Words left unsaid - Masterminds #1, Chapter 17 (part 1)
The night of the engagement party was also the night when Harry would have the chance to get closer to Heila... but what if the truth about her destroyed her only path to happiness?
Note from the author: part 1 of this chapter is a bit longer than the usual weekly release, still, I hope you enjoy it!
Catch up on all chapters here.
Harry could feel his heart beating like a wild animal trapped in his chest as Ray led him into the vastly lit penthouse and up the whirling staircase to the rooftop.
Would he be able to keep it together?
His twin sister was getting engaged. After having lost her… after having looked for her for so long… he had finally found her in her happiest moment. Although he had been visiting her regularly to check on her wound, often when they were alone, he had not dared to break the news to her.
Heila seemed happy here. In this life… the life that The Oracles created for her. She had an important job; she didn’t lack anything; she was loved.
How could he dare tear apart this reality of hers?
Parents whom she thought were dead. A twin brother she never knew existed. If she were to turn against The Oracles and lose everything that she had built because of him…
No.
“If the life she’s been living has been a lie the entire time, don’t you think it’d be better for her to break free from it? Everyone deserves to know their truth. I would hate it if my life was dictated by some government officials. And without my consent!”
That was what Ray had told him earlier when he had doubted his objective for the first time.
He hadn’t realised that he had stopped in his tracks and stood in the middle of the staircase until Ray reached out for his hand.
“It’s going to be fine,” he said as he squeezed his hand.
Harry looked up at his boyfriend who was dressed in a sparkling light blue suit. His thin blond hair had been carefully straightened, although it still curled towards the ends, as the delicate strands reached his shoulders.
He had said that they didn’t have to be fancy… but that he would go all out anyway. That was the type of person Ray was. At least, he didn’t mind that Harry had opted for his usual shirt and tie combo.
Holding his partner’s hand, he followed him to the top.
Ray turned towards him with a smirk as he held the knob to the door that would lead to where the engagement party was happening.
“Ready?”
He nodded.
And was left speechless.
It was already dusk when Ray led him outside but the bright orange glow only enhanced his disbelief… and awe.
Had he just entered a hidden open-terrace VIP-only restaurant?
Standing tables were expertly laid out with cocktails and amuse-bouches ready to be served on each of them. To the left, the buffet was set up across a long table, next to what seemed like a bar with various drinks, more than enough to get all the guests drunk ten times over.
And white flowers. They were everywhere as bouquets or vines intertwined along the railing, on each table, and next to the entrance.
Finally, his eyes landed on the main attraction: a round dining table placed right in the middle draped with a white embroidered cloth, where every guest was seated.
And of course, they were all staring at him.
Were they the last to arrive?
Ray started walking towards them. Harry followed, unsure where to look.
Heila stood up from her chair and met them halfway.
“Ray, Harry, you made it.”
Ray extended his arms and hugged her.
“Of course, did you think I would miss this? I’m so happy for you!”
Oh no… Harry’s palms were sweating.
“Harry.”
Heila was now standing in front of him. She was wearing a white jumpsuit that had sleeves in the form of a cape. The cool evening breeze blew gently against her chestnut hair and her eyes… just like his…
From where he stood, she looked like a queen.
“I’m glad you could make it,” she said.
“Likewise. And congratulations.”
He handed her the bottle of wine he had brought as a gift, despite Ray’s protests.
“Oh, thank you, but you didn’t have to…”
“Don’t worry about it, it’s the least I could do as a guest. I hope I’m not intruding too much…”
She laughed.
The sound carried a wave of nostalgia. She sounded just like their mother.
“Not at all. You’re Ray’s partner and somehow my doctor, so you’re practically family now.” She held the bottle close to her chest. “So I should say… Welcome home.”
Ray placed his hand on his shoulder. It almost made him jump.
“Alright, time to introduce you to the rest of them.”
Heila laughed again. “Of course, everyone’s been dying to properly meet you. Come.”
As Heila went back to her seat, Ray dragged him along around the table.
“This is Judy and Jake, my second favourite Writer-Mastermind couple after Dany and Heila. Judy’s also Heila’s mentor. And Jake is the Mastermind of the Wind, as well as the fiancé’s elder brother. Jake, Judy, this is Harry.”
“Good evening.”
Jake laughed. “You don’t have to be so formal with us. I’m glad we get to finally meet. Now I can properly thank you for having taken care of Heila when she was injured.”
“Same,” Judy said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Next to them was a young girl with long black hair.
