Chapter 39 A spark a star a stream and a lake

She didn't understand it, on the one hand she thought it was a shame that she didn't get the chance, but on the other hand she now had him all to herself. Alex started the car and drove off. The journey took a good 13 hours. 

During the drive, she realized that the pills were no longer working and she began to shake and get nervous. 

It got worse and worse, she had never confirmed that she was taking the pills because of the radiation, on the contrary, she was taking stimulants to get high. 

She couldn't hear her thoughts, her inner self didn't catch up with her. The whole journey she looked at her father, who was relaxed. She wanted to say something, but couldn't and it got worse and worse. As soon as they arrived, April threw up as she got out of the car. 

She felt like lava, a wave of hormones flooded through her, followed by spurts of cold and sweating. She lost strength and slumped down, expecting to end up face down in her own vomit, as she had done so many times before. Only this time she was held down by an arm and placed in the back seat of the car. 

She saw her father's face watching her, felt her face being cleaned. She expected disappointment and anger, but she saw none of that in him. He looked at her as he always did, he smiled, which confused her, then she felt him put a bracelet on her wrist. She looked at it with difficulty.

"I..." she began.

"It's a clean April," he said, stroking her cheek. 

She didn't understand. 

"It cleanses your blood."

" Dad I..." she began, the first wave of her desperate self rolling over her mind.

" I know, honey, you've had a hard time. Now you're with me. You're going to stay with your sisters for now. I've already taken care of that. "

Tears ran down her cheek. She couldn't remember how long she had cried, but she fell asleep from exhaustion. When she woke up, the car was driving off again and she was lying with her head on her father's lap.

Confused, she sat up, feeling miserable, her head ached and she had a bad taste in her mouth. 

She sat still for a while and looked at her father.

"How long have you known?"

" For a while now, your sisters have been messing up my daily routine. "

He lit a cigarette.

April fell silent and looked at her bracelet.

"Does mom know?"

"No. By the time we get back, at the latest. "

"Am I being sent to a rehab clinic now?" She knew that happened so often and then you were discharged from the army. She was already sinking into a swamp of self-loathing and pity. 

Everything around her went black and coldness crept through her insides. She flinched when she felt a hand on her head and looked at her father, who had stopped. 

"Do you want to tell me why?"

She wondered where to start, when it had all started with her.

 The car started moving again. She pondered deep inside her why, kept looking at her father and then began to tell her story. Her problem, being better than the others, being the big sister, always feeling like she wasn't good enough and so on. 

She cried half of the way back, revealed her inner self with all its broken sides to her father and he listened to her. The whole journey, at some point she was so exhausted that she collapsed and came to just before the town. 

They were in a parking lot where you could see the city, her father was standing in front of the cars, smoking and looking at the city. She got out and felt tired, he turned to her and smiled.

"What's going to happen to me now dad?"

"You're going to work with your sister at my place for a while. When you're ready to stand on your own two feet again."

" But I ..."

He hugged her and stroked her head.

"Sweetheart, you are my spark, Liz is my star, Mei is my stream and Sue is my lake. Next to your mothers, you are all the most important things to me. Each equally as much. Just because you make a mistake, I won't leave you alone and in the lurch. "

She was in tears, she hadn't cried this much in years. 

After 10 minutes she was ready to go again, but she still had to change and brush her teeth. 

They drove to a dojo in the city. They got out and went inside. April saw countless photos on the wall, trophies and awards in glass cabinets, everything had an Asian touch. She followed Alex's example and took off her shoes as they stood in front of the door to the hall. 

It was small, but it reminded her of her father's cellar at home. The floor and walls were made of shiny wood. The walls were adorned with banners and Asian decorations. Unexpectedly, she was hugged by Liz, then by Mei. 

"You're back!" came from Liz. She looked to April, who looked to her father, who continued walking. She winced as Liz took her hand with the bracelet and looked at her, then at Mei. 

"I'm screwed," April then said softly. 

Liz gave her a hug. 

"Mei and me too."

Mei nodded and grinned. "So you're screwed at our club?"

Liz grinned and pulled April into the room.

It confused April to hear the two of them say that, but it also relieved her. They had gotten halfway down the hall when a gasp was heard behind them. 

"Bitch! Get ready!" 

A twenty-five or so brunette in overly large, garishly colored workout clothes stomped toward them. 

Liz giggled.

"She obviously doesn't know when to quit."

"I thought she'd give up after the beating we gave her yesterday. " came from Mei. 

Irritated, April looked at the one coming towards her, she was the same height as her and had light gray eyes. Liz and Mei were shorter than April.

"What are you looking at, redhead? It's that bitch behind you!!!"

April reacted automatically, her tiredness forgotten. She grabbed her by the throat, lifted her up and punched her several times in the side, squeezing her neck.

"Who are you calling a bitch?" came from her and she looked at her with narrowed eyes. 

