"Oh, boy, you go out of your way to do a good deed, but people still see you as a villain," Jason said, seeing his sister pretend to call the cops on him.
"Enough with the jokes, J. Help me calm her down," Jason muttered as he stepped out of the balcony and into the living room carrying the weeping brown-haired girl in a princess carry. She clutched her plush toy tightly, burying her face into it as muffled sobs escaped her. Arriving behind the couch, Jason unceremoniously dropped her onto it without warning.
The sudden motion caused the girl to stop crying out of shock, her tear-streaked face frozen in surprise. But soon enough, she scrambled to her feet, clutching her plush doll, and bolted toward the door. Just as her fingertips grazed the doorknob, she stopped abruptly. Jason, who should have been behind her, now stood firmly between her and the door, blocking her escape with an intimidating presence.
Meanwhile, Janice sat on the couch, hurriedly texting Delores. A few moments later, she sighed in relief upon learning that Delores was fine and assisting the C.I.B. with the aftermath of the storm near Treasure Lake.
Jason's crimson eyes glinted as he glared at the girl. The glow in his irises seemed to pulsate faintly as he warned in a low, commanding tone, "You're a crafty one, aren't you? Return to the couch and sit down obediently."
The brown-haired girl glared at him with defiance, her gaze briefly flicking to his half-dressed state. Reluctantly, she turned and walked back to the couch, sitting on one end with her doll still clutched in her arms. Jason smirked as he followed her with his eyes. "What were you trying to achieve by running? Haven't you seen what I'm capable of?" he taunted.
"Brother, stop scaring the poor girl and go put on some clothes. That towel looks like it's about to fall!" Janice snapped, trying her best to avoid looking directly at him. Jason shook his head, and with a blur of motion, he vanished. He reappeared instantly, now fully clothed in a white pullover and dark-wash jeans, and took a seat on the opposite end of the couch.
Janice sat between them and leaned forward slightly, her tone softening. "Lola, don't be frightened. We won't hurt you," she said reassuringly.
Lola stared at Janice, wide-eyed, before asking in shock, "How do you know my name?"
"I'm Mandy's friend," Janice revealed, pulling out her phone and showing Lola a few pictures of herself with Mandy. "I recognized you from the Rural Revival event photos Mandy posted online."
Lola's mouth parted in surprise, and after a pause, she asked hesitantly, "Are you Janice Jane? Are you guys superheroes in real life too?"
A small smile played on Janice's lips. "In a way, yes. I promise we mean you no harm. Please trust us and be patient while I ask my brother why the heck he brought you here against your will." Her tone shifted as she turned to glare at Jason, who was busy texting on his phone.
Lola nodded, her movements hesitant but thoughtful. From start till now, despite being brought here against her will, neither Janice nor her brother had given her the impression that her life was in any real danger. Janice's calm demeanor and the fact that she was Mandy's friend further eased Lola's wariness, leading her to reluctantly grant the siblings the benefit of the doubt.
Still, a flicker of doubt lingered in her mind. It wasn't as if she had much choice in the matter. Instead of making things harder for herself by being uncooperative or loud, she resolved to bide her time, watching carefully and waiting for the moment when they might lower their guard.
Feeling the weight of his sisters stare, Jason glanced up. "What? What did you say to Brittany? She blocked my number," he asked, holding up his phone with a frown.
Janice's patience snapped. She reached over and swiftly pressed the power button on his phone, turning the screen off. "First, tell me why you brought that poor girl here," she demanded, her voice sharp and unforgiving.
Jason's initial irritation faded as he met her serious gaze. "Can't you see it?" he said, gesturing toward Lola. "She's an Innate Curse Master. A strong one at that. Basically, a genius among geniuses."
"I can see that, but that doesn't give you the right to kidnap her," Janice snapped, her eyes narrowing as she folded her arms across her chest. "You know the C.I.B. has proper protocols for situations , right? Besides, her parents might be searching for her. You have to return her to where you picked her up—right now!" Her voice carried urgency as she imagined the possible consequences of her brother's rash decision.
"Can't do that," Jason replied, shaking his head. "I found her while trying to locate an unknown curse master. We couldn't pinpoint them, but we found her instead. Feeling she wasn't safe there, Delores told me to bring her with me," he explained, his tone calm but resolute.
Jason's crimson eyes flickered slightly as he intentionally left out his original plan. He had intended to use Lola as bait to draw out the elusive curse master. However, Delores had strongly advised against it, cautioning him about the unknown number and potential strength of the adversaries. Following the trail of the bullet Jason had sensed two or three distinct curse energy signatures at the time, but their peculiar similarity made him doubt whether he was dealing with one powerful entity or multiple weaker ones.
Janice sighed in exasperation and leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "Then at the very least, you should inform the C.I.B. so they can handle the aftermath of Lola's sudden disappearance," she said, her tone firm. "If you keep this up, you're just going to create trouble for a lot of people."
"Sure, I can do that," Jason said with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck. He pulled out his phone and began fiddling with it, trying to figure out whom to contact. After a moment, he snapped his fingers as if struck by a thought. "Layla is headed there on some errand for our cousin. Speaking of our ambitious cousin, I didn't think she'd settle for being in the surveillance department. But she's taking it surprisingly well," he remarked casually while typing out a text informing Layla about Lola and requesting her assistance in handling the situation, Janice watched him, her lips pursed.