Existential crisis

Charlie had been talking in the vet chat about hunting down Alexander... to be perfectly honest she had been trying to hunt down any of the jerkwads from rose corp since she heard about Skathi going missing. It felt like a new tactic... picking them off one by one. And if it was well then it wouldn't stand. Alexander was the leader of the group or at least it was what people thought. She was pretty sure the real leader was Kritanta. What a bitch. Charlie took in a small breath as she kept her eyes open for Alexander's soul gem, or any of their soul gems. And soon enough she saw a flash of purple which meant either Skathi or Alexander she walked closer cautiously. If people weren't so nervous about her learning the invisibility spell she would have already. She got closer and saw it was Alexander's gem. "Hey you."

Alexander had once again slipped out of the centre to get some fresh air. He had talked to some girl magi for Seaford that seemed nice but then turned on him. She had said to him what mother did wasn't fair and he was so worried about his mother hearing that he might even be starting to agree with this girl. Mother was a magi, well at least Charlie said so and he still wasn't sure about her telling him the truth, but if she was a magi that meant she had been doing all this without following her own word. He had once again covered his hair with magic to make it all pink. His teammates had never really seen him with only pink hair so he hoped he could use it to hide from them. He heard someone say hey you and he turned and saw the yellow magi that he had on his mind, well partly on his mind. "Hi." He responded not sure what to say really.

Charlie saw the magic in his hair this time and blinked. not as bad as the nightmare monster that is lotus. She shook her head. "You guys really fucked up. Let me just say probably more then half of us are ready to kill you on sight with what happened to Thea. I won't try to today though unless you try to stab me or something." She said walking closer. " Anyways how are you holding up? You still kinda look like shit, soul gem wise." She decided to wait a bit before asking if they took another magi, if she played her cards right she might be able to get him to just tell her.

Alexander hearing that they had figured out that Thea was a witch. "Lotus ended up dealing with Thea." He admitted right away. "I hurt her when she broke in but I didn't see her after that till Lotus took her outside." He was panicking a bit not wanting Percy to take away his ascension like he had Robin. He didn't know how to answer. "I don't want to hurt you. I know mother wants you dead but I don't... and I'm scared by that." He said the last part softly.

Charlie listened to what he was saying. "Oh really? Well then thank you for telling me." She said in a calm voice. Was Alexander nervous? She then nodded. "Alright so she broke in and you defended your territory aka the centre then Lotus took her and eventually the girl witched? This hurt a lot of people." She said looking at Alexander's gem. Well it seemed like he was more willing to talk then it seemed. She then heard that Alexander didn't want to hurt her and she choked on her on breath for a second. Who the hell was this? So he goes from straight im going to send your skull to Belladona and Luis to having a break down and now he just sounds broken as fuck? "Alright then don't. If your mom wants to kill me she will send someone else or do it herself and if it is ever between me or someone else I will not hesitate." She said making a point in that statement. "Why are you scared by it though...? Is it because you don't share the same opinion and its something new?" She asked, she was sorta concerned. How does a bastard like Alexander become someone kind of tolerable whom she feels bad for of all things?

Alexander nodded at the first two questions not really thinking. The last one made him fidget a bit. "If she finds out she's going to test me and maybe even..." He shook his head. "I don't want to go through that again." He started tugging at his hair again. "I've messed up so much but the only way to make it up is something I don't want to do and I know her finding out will end badly for me. I'm not allowed to ascend yet."

Charlie listened as he talked and thought for a few seconds. " Those tests don't sound good... and I can see why you wouldn't want to go through it again. Fighting a witch by yourself and having to 'reflect' for two days doesn't sound very uh... appealing." She said as she thought some more. She knew he probably meant killing her would make it up a bit. And well she certainly wouldn't be allowing that to happen. She debated for a few seconds. " Why don't you leave then? If you leave you can ascend if you want to. Let go of trying to be the perfect magi? Not everything has to be so hard for you and stuff... And if you don't actually want to ascend you wouldn't have to." She said offering up a solution. "I know you don't like when I talk bad about your mom so I won't but like your close to being an adult. kids normally move out and stuff so think of it as moving out due to a difference of opinions." She offered. Wow how fantastic she just offered another person the chance to maybe leave. "I can't say you can join our group as you really did screw up with them. But I could probably convince them your not a threat anymore so you can live in a bit of peace." She offered up more.