“This is Nya, the famous Mastermind of Chaos. Nya, say hi to my boyfriend.”
“Hi, Harry, it’s nice to finally put a face to all of Ray’s stories about you.”
Harry chuckled. “I could say the same. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“I bet he has. He’s like a big brother to me.”
Ray interjected. “Don’t embarrass me, you two! Next… is well, the future husband himself, Dany.”
Harry shook Dany’s hand.
“Nice to meet you, Daniel.”
“Please, call me Dany as well. As Heila said, you’re part of this family too now. Come and sit with us now. Heila has left some empty seats next to her. What do you drink?”
“It’s okay I can get it myself.”
“No, I insist. You’re a guest so I’d like to pour you your first drink of the night.”
By the time Dany had offered him a glass of red wine, Ray was already at Heila’s side, chatting away with sparkling eyes. He took a sip, then went over to the buffet table to fill his plate. Finally, he went back to his seat, next to Ray, and joined in the conversation…
Thump.
Something hit the hard floor of the rooftop terrace.
As if something had fallen from the sky.
Then, they heard footsteps.
No one spoke.
Then, there was a loud sigh, followed by a voice.
“Am I just in time for the food?”
A young man, wearing a polo shirt and formal trousers, appeared from the shadows. He was holding a backpack and a leather coat.
His hair shone like silver in the moonlight.
It was… that Mastermind…
Heila was the first to speak. “Ash? But how…”
“Sorry I’m late,” he said as they walked towards each other. “And congrats again, Heila.”
She put her arms around him.
“Thanks. And welcome home.”
Dany patted him on the back as he brought a chair for him. “You came all the way here, right after class on a Friday night… I can’t believe it. I saw your message but I didn’t think you were serious.”
“Well, let’s just say that with a little bit of magic… and a ton of money, you can do anything.”
Dany chuckled and handed him a can of beer.
“I always come back for the weekend anyway,” Ash continued. “So one day earlier isn’t that big of a deal—oh.”
Harry realised that Ash was looking straight at him with wide eyes and a slightly panicked expression on his face.
He probably had no idea who he was and had not been informed… And he had just mentioned the word ‘magic’ right in front of a stranger.
Harry stood up and walked up to Ash. It seemed that the alcohol was making him more confident and less shy than when he had first set foot here earlier.
“I’m sorry, where are my manners? I’m Harry, Ray’s boyfriend,” he said as he extended his hand to Ash. “And I’m a Witch, so there’s no need to worry. We can speak freely.”
Ash shook his hand with a relieved smile.
“So I’m finally meeting the famous Harry. Glad. My name’s Ash, Mastermind…”
“...of the Moon.” Harry finished his sentence. “The well-acclaimed antagonist of my dear Ray. Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Ash laughed. “I’m touched. Ray might love me more than I thought he did after all.”
“Hey, not true!” Ray shouted from across the table. Harry could tell that he was definitely getting tipsy. “Come and fill up my glass, will you, Moon?”
Sun and Moon. Indeed, they were ‘antagonists’ in Mastermind terms, their powers being perfect opposites of each other.
Harry learnt that this didn’t necessarily mean that they hated each other or wanted to kill each other. They simply differed in their capabilities… and they often couldn’t see eye to eye, which would make them disagree on many aspects.
And yet, both of them had learnt to grow and work together under Heila and Dany at this ‘Academy’ of Masterminds. He could see why The Oracles had started it.
Jake suddenly stood up with a glass of whiskey in his hand, while his other hand was adjusting his big round glasses over his nose. His cheeks were bright red, thanks to the alcohol.
“Now that everyone is here, I’d like to propose a toast,” he said.
He waited a few seconds for them to settle down. “Heila, I know it was unforeseen and cruel circumstances that led you to live with our family back when we were only kids, but I live for the cliché saying that it’s been a blessing in disguise. As Dany’s brother, I can confirm that without you, Dany would never have come out of his shell the way he did back then and become the hardworking man he is now. And as for me, I couldn’t be happier to have a little sister like you in my life. Cheers to you and Dany!”
They all raised their glass.
“Cheers!”
Ray had briefed Harry before about Heila’s peculiar situation. She was fostered by the Lewis family, one of the most affluent Mastermind families that ever existed, and since then, she had been brought up under the same roof as Jake and Dany.
It was most likely an order from The Oracles.
In a way, he was relieved to find that Jake had been a good elder brother to her. He seemed to be the caring and protective type. Someone who would always keep her safe.
