37 - SWATted//Lea

It had all happened in a flash. A daze, even.

Five large SWAT officers stormed the Allis' house. Lea, Paxton, Nora and Alejandra were all about to transform when they stormed Lea's bedroom and apprehended them. In the ensuing confusion, their Noiz were quickly confiscated.

Each of them, including Waco, was taken downstairs with their hands hand-cuffed behind their backs and laid face down the floor. The already homey space felt tiny as they searched every nook and cranny of the living room. Lea could barely see what they were doing, but heard one of them shout happily as they searched her bedroom.

They didn't need to see what was taken; that was where Nora had left the two Noiz in a cloth pouch as they'd left to save Paxton.

The largest man grabbed Waco, roughly pulling him up. Another grabbed Lea, hoisting her up like she was as light as a pillow.

"You're lucky the Mayor is willing to let this go," the man holding her said. She ignored him, looking at Waco. His eyes were wild with fear, and she willed some courage into him, trying to show him it would all be okay. "He's such a softie, believing in scum like you."

"Stealing art from the city, you ought to be ashamed of yourself," the man holding Waco said, throwing Waco back down. Waco screeched in pain, but they didn't seem concerned.

"What do you expect from the dress thief's kids?" the man holding Lea said, laughing arrogantly as he tossed her aside.

"Exactly," a third man said as he undid their hand-cuffs. Nora started to get up, but he pushed her down roughly. "Stay down, ya dirty accomplice."

Even after they'd left, they all stayed in position, barely breathing in the carpet. For Lea, everything became crystal clear. They were fighting the mayor of the city they lived in, there was no way they would ever get an upper hand on him.

This ending had always been inevitable.

But when she heard the soft sounds of Waco's cries, her own misery seemed to shatter like a pane of glass.

"Waco," she said, getting up quickly and rolling him over. His eyes were red and his nose looked swollen. "What's wrong?"

"They broke it," he said, not making a move. "They broke it again, I'm sure of it. They broke it."

"It's over," he whined, tears streaming from his eyes. "I'm over, just like Dad!"

"No it's not!" Lea shouted angrily, pulling him up by his lithe frame. "It's not over! It's not broken!"

"We can fix it!" she said. Alejandra quickly came to her side.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"His leg, the left one," she explained. "He broke it for the second time in less than six months a few months ago."

"It's not broken," Alejandra said as she examined him with a bitter-sweet smile. "Surprisingly."

"He's not wrong though," she continued. "I've worked so hard over the past few months, learning all I could, and now it's over."

"What are you saying?" Nora asked.

"All we can do is get out," she insisted. "Get Abuelito and run as far away as possible; the other side of the world."

"Why?" Lea asked. "Mr. Foley isn't coming after us, he just wanted the Noiz."

"I'm not scared of Mr. Foley," Alejandra said. "I'm scared of those little stones, of the Devastating Event."

"What are you talking about?" Waco asked. "Lea, what's going on here?"

"A lot," Lea said honestly. "But we'll figure it out, and we'll get dad home."

"Dad?"

A scream from Paxton was all he got in response.

"The Mooar Shee!" he shouted, practically spinning in a circle. "Where's the Mooar Shee?"

"That weird Finnish book you're always reading?" Waco said, raising himself up onto the couch with just his hands and right leg. "I put it with Lea's scores in the office; figured you'd want it safe."

"Waco Allis!" Paxton shouted, running over and hugging him tightly. "You're a genius!"

"Really?" Waco asked.

"You brought the book with you?" Alejandra asked her sister.

"The whole reason I came to Paradox City was to get it translated," Nora said. "To find clues."

"Exactly," Paxton said. "Now if we could all get into the study, we could make our next move."

"Did he miss the part where we were just almost murdered by the police?" Waco said.

"Paxton only sees A to B," Nora said with a slight grin, following after him. Alejandra was right behind her.

Lea stayed behind and stood with her brother, though she knew he'd already guessed what was coming next.

"I can't come with you, right?" he said.

"I'm sorry," she said. "There's a lot we have to get through, it's all really crazy."

"I should have known they were art thieves," he said wistfully. "There's no way Paxton has any friends who throw parties. He's even nerdier than you are."

"There's so much I want to say to you, about dad's mistakes and whatever it is you're going through," he continued. "My brain is telling me to stop you, but my gut says something else. You're so brave, so much braver than I am. I trust you."

"Go rest," she said. For a moment Waco looked terrified, but he took a deep breath and gave her a wild smile.

"Go get 'em," he said. "Show them what a dress thief's daughter can really do!"