Alexander hearing that someone else offering a chance to leave made him feel sick. "I can't leave. Mother would be so disappointed with me. I can't just leave Matty and Lotus would kill me. I would never be allowed to ascend then." He got out in a panic. "I just have to figure out how to fix everything without you dying." He said in a kinda broken voice. Deep down he knew he couldn't fix any of this without killing Charlie.

Charlie heard what he said and thought for a few seconds. She couldn't betray matty by saying he wanted to leave but she thought a little bit. "Yeah? What's wrong with her being disappointed with you? "She asked in a calm voice. She thought a little more. "What if you talk with him off of rosecorp grounds? I remember going to a family meet and greet and he seemed nice he might be down for the plan if he... is uncomfortable with the things going down? And lotus tried to kill me before... what if... I help you out if she tries?" She offered She heard him say he would have to figure everything out without her dying and she felt a knot in her stomach. "Think about it? You sound miserable. And if it is between you and me... I wouldn't hesitate. But with my offer we would leave you alone long enough so you could finally ascend if you really do want that." She said with a sigh

Alexander shook his head. "She's my mother, I need her." He explained as best as possible but it was barely making sense to him. "She's given me so much that I need to give back to her. I wont be here for when she's old." He added on. "If it weren't for Rose corp Matty wouldn't have what he has now. Leaving would make him lose everything he's worked for. Mother would make sure he could never be a famous youtuber or chief." He said with some panic. "I would lose everything if I leave. I can't do that." He was to scared to lose everything.

Charlie thought for a few seconds. She sighed a little bit she wasn't getting through to him. "Alright then if you really feel that way? But its a parents job to care for and love you as you grow up, to give you attention and to help you become happy. Are you planning on leaving her when you get older?" She asked in a calm voice, she then heard what Alexander said about Matty... was she helping him destroy his career? She took in a small breath. "There are rumors all the time about people, it doesn't always destroy them." She said quietly. She heard him say he would loose everthing if he left. "What do you have right now? Sure you might have the world but your obviously not happy with your life and your obviously panicked and nervous. Sometimes you have to risk the world to have everything Alexander." She said in a calm tone. "Now an actual question for you, is there more magi from seaford did you guys take Kiki?" She asked staring straight at his soul gem.

Alexander felt wrong leaving his mother and the group. He didn't know what he could even do on the outside. He needed his mother's approval to ascend. Right? "Who's that?" He asked confused. "I'm not sure who all mother has granted wishes to with the help of the incubators to be honest."

Charlie thought for a few seconds she wasn't able to actually pronounce skathi's name right without stuttering. " a very tall person who I think is pretty and she is awkward?"she said thinking of how to describe skathi more. It sounded like Alexander wasn't open to the idea of leaving. She sighed a little. "There is probably a list somewhere for book keeping but the person I'm talking about wasn't helped by your mother." She said as she put her hand to her head as though she were getting a headache. "Look I'm pretty sure you hate the continuous talking about leaving and me trying to convince you to but think about it. If you do end up wanting to... you can contact me here. Leak my number to anyone else though and your dead." She said in a calm tone as she pulled out one of her own phone cards. Cali made them for her so she could give them to her friends.

Alexander shrugged. "No outsiders have been taken into the centre as far as I know." He looked at the card and took it. "I... thank you. Its just not something thats just easy for me to leave... its not just cause I don't want to disappoint my mother but I don't have anything." He tried to explain. "I wont let anyone see this."

Charlie nodded ok then that was good to know. She took in a small breath of relief thank god then skathi's dissapea- wait was it her fault she let shit slide during theas with battle. She scratched her arm. "Its no problem. I can... understand it's hard to leave stuff behind and not just cause of disappointment. Wanna go sit down instead of awkwardly standing?" She asked looking at his gem. "And good. Sorry about threatening you with death so much it's just I can't really trust you. I can try to help but can't trust." She said shaking her head a little.

