The Wrongs Of Distance

Klaire was in no mood to argue with Tzeitel and just walked down the hall to find a vacant room to rest in. She wanted to be away from all the chatter and arguing, but she didn’t stop James when he walked after her.

Tzeitel did not want to argue either, but she was not going to just give up. Too much didn't make sense - was Klaire just going to accept Seth’s explanation and quit going home to her kids just like that? There was another thing Tzeitel did not understand, Klaire was the strongest person Tzeitel knew. “Wait - what the hell happened? I know you'd never let anything grab Ami. How'd they get past you to her?”

Klaire turned on Tzeitel. “DROP IT!” She shouted suddenly. “Just fucking leave me alone for once!”

“Klaire…” James tried but the look in her eyes made him go silent. There was something on her mind, something she wasn’t ready to talk about, and he knew she needed time to think.

Leaving, Klaire went to a room and slammed the door shut, locking it.

“What the fuck- IT’S MY LITTLE SISTER!” Tzeitel gave the door a very angry punch.

James glared at Tzeitel. “Go back to the others, please.” He tried to be polite, but the woman was starting to irritate him. He understood her panic and worry, but being angry with each other wasn’t going to solve a damn thing.

Riley walked past the two of them and phased through the wall and into the room with Klaire.

Klaire, upon seeing her privacy had been invaded yet again, turned and slammed her fist hard into his face. “GET OUT!” She screamed.

“Why the fuck is she trying to keep me in the dark?” Tzeitel demanded from James. “She didn’t want me to see what Altus was showing either. What the hell is up with that?”

Riley took the blow stumbling backwards before spitting out blood. “You look just like her. Hit just like her too” he sighed remembering his Klaire for a moment. “Were you close with your Riley? Did he make you the same promise? To always watch your back ? To be a Brother to you? I’m not your Riley and you’re not my Klaire but the promise remains and I intend to keep it so I’m not leaving Klaire.”

Klaire hated hearing Riley’s voice after so long. The brother she’d needed, loved like family, was here, but he was so broken and hurt. She felt guilty for hitting him, but he’d invaded her personal space. “I need time to think. Staying out of my room isn’t leaving me, you brat!” She spoke in a serious tone.

A knock at the door told her James was also trying to be there for her. Why couldn’t anyone let her think?!

“Ugh!” She growled and opened the door. “Get in here, you ass.” Grabbing James by the shirt, she pulled him into the room. Closing the door again, she locked it once more. “Talk!”

“Uh…” James looked at Riley, unsure what to do.

To say Tzeitel was angry at being shut out would be an understatement. She punched the door so hard this time a crack appeared.

“Isolating yourself isn't helping either you brat” he replied sticking his tongue out “god I wish I had a spray bottle right now. I know I'm broken I know I need help but I'm done with everyone having a pity party.”

“I’d just shoot the bottle out of your hand.” Klaire said and glared at the door. “Make her leave. I’m not dealing with her attitude in this world.”

The crack in the door widened with Tzeitel’s shoulder. “Stop keeping me out, damnit!”

“I’d catch the bullet lil sis” he replied quickly ruffling her hair and pulling back before she could bite him. “Private conversation Tzetiel”

“Private my ass! James's clone is in there too, you're all just shutting me out!” The door was not going to be able to resist Tzeitel for much longer. “I just want to know how They got Ami from Klaire!”

James jerked the door open and glared at Tzeitel. “They didn’t take her from Klaire. They snatched Ami up like she was nothing when she stepped outside, despite being told not to. If you’d kept a better eye on your sister and kept her from going outside, those things wouldn’t have gotten her. Back off and let Riley talk to Klaire in peace.” His voice was calm, but serious, and his eyes were full of anger. “You’ve done nothing but be hateful since we arrived here. I don’t appreciate it. I was fine with you being judgemental of me, but leave Klaire alone.”

Klaire was silent, eyes tired as she sat on her bed. She agreed with James.

