As they screamed at each other, she could feel the anger and betrayal consuming her. He was supposed to be just like her. She was sure they had to be family, somehow. He was the last connection she had to a family. But now she wasn't sure of anything. He was willing to hurt anyone to get what he wanted, and that meant that she had to stop him, but how could she?
He was her family. Except he was not. He was a person who worked for her family and that got powers in the same accident that killed them. He became an addict because of it. He was not her family, but he was still Molly's responsibility.
She remembers begging him to stop and leave before he did anything he might regret, but he didn't listen. Nothing new there. No one ever listened to her. Not Topher, and not Nico with her all-powerful staff and who always knew best. Before Nico could attack him, Molly got herself in the way, but it was of no use. He just pushed her away. She kept coming back, and he kept trying to get rid of her, but they were matched in strength. As soon as she got an opening, Nico cast a wind spell on Topher, throwing him against a trash compartment, which he used to attack them. They dodged the attack, but it was now directed at Gert. And as she saw the fear on her sister's eyes, she realized she was wrong. She still had family left to lose.
"Nooooooo!" Molly yelled as she woke. The worst part of her nightmare was that it wasn't even a dream, it was a memory. And, despite her sudden awakening, the despair remained as reality seemed to be even worse than her dreams. Chase betrayed them and left. Karolina and Gert were missing. Jonah was planning his revenge, probably trying to take over the planet now that he could never return to his own.
Remembering that Gert almost died because Molly trusted Topher also makes her remember that she had no idea of where or how or if her sister even still was. It reminded her that her sister was the only family she had left and that she might not even have that. It made her feel so very alone;
Molly had always been obsessed with reconnecting with her family, she lost them when she was so young it hurt to realize most of the memories she has of them are hazy, vague and fleeting. Her determination only increased after losing Graciela, as if trying to match her grief. When Topher entered her life, it seemed like a miracle, the last chance of reconnecting with them and of discovering who she was. She needed something to cling to, and he was it. She clung to him so hard that she forgot about the family she already had;
She never should have split from Gert, they might have both been captured, but at least they would be together and Molly wouldn't have all these terrible scenarios of what might be happening to Gert on her mind. Oh my God, she thought, is this what being in Gert's mind is like?
Tears began filling her eyes, and she rose abruptly. Ever since that tragic day, she'd been sleeping at Gert's and Chase's former bedroom. It was a reminder of the not-so-simpler days when the group was still together. Before Chase left and everything collapsed. Before they lost Gert and Karolina. Before they realized the scope of the alien invasion they were dealing with. Nico, on the other hand, couldn't be anywhere close to the room she used to share with Karolina. It would be too painful. And Alex
wouldn't leave his computer, not for one minute. It was as if he needed the reassurance that he was doing something to keep him from losing his mind. Not that he knew what he was doing, they were dealing with vengeful aliens capable of possessing humans and with access to technology they couldn't even grasp at. To say they were way beyond their league would be generous.
Molly was so scared, especially without Gert there, and, at that moment, she might have taken Pride's offer to forget about everything that hurt her. She knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep after that, but she also didn't have the energy to get out of bed, so she just allowed herself to cry.
"You seem unwell. What is causing your disturbance?" She flinched when she heard Xavin's voice. Molly was still getting used to alien's lack of understanding of the concept of privacy.
"Were you here this whole time?" She asked, but then realized she didn't actually want to know the answer. "Never mind.”
"You did not answer my question" The other one noted. Their voice was so neutral and calm that it seemed robotic. It was annoying.
"Why do you care? You don't even know me." Molly lashed out.
"You have an emotional connection to Karolina. She deems you important, a friend, she said. Therefore, I would like to know you. Besides, I do not enjoy seeing others upset."
"Oh, so you don't care. You just want to make a good impression on Karolina. Well, newsflash to you, she's not even here. So you can drop the act."
"There is no act. Seeing you upset is making me upset. I do not enjoy it, so I would like to make you less upset."
"Then, leave. That would make me a lot less upset."
"That seems to be an inadvisable course of action. You have already tried being alone for the last two days, and it has not worked. Why don't you try having some company? I can be a good listener." Their concern seemed genuine and, in a way, reminded her of Gert's passion for helping others, which only made her cry more.
"Where do I even begin? I just keep losing! PRIDE took everyone I cared about. My parents are gone. I couldn't save Graciela. Topher is lost, and now Gert's gone too. I wish she could just hug me and tell we'll find a way to solve this. So, yeah, unwell is kinda the only way I can be right now. And you being here is not going to change it."
"What is the meaning of that word? Hug?" Xavin said. "It is not one I am familiar with."
"You don't know what a hug is?" Molly knew they were Alien, but she hadn't realized that meant they lacked that much cultural knowledge."It's when you put your arms around someone. It's an intimate form of touch, usually reserved for friends or family"
"So that kind of contact produces a sense of comfort or connection?"
"Yeah. That's a way to describe it."
"I see. May I put my arms around you?"
"Yeah, sure."
Then, Xavin started to morph. They became shorter and their features changed. Their braids shrunk and turned purple, and bangs grew from their forehead. Even their clothes were replaced with Gert's sweater and a leather jacket, which was something Molly didn't want to dwell on the mechanics of.
They sat on the bed beside Molly and put their arms around her, squeezing gently. It was like Gert but also not. They looked and felt like her sister, but they inhabited their body differently. Their movements were different, uncertain. They clearly had never hugged someone before. "Does this help?"
Though the similarity only made the differences between them and Gert even starker, it did help. Molly willed herself to forget, as she pulled them closer and held them tighter.
“In a weird way, it does help." She sobbed as she talked, but the alien could still understand her. She stopped hugging them to be able to look at them. "It is not the same, but it let me pretend everything was okay. Even for just a moment. I kinda needed that. I've just spent all this time thinking about how I never should have split from her, how even if I'd been caught we'd at least be together. But that kind of thinking will bring her back."
"You are right, that is not productive reasoning," Xavin said. "If you were with her, we'd be missing another member, which would further diminish our chances of getting them back and, ultimately, defeating the magistrate.”
Recognizing that Xavin was right, Molly laid back down. She would need her energy when they faced Jonah again. She refused to lose anyone else.