The Wastelands

Underground Training Facility

It was two months later, and Rachel was in the control centre overlooking the training field. She watched Statson as he was putting the Lumeye through their paces. Only recently were they well enough to train again. Well, everyone except for Shadow, who was still being punished, locked up in Solitary. But it didn't seem to faze him. Shadow was more content and had even taken up meditation to centre himself more.

Stella, on the other hand, really seemed pissed, Rachel glanced at her now, furiously typing away on the computer. Apparently, when Stella later found out that Shadow had hacked into her computer system, she pretty much tore the system apart to rebuild the entire system software and hardware. It would probably be best not to leave Shadow in the same room with her for a while.

Everything was back to normal. Well, normal as could be after diverting a disaster…natural or otherwise. The students and staff thought the storm had caused all the damage. Not a secret Lumeye running amok.

"You, lazy excuses of meat!" yelled Statson. "I don't care how good you are at fighting. Your teamwork is so shitty that it doesn't even matter. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Sergeant," the Lumeye cried out.

"I am going to drill the basics into your skulls until you breathe it out of your asses."

"Yes, Sergeant."

"While in this room you are going to eat, sleep and shit as a team. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Sergeant!"

The training and the yelling continued. If Rachel didn't know any better, she'd think he was enjoying himself.

Primarily when Statson found out the perks of accepting the job, a few days after everything settled down.

***

The Headmistress's Office.

"I'm glad that you accepted my offer," stated Headmistress Weatherly with her hands folded on top of her desk.

"You didn't really give me much choice," Statson grumbled back.

"Oh my, it's so nice to get what I want." The Headmistress formed a satisfied grin. "Oh, I almost forgot. In addition to training the Lumeye, I want you to oversee security for the whole compound."

"Now, look here, we never agreed to that," Statson sprouted out."

"I am a fair woman; Since you are helping me, I will help you. I pulled some strings and you and Miss. Keaton is officially reassigned to Compound 8, and you'll still be attached to the City's police force," she continued, smirking a little. "The compound was getting too big to handle with just the stuff I already have, and I need someone I can trust with the finer details." Trust, or manipulate? The Headmistress probably thought it was the same thing. She continued to speak, "As an added incentive, I will permit you to enter freely any city you like to investigate your little problem concerning your last employer…With our support, of course."

Statson straightened up with alertness. Well, that got his attention. That was when Headmistress Weatherly gave them her 'hooked line and sinker' smile.

She placed paperwork in front of them for them both to sign. Miss. Andres appeared to supply pens. "In the long run, I hope you see that this deal is mutually beneficial for all involved."

***

Present.

Statson almost jumped over the moon with news about having backing and permission to investigate what happened at that Outpost. Well, with his personality, he would have investigated anyway. Now it was legal. He didn't like ties undone. Rachel had to agree with him, thoughts of her own family sprung up in her mind. She didn't know who targeted them. Their WMP unit? Her family? Or someone unknown. There were too many unanswered questions, and she didn't like unanswered questions.

After practice, Rachel watched while Lilia joined her in the control room. Speaking of unanswered questions, here comes one of them. "Would now be a good time to talk?" Lilia asked, reluctantly after getting glared at my Stella.

Rachel sighed. This was going to be so awkward. Might as well be blunt about it. Before, when she found out that Lilia was a Lumeye, even when she saw her change form right in front of Rachel. It didn't fully register how alien Lilia truly was until that night when she saved them from Shadow. It scared her. "To be honest, I had a hard time processing everything and it kind of hit home after it was over." Rachel couldn't help but blurt out the questions swirling around in her head. "But still wanted to know what happened. How are you a Lumeye? How did you and Stella get here? Where's your mother?"

Lilia smiled bitterly. "I don't know. I just know that I've always been a Lumeye. I just didn't know it… Honestly, it made a lot of sense, scared me, but made a lot of sense. Being here, I don't know, I just came to be here, and Mom, Mom, disappeared."

"Disappeared to where?"

"That's all I know. I have to go… class, you know." She turned away to leave. It felt like she was leaving a lot of things out.

