The Endless Torment of an Admin (MCSM Fanfiction)

Chapter 21 - Acceptance

"Xara?" Lukas asked hesitantly, exchanging glances with Petra.

The ex-Admin came striding out of the shadows, stopping a few feet away from the group. Her grey eyes still housed that same sorrowful look they've always held, but she no longer looked as emotionless as when they last saw her outside the cabin.

"What, you weren't going to say goodbye?" She asked as they slowly began to dismount.

"We didn't exactly know where you were." Binta pointed out, narrowing her eyes.

"You could have tried inside the cabin itself." Xara said, waving one hand at them as she took out an old, battered looking book with the other. "I overheard some of your conversation, and it made me think of something Fred once told me."

The others exchanged glances, a few of them shrugging. They didn't quite know where Xara was going with things, and didn't know what to expect.

"Fred and I began seeing the signs a while before Romeo snapped." Xara said, looking up from the book. Her gaze was pointed right at Jesse. "That's why he created the golden gauntlet, so I could take Romeo's powers if things went south. It was a last resort, however."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Petra asked, uninterested.

"Taking Romeo's powers would have meant them transferring to me and Fred." Xara responded. "While his powers split between us wouldn't have had such a large effect on either of us, Fred still discussed the possibility of finding a new, worthy, third Admin."

Jesse frowned, folding her arms. She wasn't about to put hope on a word the woman in front of her spoke until she got to the point.

"We discarded the idea, eventually." Xara went on. "Replacing an Admin was one thing, but Romeo was also our friend, and we'd rather continue on as two than replace him. Besides, things didn't go as we had planned, and Fred ended up losing his life in that fight. But I still have Fred's research of the concept."

"Where exactly are you going with this?" Lukas asked, frowning.

"Are you saying Jesse could potentially split her powers with two other people?" Binta asked, her eyes widening as she realised what the ex-admin was getting at.

Xara nodded, her mouth curving into a stiff, yet kind in her way smile.

For a moment, Jesse's face lit up. She looked around at the others around her, all of them looking equally surprised. But that moment passed all too soon as she turned to face Xara again.

"I can't do that to any of my friends." Jesse said softly. "Petra and Lukas are all who I have left and... and I owe it to them to let them go home. They're happy on the surface, building a life together of their own. I'd never ruin that for them."

Petra's heart broke at Jesse's words. She began opening her mouth, only to close it again. As much as she hated to admit it, it wasn't a sacrifice she was willing to make.

"That's a smart decision, Jesse." Xara said, nodding her head. "These powers aren't to be taken lightly, and should never be given to just anybody." She took a deep breath, for the first time that day looking uncertain about her next words. "This is your choice entirely, but I've given this a lot of thought on my way here. I'd be willing..." She stopped herself, shaking her head and sighing. "Actually, I'd really want to join you."

Jesse's mouth began to open, but for a moment it looked like she couldn't find her voice. She looked between the others, who all shared the same look of excitement, giving her encouraging nods.

"I've been back in the Underneath for months, and I've wanted nothing more than to restore the Oasis like I said I would." Xara explained, almost sounding sad for a moment. "But on my own, and without the powers I used to use for everything, the task just seemed unreachable. Together..."