The Metropolis Series #3: Quinn and Cassandra

PHILIP WAS NO LONGER in the intercoms when Harumi and I went to find him. The room had been left empty, with cables cluttering the desk and floor. We checked the cafeteria, and that was where we saw him with Bree, Curtis, and Rachael. Bree was no longer crying, but her cheeks were stained with mascara. Curtis, on the other hand, stared blankly, his legs shaking under the cafeteria table. Rachael and Philip had their backs toward us, sitting utterly still.

I never thought I’d witness Deus Ex Machina gathered like that. In the middle of the crisis with Cassandra, seeing something as familiar as a band meeting gave me a fleeting sense of comfort.

“There he is,” Harumi said. “C’mon, Quinn.”

We approached the table, and I saw how weary Rachael looked. She tried her best to hold back tears as she spoke softly to her bandmates. Philip continued to comfort her, patting her back whenever she was on the verge of breaking down.

“Hey.” Harumi looked concerned. “Rachael? What’s going on?”

Bree looked up. “Hey, Harumi, Vasquez. Join us for a while.”

And Harumi and I sat with them. Just like we always did.

“Rachael,” Bree said. “We can tell them, right?”

Rachael nodded, wiping tears from her eyes.

“Rachael was just talking about how she was once forgotten,” Bree said. “She had a boyfriend back then, and—”

“Oh, I know,” Harumi added “I was a Forgotten One, too.”

Everyone turned their eyes on her.

Philip blinked. “Really?”

Harumi nodded. “Yeah. My real name is Yukine. Harumi is a name I gave myself.”

Before anyone else could respond, Rachael looked up. “I remember you,” she told Harumi. “You were always eating in the pantry.”

Harumi laughed nervously and shrugged. “I couldn’t help myself.”

Bree smiled faintly. “Some things never change, huh?”

“So, is anyone else in this group secretly a Forgotten One?” Curtis added, his eyes darting around the room.

“No, just me and Harumi,” Rachael said, letting out a deep sigh.

“Anyway, there’s… there’s something else about me you should know. You guys are my closest friends; I trust all of you with what I’m about to say. With everything going on, you all deserve to know this…”

Bree reached out a hand. “We’re here for you, Rache. Whatever it is, you can tell us.”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Philip assured her.

Rachael then looked at me for a brief moment. I gave her a small nod, knowing quite well what she was planning to tell the group.

I braced myself. I wondered how they would take it.

“So, as you all know, a monster had taken over the Metropolis,” Rachael began. “And that is why we’ve been cast out. But there’s more to that story, and I don’t think I have the guts to tell the whole school… what really happened.”

Then, Rachael took a long, deep breath. “Toward the end of our relationship, my boyfriend and I… created the very monster that’s taking over the Metropolis…”

Bree, Harumi, and Curtis froze. I had my bets on who would speak first; I thought it would be Harumi since she was also a Forgotten One with Rachael. But that wasn’t the case.

“What are you talking about?” Bree asked. “How could you possibly create a monster?”

“For starters, we were both forgotten at that time,” Rachael began. “That meant neither of us truly existed. Whatever comes from nothing should not have even stepped into this world. But we didn’t think of that. We were so young, so reckless. Then, I eventually found out that—that at seventeen, I was pregnant…”

Her voice trailed off at that last word. It was obvious that she still had a hard time accepting what had happened. She didn’t look up or respond to everyone’s surprised reactions; she simply continued what she had to say.

“There was nothing we could do,” Rachael whispered. “We had created an abnormality, and no matter what, the kid would be dangerous to this world. I jumped into the nearby river, and that was how I chose to reverse the mistake we had made. But it didn’t work.”

“Rachael,” Philip cooed. “I’m sorry…”

“So you gave everything up to save the world, huh?” Bree added. “That’s sick.”

Rachael wiped a tear from her eye. “If I’m only around now because the Author brought me back, I wish he didn’t bother. My boyfriend, Julio, is dead. I didn’t get to see him again…”

Harumi’s face went pale. “Julio’s… dead…?”

“And the monster’s still around. I don’t know how, but—”

“It’s because of me,” I said softly.

Rachael looked up. “What?”