"Wait…"

A mew interrupted Rachel. She spotted a cat's head peeking out from Stella's l.a.p. Lilia spoke up, "Ha, I'm not avoiding it, I'm going to tell her." Lilia paused while Rachel watched on in bemus.e.m.e.nt. Ignoring the issue of how odd to see Lilia having a one-sided conversation with a cat. 'Honestly, it wasn't the oddest thing I've seen so far.' It was actually funny and refreshing to watch. Lilia had the same tone of voice when she was a kid, trying to get out of something. "I know she deserves to know… Okay, Okay, geez, I know I'm going to tell her, so don't yell."

Lilia sighed out, scrapped her hair with her figures. "You know, I used to have the biggest crush on you. Still do, actually." 'That was totally out of the blue. What the heck is going on? Lilia had a crush on me since when?' Before she could respond, Lilia continued in a rush, "Not like I'm going to make you uncomfortable and act on it. I have a lot of things going on right now." She turned back to the cat. "Come on, Va, I know I have a lot of growing up to do, you don't have to remind me." Lilia widened her eyes when she realized that she said that out loud. "Anyways, I know you have a boyfriend."

"How do you know that?"

"I have a little sister who is great at information gathering." She laughed awkwardly. "Anyways, I just want everything in, the open you know, since you are the reason why the last event shifted in our favour. It's your right to know the truth." Then she left in an embarrassed rush.

'Okay, that was a lot to take in, but at least Lilia was as distant at before,' Rachel thought in a daze. "What just happened?"

"You know, she's telling the truth," a silky voice said. Startled, Rachel glanced behind her and saw Druid standing beside her. "Shadow was already planning to destroy our Mediums and take Lilia away. He was already losing control of himself and wanted to monopolize Lilia thinking she was the answer to regain it, but when you showed up, and he felt the feelings she had towards you… Shadow lost it even more and rushed his plan, making him unstable enough to make mistakes. Allowing Lilia to get behind his defences and find enough strength to defeat him. All because you are still alive." Druid paused, then continued, "Funny how one little event can change everything." She skipped away and joined Bryson, who was waiting at the door. Druid paused at the entrance to turn back and said her parting words. "Plus, we need all of us, including Shadow, including you, and Sergeant Statson, to face what's about to come."

All Rachel could think of was one word long after Druid's departing words and that was... "What?"

***

Lilia leant against her favourite tree, the gnarly looking one by the courtyard, but she didn't need to worry about her sister interrupting her nap, since Stella was lying down with her head in Lilia's l.a.p, reading a book. Va was sitting in the girl's l.a.p, glaring at Lilia.

Lilia just smiled to herself. 'When Stella saw Va, she all but kidnapped the cat, saying that Va was the cutest thing she ever saw. I thought it was hilarious to watch. Though Va didn't appreciate how much I was enjoying her suffering.'

*Ha, I did stop her from dressing you up in that little pink thing,* Lilia reminded Va.

Va just huffed, turning away and curled up in a ball. Lilia almost burst out in laughter right then and there.

Lilia shifted to get more comfortable, then sighing in contentment.

Stella, on the other hand, had become a little clingy after Lilia came back. Stella must have realized how close she was to losing Lilia. Lilia didn't mind, because she felt the same. It was good to have some sister time, anyway.

"Funny how things turned out," Stella spoke up. "You know, with what happened with Shadow and finding Rachel again."

"Yeah, a lot happened, " Lilia answered slowly,

*What about that No-Face person that Shadow mentioned. Do you think he is a threat?* Sil asked from the branches above.

*Even if he is, right now, all we can do is to wait anyways. So, why not just deal with the here and now.* Lilia replied, stretching a little. Lilia wasn't that great of a planner anyway, so why bother. *He seemed like the type to show up only if he wanted to be seen anyways.*

"Hmm." Sil agreed.

"Maybe when we find Mom, that will be perfect, you know. Well, as perfect as it can be living in the middle of the Wastelands." Stella wistfully glanced at Lilia.

Lilia tightened her grip. For some reason, a bad feeling washed over her, but after a moment, she answered, "Maybe."