On the other hand, he didn’t know how to feel about Dany.
He found that he was… a bit more aloof. He was friendly but Harry could tell that he was keeping his distance. How had he and Heila even ended up in a relationship?
But it wasn’t his place to judge.
He had so much more to learn about her…
Finally, Jake sat back down.
“Welcome to the family, Heila,” he said. “Although you’ve already been part of our family for so long.”
“Time flies, I can’t believe it. You know you’re the best big brother I could ever have.”
He winked. “Between us two, you’ve always been my favourite. It’s always been much more fun to have a sister than a brother.”
“Hey!”
They all laughed. Then everyone started going around, getting food and drinks and talking to one another around the table.
Soon, Harry found himself sitting next to Heila. He didn’t know if it was the wine… but something was burning at the tip of his tongue.
“Actually, there’s something I’m really curious about, and just let me know if I’m being too nosy but…”
“What is it?” she asked.
“Why did The Oracles choose a Writer to be the primary caretaker of the most powerful Masterminds, instead of another Mastermind? Doesn’t that feel like having two jobs? Fulfilling your role as a Writer who’s guarding this city as well as having to bear the responsibility of people with powers beyond your understanding...”
“I guess she has me,” Dany said.
Of course, he had been listening…
“I’m sorry, Dany, of course, I didn’t forget about your role in all this... but from what I understand, this Academy you’ve built here… remains under Heila’s responsibility in the eyes of The Oracles. They could have easily assigned the mission to you directly instead.”
This time, it was Judy who decided to intervene.
“Fair enough, you have a point there. I’ve been working as a Writer under Them for pretty much my entire life, as both of my parents are also Writers. And I can tell you that The Oracles think much further than we think. Even now, I can’t tell what They’re planning. They seem to be moving pieces on a chessboard but us being pawns, none of us knows Their true strategy and where it will lead us. They could be thinking millions of years ahead and for all we know, They needed to have an ordinary Writer to be sent on a mission to train the most powerful Masterminds right here.”
Smart answer, as expected of someone of her calibre.
“We’re all pawns indeed,” Ash said as he opened another can of beer.
Ray chimed in. “You know guys, I’ve been thinking...at this point, we all know who the Elemental Masterminds are. Even if Nature and Sea aren’t with us here, we’re keeping an eye on them. So… then, aren’t we left with one last and most important Mastermind to find?”
Harry had studied enough about the history of Masterminds to know where he was going with this.
He had a bad feeling about this.
Ray stood up as if he was going to give a speech.
“Look, I mean, I know we’ve gone over this before but, no offence Ash, I couldn’t stand you when I first started training with you.”
“No offence taken, I felt the same way.”
“But then, we learnt to work together despite being total opposites, and as much as our inner instincts keep telling us to murder each other, we’ve ended up overcoming them. So all I’m saying is, why can’t we do the same by looking for the Mastermind of Light, Nya’s opposite counterpart, and train them to work together? Instead of just ‘hoping’ that they never meet and never trigger the end of the world.”
“Okay, time for a proper history lesson,” Jake said. “To rectify, in the past, the Elemental Masterminds have always been able to work out their differences. After all, you guys hold the power of what allows the natural core of this world to exist. The fauna and flora. The breathable air and fertile soil. On the other end...”
“On the other hand, it’s been proven in the past that Chaos meeting Light always leads to the end of the world as we know it.”
It was Nya who had spoken this time. “And if this does happen, I don’t know how I’d be able to live with that.” She lowered her voice and looked down. “If I do live, even afterwards, I guess.”
However, Ray was not backing down. “But when they talk about the past, they talk about millions of years ago, back on Homothea, where the way of living was most definitely vastly different. We’re in the 21st century now and I think it’s worth giving it a try.”
Heila stood up as well to face Ray head-on. Harry’s heart was beating fast. He didn’t dare look up at her. He wondered…
And even if he knew that Ray had crossed the line, he had no idea what to say. How could he stop this?
“I understand where you’re coming from, Ray,” Heila said in a calm voice. “But it wouldn’t be wise to risk it, at least not at this point. Light and Chaos—the two are Masterminds that have powers beyond even The Oracles’ capabilities. The only beings who would be able to control them should the situation go out of control… would only be Light and Nya themselves. For now, we’ve got to stick with what we can control, what we can do to avoid a second apocalypse. That’s my role, and perhaps, for all I know, the only reason why The Oracles are keeping me alive in the grand scheme of things... And it’s a role I intend to fulfil.”
D. K. Waye