Riley look over James shoulder at her “Ami will be returned, they did the same for me Tzeitel” he sighed, his voice sounding old and tired. It hurt seeing everyone like this even if they were alive again. “Please……just calm down rest.”

“That's not how it sounded like it happened at all.” Tzeitel glared at James. “I'm not being hateful, I just want to know how this happened. All Klaire has done since I got here is push me away and keep me in the dark!” Tzeitel’s eyes widened at the sight of Riley’s face. “What happened to you? Who hit you?”

Riley sighed and closed his eyes for a moment his powers working to heal it instantly. Exhaling he took a moment to steady himself “I'm fine Tzeitel. I just need some time with Klaire. We both have been here for so long.”

“Not you too! I'm not some damned outsider for you to keep everything secret from.” Tzeitel said. “I helped drive the van, remember?”

“Helped?” James raised an eyebrow. “If I remember, that green skinned woman was the one driving the van here.” He shook his head and looked at Riley. “We’ll leave you two to talk.” Letting Riley return to the room, he closed the door and turned back to Tzeitel, crossing his arms. “Lets just let them talk. If he says Ami is safe, she’s safe.”

Tzeitel shook her head. “Not THAT van, you weren't even there unless you count the guy you were cloned from chasing us. I drove RILEY'S Van. I'm not some fucking outsider that needs to be left in the dark.”

“Uhm…I still have no real full memory of the van you keep mentioning…” James admitted, scratching at his chin. He had flashes of memories, of helping Klaire escape somewhere, but it was always so blurry and filled with fog. “I don’t know…”

“You wouldn't. You weren't there. I was.” Tzeitel glared at the door. She did not like Klaire keeping things from her.

“Lets just leave them alone for now so they can talk.” James insisted with a sigh.

“I could hear Ami and Klaire yelling at each other before Ami was taken. I deserve to fucking know what happened.” Tzeitel growled. “If one of her kids got grabbed and I was the last to see them I wouldn’t keep any secrets about what happened from her.”

“No, because Klaire would just run after them and be an unstoppable juggernaut.” James retorted, voice stern now. “But she’d also be willing to listen to Riley. He obviously knows things none of us do about this place.”

“But when she couldn't get to her kids she'd have questions and I'd answer them.” Tzeitel said.

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe she doesn’t have the answers? None of us do, it seems…” James pointed out.

“She could tell me how They got past her. What she and Ami were yelling at each other.” Tzeitel said. “She can't keep secrets about my sister.”

“Things happened very fast, Tzeitel. She may need time to get things organized in her mind. You pushing her for it will only stress her out more. From what I’ve noticed she’s…she’s obviously more accustomed to being alone.” James said, recalling what memories he did have. This version of him had been isolated for so long it was still a haunting thing for him.

“That's why it's so important that she tells me what happened right away while her memory is fresh and not ‘organized’ and distorted with time! For fuck's sake, I'm not interrogating and torturing her. I just want to know what happened with my sister before she got taken but she's blocking me out and talking to everyfuckingone else but me.” Tzeitel was exasperated.

That was when a loud bang came from the front door. “The fuck was that?” James almost whispered, small sparks of fire dancing on his fingers when he jumped.

“Some more fucking bullshit and I’m FUCKING SICK OF IT!” Tzeitel angrily drew her hands over the glands on her arms, coating them in pheromone oil.

“Same,” James grumbled and headed for the door. There was another loud bang that would catch everyone’s attention now.

Another soon followed and the door went flying in, slamming right into James. Using fire, he somehow made the door skid off his hands with a pain cry. The door would flip up and stab into the ceiling above him and Tzeitel.

“Tzeitel, get a weapon!” James yelled out as he fell back, gritting his teeth as pain coursed through his hands.

Tzeitel pulled out a knife. She did not eat dinner but she did save her knife. She wished it was a crossbow. She flared energizing pheromones. Supposedly her pheromones were useless against Them but she could still use them to help her companions. “Where is Nine?!”