Alexander nodded. "Sure." Hearing that she couldn't trust him he snorted a bit. "I don't think anyone really trusts me." He admitted. He walked over to a bench and sat down and pulled his knees up.

Charlie offered a smile as she walked where the soul gem was going and used her walking stick to help make sure she sat down on the actual bench. "Well you did some bad shit and weren't the most uh approachable person.' She said shaking her head with a tsk. "Leaving everything you know and have grown up with behind is hard. Before the accident cali and I saw each other rarely cause she was already in college by the time I got to elementary school. Then boom life changed and I had to leave behind all of my friends. My home and move to seaford. It was hard and stuff but talking to others helped get me through it. Along with well losing everything I loved to do. I still can't really color anymore or do entirely what I like but I'm becoming used to it over time. Therapy also helps." She explained. "Take your time to think about everything really think about it and don't push it off because your scared. Sometimes it's better to take a leap of faith." She explained further.

Alexander didn't like what she was saying. He wasn't broken. He had nothing to look forward to on the outside. Right? He hated this. "Sure." He muttered and started closing off his mind more to the girl's words. They mad him feel worse and he just hated it. He wanted to feel better but all he felt was worse.

Charlie heard him mutter sure and quickly shut up. She had a frown on her face. She debated what to say next but honestly wasn't sure. "What changed your mind about wanting to kill me?"

Alexander sat there and was glad she stopped going on about leaving his, well what ever it is. "You're different from others on outside." He said. "Also you said something that... how is mother a magi?"

Charlie just turned to look at his soul gem and she blinked. "Wait huh? How am I different?" She asked and then heard his ask about how is mom is a magi. "She has a small red soul gem over her chest. I can tell whom are magi and who are not because your soul is concentrated in one spot."

"Only jewelry mother wears is a pearl necklace. Only other thing is she has rose broach." Alexander explained. "Are you sure it wasn't other magic on her? She has had a lot of magi wish for her to keep her safe."

Charlie thought for a few seconds and nodded. "Pearl necklace is too high but is the broach about uh here" she pointed to the right side of her chest. " it was right there" she said in a calm voice. " no it wasn't I was right next to her that night i would have been able to tell. Plus none of you have red magic from what i have seen"

Alexander tried to think of any reason she could be wrong. "Things can be enchanted though." No one had red magic. He didn't know of anyone. Maybe it was from a magi before him. Mother couldn't be a magi. "Magi can't live that long. They would be failing their duty to ascend." He said to try and convince himself of this more then anything.

Charlie knew that. "Yes they can but do you think it was?" She wouldn't press him more on it if he really thought it was. Might as well not ruin the mini truce. " not everyone wants to ascend. You are a corporation so you have a lot of magi right meaning a lot of grief seeds. Believe me or not it's your choice. " she said with a sigh.

"My sister's ascended though. They gave their lives for this." He said softly trying to process this. "I need to go." He stood up his mind racing and his breath becoming fast.

"I.. am so sorry." She said quietly getting a better idea of how Alexander's mom might have worked. Taking grief seeds from her own children. She felt sick. "Remember what I said. If you need an out take one. .. and uh. . Your smart enough to know not to confront her." She said shaking her head.

Alexander nodded. "I wont." He couldn't talk to anyone about this. Anatoli Lotus and Gia would tell mother. He was never close to anyone else other then Matty. He couldn't tell Matty. He couldn't do that to Matty. He walked off trying to get away from these thoughts and maybe if he got away from Charlie it would fade away. Maybe Charlie wasn't good. Maybe mother was right. Maybe... he couldn't do that. He couldn't hurt her. Lotus and the other's can deal with that.

Charlie nodded. Did she say too much. He asked her the questions did she make a mistake by answering them. She saw him walk away. "I wasn't trying to make you run off" she mumbled to herself. She needed to alert the other vets. who knows what Alexander would be doing. She wondered if she pushed him back towards his mom or if he really would think about leaving? She should tell Matty at least. What if Matty didn't want alexander to leave to. What if she really screwed up?