After their meeting about Itera's information on the Miracle eraser, Cleo went back to her room to stew in silence.
She didn't know how to handle the prospect of losing her abilities. If you'd asked her a few months ago, she'd have given them up without a second thought. But now...
Knowing the future gave her a chance to control it. To make sure bad things didn't happen. Through her encounters with Joey and the others, she'd started to feel like it was her responsibility to take care of things. She knew everything, and the burden of protecting everyone was hers. Sure, Jumper, Lightning and Jumbo were often the ones doing the actual saving, but she was the one they couldn't do it without.
And to just lose all that...
It would be like giving up part of her identity. Simply the idea that she couldn't see certain things scared her. What would it be like when she could see nothing?
A knock at her door startled her out of her thoughts.
"Who is it?" she asked, making sure to keep her voice level. Even before he answered, she knew it was Joey. She told him to come in, and he did so shyly.
"You okay?" he asked, leaving the door open slightly. "You look a little lost."
Cleo grimaced. Then again, he'd been with her on this roller coaster longer than anyone else. If she was going to confide in someone, it'd be him.
"I'm anxious about losing the Miracles," she confessed. "I mean, I freak out so much when there's something I can't see. Is getting rid of them really the best thing to do? What if more pop up and we can't erase them all? Wouldn't it be good to keep one or two of us in reserve?"
She curled in on herself when she realized she was starting to ramble again.
"Do you see anything like that happening?" Joey asked gently.
"No," she whispered. "But I can't see more than I realized. I had no idea someone could take out Miracles, even if only temporarily." She froze in thought, then groaned. "No, wait. That incident with Twinblade and Magnetic. Was that the same person? So the Miracles might not be burning out? But then I can't see this person at all." Anxiety started to well up in her, overwhelming her. Joey put a firm hand on her shoulder.
"Cleo. Breathe. You're fine. Even if you don't know everything, that just means you're like the rest of us."
"Yeah, normal people," she snorted. "I'm..." Dread pooled in her stomach as she realized what she'd been about to say.
"Someone who got a Miracle. Like me. But that doesn't make us any less human," Joey said with a small smile. "If the Miracles go away, we all just go back to being normal people. And...I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. We should talk about your worries with Ida, though, if we're seriously thinking about wiping out all Miracles."
"Right. I'm sorry. I..." Cleo put her head between her knees, trying to keep her breathing steady. "I think I might be getting a big head. Do you think I am? Am I really better off without this power?"
Joey paused a bit before responding.
"I think you're carrying too much, Cleo. I remember how your Miracle used to overwhelm you. And now you seem to have...given in to it? Is it just overwhelming you in a different way? I...worry about you sometimes."
Cleo smiled softly.
"Thanks, Joey. Hey, even if this whole Miracle stuff ends, are we still friends?"
"Of course. Just because the Miracle goes doesn't mean that everything didn't happen. Besides, we're roommates at the very least. Well, until Ida kicks us out. Who knows when she'll do that. But, I guess we can still be roommates if you want?"
Cleo lifted her head, laughing at the awkward look on Joey's face.
"Sure thing. You, me, and Ned. And Courtney and Sawyer if they want to come."
Achilles managed to make it back to the hideout while everything was calming down. He stayed there for the rest of the day, anxiously watching the door for any activity. When were the others coming back? Would any uninvited parties show up? If the military showed up, he wouldn't be sure of what to do. Their last safe haven would be compromised, and the Legion would meet its end.
Were Knight and Light Master okay? He still wasn't ready to think about Maiden, but the other two could very well be in trouble. What had happened? The worry gnawed at him, even worse than the concern that the military or Team Chaos might find them. The city had been an absolute mess. Did they both make it out okay?
It was long dark by the time the door finally opened. Achilles ran towards it, only to freeze when he saw Maiden come in.
"Maiden..." he said slowly, not sure how to react to her after their last encounter.
"Achilles," she said. She pulled off her mask and sighed. "You're okay."
"Maiden - "
"Haven. My name is Haven. Right, James?" She smiled awkwardly as she said it. Achilles looked at the floor for a moment.
"I prefer Achilles. He's..." How could he put it into words? He was cooler than James had ever been. Achilles was strong, and he protected people. James was just a nerd. A nerd who'd become disillusioned with life.
"See, I'm starting to think I'd rather be Haven," Maiden said, sitting softly on a chair. "I guess that's where we're different." She stared at the floor for a while, then sighed.
"Are you mad at me? I'm not sure why you were..." How could he even describe how much she'd terrified him at that moment?
"I don't know. I just don't. I'm still trying to figure myself out if I'm being honest. When I got my Miracle, I thought I could finally be worth something. But now I think I'm realizing that no matter what I do, I'm still me. If I'm empty, I'll be empty with or without a Miracle. And...I think I'm done with you and the Legion. Unless you can promise me right here and right now that things will change in the next week."
"Why?" Achilles asked. "I thought you liked being in the Legion. I thought you belonged here perfectly. I thought...I thought you loved me."
"I thought so too," Haven replied quietly. "But I think it was just another role I decided I had to play in order to be happy. I'm not sure you actually know me at all. And that's my fault. But I can't keep this up. I find myself ready to explode and that's not going to be good for any of us."
She stood and walked over to him. Their eyes met briefly, then she sighed and walked towards her room.
"Goodbye, James. I'm sorry."
A few minutes later, she left with a bag and Achilles - James - was left alone.
No one else came back to the headquarters.
