The masked man had said a lot of things to her before he left. He said that she had no backbone. He said that she was an unstable girl. He said that he'd allow her to commit suicide. Worst of all, he'd insulted Parker and called him her boy toy. All of these things made Neta's heart sink, but she'd made her decision and couldn't doubt herself now. Besides, it all happened so fast. The strange man was gone before anything that he'd said could bring tears back to Neta's face.
She still didn't know who he was, though. He hadn't given a name to either her or Parker. But something that the masked man had said caught Neta's attention: "Welcome to the game of death and deceit that has plagued Pless for the last sixty years."
Sixty years? The general public believed that the Aberrant Scare had begun fifty years ago. So he knew about the war. Just who was this man, then? Did he also work for the government? Perhaps... he was a member of the upper echelons of society and had access to such information? Whoever he was, this man was highly educated, Neta was sure.
Her thoughts let go of the masked stranger and drifted to the person who'd brought a smile back to her face. No, she couldn't let her thoughts merely drift. This was the real world, not some fairy tale. She needed to focus because she had something very important to tell him. "Parker... I know that man gets under your skin, but you deserve to know the truth. I'm always in your debt, and I'm glad you came... but I should tell you everything," Neta looked at the boy sadly, "the consequences of associating with someone like me. But, I'm not pushing you away. In fact, I'd like to stay close to you. But you have a right to know, so I don't end up forcing something on you that you never wanted. And then, if you decide I'm worth protecting in spite of all the trouble it will cause you, it'll be your choice to make..."
Neta had learned from her encounter with the children that she had no right to decide whether someone lives or dies, and she wasn't going to decide for Parker. She'd been thinking with her heart, but she had to use her head too. Her heart told her to keep her friends close through the dangers ahead. Her head told her to cast aside her own selfish desires and shut herself away, so that she could harm no one with her presence. Claro and Magnus had essentially told her the same thing: that she no longer had free will. Whether she was fated to live the rest of her life locked away in a lab, mass-producing Aberrants for the government, or taken from her friends to some unknown location, it was hard for her to continue existing in this world.
Because she understood what it felt like to have her free will jeopardized, Neta wouldn't take away the free will of another person and would leave it entirely up to Parker once she'd told him everything. But there was a lot to say, and the information was sensitive. She had to tell him in private, because the more people knew, the worse it would be for everyone. But where could she take him so that they wouldn't be overheard?
…
…
Well, they could... they could... go up to her room. Just the two of them.
At this thought, Neta's face flushed in embarrassment. She'd been to his place... so maybe it made sense that he should see her room too, see where she slept. But she was barely conscious then! And Clayton was with them! Besides, all they had done was sleep, which didn't require much concentration!
This was important, though. She had to be serious and focus now, but she didn't know if she could do that alone in a room with Parker at her bed. Neta needed the ideal environment, because she had to tell him the whole story from start to finish without getting distracted. She sighed, eventually deciding that she'd stay right where she was and keep her voice down.
"Parker, there's a lot to say. We should sit down," Neta suggested. "Why don't I get us something? Today's special is meat pie and ale. It's free..."
Free, the opposite of what she was.
~~~
Claro turned into a dark alley, where the vine user awaited him. "I normally do things myself, but we've recently learned that the Seed has Aberrant friends protecting her. I'll need the fifteen of you as support. That way, we won't fail this time."
"You plan to burn down the inn, right?"
"Myself. With my flaming arrows. You and the other children should leave when that happens. After all, fire is unkind to your plants," Claro responded.
"If we succeed tonight and capture the Seed, we'll see our parents again?" the vine user asked, hopefully.
"Of course you will. Do this for me, and you'll be free..." Claro smirked. "Now, run along and tell the others."
The seven-year-old boy did as he was told, leaving the knight deep in thought. To think a man within the Order so unpopular as myself will become the distinguished knight who apprehended the Seed and secured a powerful, prosperous future for Pless. It'll all be over soon, Neta, and you'll be the one who leads us into the new era.
However confident he sounded in his mind, there were still things Claro was unsure of. I told the Seed everything I know. Her Plant X creates Aberrants, an ability derived from an original mystery species that is God knows where. But how did all the Aberrants running the streets of Pless acquire their powers? Surely they couldn't have come in contact with the original. There's just no way! No plant in the entire kingdom can do what the mystery species does! Why, then, is this happening to our people? More and more Aberrants pop up in Pless every day. That's why I've tried to tell my comrades that chasing the latest powered human is pointless and that we need to address the problem at its source. Claro sighed. No amount of thinking he did right now would yield an answer. All I know is that I have only half the story. There's still a second piece to the Aberrant puzzle. If only Dr. Briarwood were alive... maybe then I'd have figured it out by now.
Claro stepped into the light once more, though he was still pondering the why's and the what-ifs. He'd become an Aberrant shortly after he and his men had stormed the Briarwood residence fourteen years ago. The knight recalled that he'd come grossly unprepared for the mission, not having eaten at all that day. Before the renowned scientist was captured and the building burned, Claro had come across an odd plate of fruit beside the botanist's desk. He shared the fruit with his men, but only he would awaken his Aberrant powers a week later.
Perhaps there were certain qualifications that had to be met for these abilities to emerge, or perhaps they were dormant within certain people to begin with. Not all adults developed them. But if Claro captured the Seed and children came in contact with Plant X as early as the womb, an Aberrant would surely be born. Maybe that's why powers were inherited from an Aberrant parent more often than acquired.