"April, put your little cousin down," came from her father. She obeyed and let her go. 

She landed on her bottom and rubbed her neck.

Liz and Mei grinned like cats. Alex came with Geni and looked at her while he patted April on the head. She looked at April angrily. 

"I want a fair fight!" 

April glared at her. 

" You can have that, get up." Then she took off her hoddie.

Geni looked a little indecisive.

"Bibi ... you're not going to ..." 

Liz and Mei giggled.

"Boa April," Liz began.

"Hmm?" 

April looked down at herself, because one of Liz's and one of Mei's hands was squeezing one of her breasts. She sighed.

"What are you doing?" 

"They're real. " Liz looked at them.

" They're bigger than we compared ours to back then."

" That was when we were 16 Liz... and mine are smaller than mom's."

" Really? They never look that big..." came from Mei.

"She made the cups smaller with special bras."

"Oh, how do you know that?"

"She gave me one of those when I started with you guys."

Mei looked at Liz and nodded. 

"That explains why they're so big now," she nodded. Liz nodded back.

 April finally managed to get rid of them and looked to her cousin who had taken off her jacket and was shadow boxing. 

"Can we go? " 

She attacked immediately, April looked to Liz, who grinned, then to Bibi, who was now standing in front of her, ready to strike. She grabbed her face, kicked her leg away and threw her to the floor, where she hit the ground with a thud. Bibi quickly got back up, screamed and ran at April again, kicking and punching her in various fighting positions. 

April dodged her attacks effortlessly, which made Bibi even angrier. April was getting bored, she didn't feel like it anymore. She ended the fight with several hard boxing blows to the stomach, causing Bibi to sink to her knees and hold her stomach painfully. 

April squatted down next to her and pressed her fingers to her forehead. 

"Happy now? " 

April saw something shimmer on Bibi's neck, she pulled at it and saw a dog tag. April grinned.

Something inside Bibi seemed to be afraid. Before she could react, April had grabbed her by the neck and was dragging her behind her like a cat towards the others.

"Yes, the ogre is back," came from Mei.

"Pffff, that's mom, not me."

Liz laughed. April let go of Bibi in front of Geni and Alex.

"She's from the Ruin Hunter Division," came from April. 

Liz and Mei looked at her questioningly. April groaned.

"You know, the ones who go into the ruins to hunt down fugitives and mutations and recover artifacts."

"Yes. But that still doesn't explain why she fights so badly."

The three of them looked at Bibi. Who retreated behind Geni.

"You three, please. Bibi had a difficult childhood," Geni began. The three of them looked at her. Alex sighed. Susan came panting into the hall, she seemed to be in a hurry. She looked at the scene in confusion. 

"Well Susan, your little girl lost to April too," came from Geni. 

"How?" she came closer. 

" Punch in the stomach." 

She looked at April and took off her service jacket. 

" Try it on me. "

April raised an eyebrow and looked at Liz and Mei. 

"We've had some too, it's not that hard." 

April sighed and got into a fighting stance. Susan attacked quickly and directly, covering April with karate chops and kicks. April blocked everything, found a gap and slammed into Susan's side with all the strength she had left, lifting something off the ground and landing motionless on the floor with a dull thud. April looked down at her, then at the others.

"What, Ma used to take those easy and laugh at me. "

Geni was the first to stand next to Susan and see how she was doing. Susan sat up, her face contorted with pain. 

Geni looked at April. "What, I never learned to fight like Mei. Mom taught me boxing, well and cqc with the troops. "

Alex put his hand on April's head and looked at Geni. 

"Your mother participated in boxing training with the troops before the outbreak."

She looked at Alex grimly. 

"And your last one, what about that one? "

" Sue? Well... She's a pacifist, only does judo for self-defense. "

He looked to Mei and Liz. 

"Okay, since you three are hot. How about three on one, if you can beat me, I'll give you some. " 

Mei and Liz put their stuff aside. April walked over to them and conferred with them. 

Geni waved Bibi over to take Susan aside. 

" Before you fight your father, I want to fight him."

" Okay!" came from the three of them. Alex looked at them. 

" Then show me why the old man has chosen you as his successor. "

April saw from the side how Geni attacked at lightning speed and attacked her father with targeted punches and kicks. He dodged her attacks and didn't even take his hands out of his pockets.

"She's good, better than our mothers," came from Mei. Liz nodded. Susan coughed.

"She's been training since she was nine, chasing her big cousin," came from her.

"But from the looks of it, nothing's changed." she groped to her side and grimaced. 

"What do you mean?" asked Liz.

"He's still playing with her, just like he used to. "

He looked at the three of them.

"You three are getting into the fight now?"

" yes " Liz cracked her knuckles. April followed them.

" We'll do it like we learned in alpha mutant training, " April said. 

Mei and Liz nodded.