“The consciousness of the Girl, the monster, never left this world,” I explained. “She looked for a host so that she could manifest herself physically, and she chose me…”

It was now my turn to be the center of attention. Everyone’s eyes were on me, and they sat there anticipating my next words.

“She’s trying to take my place in this world,” I continued. “And unfortunately, she’s winning. I… don’t have a lot of time left…”

Rachael’s eyes teared up again. “Oh God, this is all my fault…”

“Vasquez, there must be something we can do,” Bree urged. “Also, why is this monster so powerful? Why was she able to trash the city and throw us all away?”

“It’s because Quinn manifests the Author’s powers,” Philip said. “And that is what the monster is after.”

I couldn’t believe that he was able to say that with a straight face. Just earlier at the Archives, he froze in shock as Mr. Simon revealed that to him. And now, in the cafeteria, it was his turn to surprise the others. Everyone’s jaw either clenched or slightly dropped.

“Whoa, Vasquez,” Bree said. “So you’re some sort of god?”

Philip hummed. “Not exactly. She’s just a representation.”

“How do you know this?”

Philip sighed. “Can you guys keep a secret?”

Bree and Harumi nodded. Curtis just stared at him, confused.

“I work at this place called the Archives,” Philip began. “It’s where all records of the Metropolis are stored. It’s part of our job to keep it hidden. I’m sure I can trust you guys with this.”

Bree stroked her chin. “So Vasquez is a god, and Philip’s some cool librarian—”

Philip narrowed his eyes. “Okay fine, it’s sort of like that—”

Bree then turned to me. “So what powers do you have, Vasquez?”

I swallowed. “I can— could rewind time for the most part. Sometimes, I influence things around me with my emotions. I also brought a girl to life by drawing a portrait of her…”

Everyone appeared to process what I just said. That moment still felt surreal to me; I never thought the day I’d be able to share everything so freely would come.

“Quinn,” Harumi whispered. “Was that girl… me?”

I swallowed. “It was…”

Her reaction was all over the place. At first, she looked like she didn’t believe me. Then, it seemed like she wanted to cry and embrace me and overwhelm me with the scent of her perfume.

None of us spoke. There was a lot to take in that night, and I couldn’t blame them. There was Rachael and the monster, me and the Author’s powers, and Harumi coming back from the dead.

But then, amidst the silence, Curtis slammed his fists on the table.

“That’s it,” he declared. “I’ve had enough.”

Philip narrowed her eyes at him. “Dude, what the hell?”

“All this talk about monsters and powers and Harumi being a zombie—”

“Curtis, enough,” I raised.

“Then there’s Rachael screwing some dead guy—”

“Say that again, Stevenson,” Rachael said.

Curtis raised his brow. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Say what you just said,” Rachael repeated. “But look at me when you’re talking. Say it straight to my face.”

Curtis swallowed. We braced ourselves for his reply, and what he decided to say was completely uncalled for:

“I never thought you were such a whore, Rachael.”

“Curtis,” Bree snapped.

Rachael crossed her arms. “Ahh, there it is. Didn’t think you’d have the balls to say so.”

Curtis raised his hands in defense. “Look, I’m sorry, but this is all too much to take in.”

He then emerged from his seat and left the cafeteria.

Rachael sighed. “I’m glad I’m done with that bastard.”

“Yeah, forget about him, Rache,” Bree scoffed. “What an asshole.”

Philip and I just looked at each other. As a Metropolitan, Curtis would turn into a monster at the mere suggestion of the Metropolis not being real. It seemed that being forgotten had revealed how he would react in scary, uncertain situations.

And Bree was right. He was an asshole. There was just no better way to say it.

“We have much bigger problems than Curtis, anyway,” Harumi added. “We should probably start talking about how to get ourselves out of this situation—to defeat the monster and to restore the Metropolis to the way it was.”

“How do we even do that?” Rachael grumbled.

“It may be simpler than you think. Now, listen carefully.”

We all moved closer toward Harumi on the table.

“It’s got something to do with the Archives,” she said, lowering her voice. “We have to protect that place at all costs. If those records are destroyed, the Metropolis as we know it will be erased, leaving behind only what the monster deems desirable. With that being said, I think all we have to do is to find the monster’s records and destroy them ourselves as soon as possible.”

“That’s it?” Bree said. “Let’s get going, then.”

Rachael tapped her fingers on the table. “Sounds simple enough.”

