have to make a rough sketch of the situation first before you refine the details!”

  “She was unconscious the entire bloody time!”

  Maybe there was no fixing his overactive imagination. We continued our squabble until the time came to separate and head to our rooms. Samantha stayed behind while the others left so we could have a private moment.

  “I’d like to say thank you again for all that you’ve done. Nobody’s ever going to really acknowledge how much you sacrificed to save us.”

  “Did I really sacrifice anything when Durandia planned for it from the start?”

  “She said we still have our freedom. That was a choice you made, no matter your motivations. I think my intuition is a lot better than Claude’s. I knew you were a good person from the start.”

  “Ah. I’m not arguing about this again.”

  “That means I win!”

  Samantha took me by surprise. She closed in and pulled me into a hug, forcing my head into her chest and wrapping her arms around my shoulders. I awkwardly left my own hands limp, before eventually conceding and squeezing her back. My eyes cast a paranoid net around the room to make sure we weren’t being spied on by some gossiping student with a big mouth.

  “What brought this on?” I mumbled.

  Samantha’s cheeks flushed slightly, “Sorry for being so sudden. I just felt like hugging you.”

  “Don’t think I’m going to become all sweet because of some physical affection. That’s not my problem.”

  “I know. You put a lot on the line for our sake. I can’t shoot a gun or anything like that – but we’re all here for you too. If you ever need help, don’t be afraid to ask. We’ll be happy to share some of the burden.”

  “I’m fine. I mean it.”

  Samantha pursed her lips in silent disbelief. She was expecting more from me than that, given the intensity of everything that had happened since my reawakening. I patted her on the shoulder and smiled.

  “Let’s go back to our rooms. I’ve got some studying to catch up on...”

  I crossed my fingers and hoped that Durandia was right. Not only that I wouldn’t face such extreme tribulations again, but that I would rise above my nature and do some good for the world that didn’t come from the end of a gun. I couldn’t predict what was going to happen tomorrow, but that was life. I had to accept the mantle and carry on as Maria Walston-Carter. But it would always linger in the back of my mind, and the pistol I used would always lay in the bottom of my trunk, waiting for the day it would be needed again.

  As long as people lived – they would always try to do wrong by each other.