It was too good to be true. There was no way defeating the all-powerful Cassandra was that easy. There must be a catch.

Oh, wait. There was.

“Hang on,” I interjected. “There’s one problem with that plan.”

Bree looked at me. “What is it, Vasquez?”

I looked at Philip, and from the worried look on his face, I could tell that he was thinking the same thing as I was.

“I’d seen the monster’s records,” I began.

Harumi’s eyes widened. “You have?”

“Yeah. Not only is she stealing my body, but my records, as well. She’s merging hers with mine…”

“Can’t we just write the monster out?” Bree suggested. “Especially since Vasquez has the Author’s powers, it could be possible.”

We thought about that. I remembered what Mr. Simon told me about my records, that he had tried his best to fix them himself.

But then, Mr. Simon didn’t have the Authors powers. I did.

“I think Bree’s right,” I said. “I may have some of the Author’s powers left. I have to give it a try.”

Philip nodded. “All right. I’ll contact work now. I might be able to bring you to the Archives again tonight…”

Later that night, I waited for Philip on the steps of St. John’s entrance. He had sent a paper airplane to Mr. Simon, informing him that we were going to the Archives.

“I don’t think it’s safe to mention the Girl in my message,” he’d suggested. “What if she finds it? We can’t risk it.”

So from there, we could only hope that Mr. Simon could sense the urgency. It was getting a little late, but we weren’t going to wait until morning. I couldn’t rewind time anymore; I had to make every moment count.

My mind then wandered to Ms. Louise back at The MacGuffin. I had said that I wouldn’t be long when I went out to meet Philip. Unfortunately, that was no longer true. She must be worried.

Bree then approached me as I was lost in thought. She sat next to me on the cold steps, sighing as she breathed in the cold, evening air.

“Hey, Vasquez,” she said.

I turned to her. “Hey. How’s Rachael doing?”

“She broke down crying again in her room,” she replied. “But she’s finally getting some rest.”

I nodded. “I see.”

“I still can’t believe Stevenson said those things. Along with what his parents did to Rachael’s room, I now feel terrible that I tried to get you together with that bastard.”

She was referring to that time when she made me Deus Ex Machina’s manager against my will. She introduced the band as a way to complete my graduation requirements while being close to Curtis. She even enticed me with the rumors that he and Rachael were on the verge of splitting up. I cringed thinking about that.

“It’s okay,” I said. “I didn’t know any better myself.”

Bree laughed bitterly. “You know, I got you as our manager because I wanted Rachael and Stevenson to break up.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I saw the opportunity when you kissed Stevenson in the storage shed. God, I was so stupid. I did it because I had a terrible crush on Rachael—still sorta do to this day.”

With Bree’s confession, I began to get the feeling that so many people secretly admired Rachael. Well, I couldn’t blame them. I mean, even I could admit that I thought she was pretty.

“Hey,” I said. “Aren’t you seeing Harumi now?”

“Getting there,” Bree replied. “But yeah, I once told Rachael I liked her. She said she wasn’t interested and dated Stevenson shortly after. I was mad. Left the band. My behavioral problems and my deal with the school were all true, but they also allowed me to hide my true motivations. Heh, I can’t believe I was so jealous and stupid.”

I chuckled. “It’s fine. We’ve all been there.”

At least she didn’t get possessed by Cassandra and stabbed Rachael in the bathroom. Man, those were wild, scary times.

Then, I saw Philip emerge from the school grounds. He waved a paper airplane in his hand as he walked toward us.

“Just got a reply,” he said to me. “Let’s get going.”

Bree raised a brow. “Wait, the paper airplane thing works? How?”

“Beats me, but it does.”

“All right then,” she said, shrugging. “Can I tag along? I wanna see more of this Metropolis stuff you guys deal with.”

“Sorry, Bree, but I don’t think I can take you to the Archives. It’s supposed to stay hidden, remember?”

“Fine. You guys take care. And good luck. Beat that monster’s ass!”

Philip and I waved at her as we walked across the school grounds.

Once we were through the gates of St. John’s Academy, I felt a surge of anger as I was once again greeted with Cassandra’s version of the Metropolis. I hoped to succeed in whatever I was going to put myself through that night.

I was determined to take the Metropolis back.