49 An Intruder

"Today has been one of the worst days of my life. I've been bombarded all day with questions about you and the attack.

"Surprisingly, even the cheerleaders were curious, even Jackie! And you won't believe it, but I think some of them actually care about you!"

"...Cool, but I don't get why you're surprised," I replied casually, taking another sip of grape juice. "You should know by now how irresistible my charm is, even from afar." I smirked.

"You... nevermind," She sighed lightly, and I could picture her rolling her eyes. "Anyways, ugh, I'm going to regret saying this, but school was really dull without you in it."

"Well, why wouldn't it be when I'm your only friend in the entire school?" I commented slyly, biting into an Oreo cookie.

Claire's voice was sounding from my phone that was placed on the desk right in front of me, near my opened laptop.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," She said playfully. "I have all the cheerleaders and nerds on my side now, don't you remember?"

"Pfft, as if," I laughed, almost spraying juice on my laptop screen. "Most of the nerds are just horny teenagers who watch porn all day when they aren't reading comic books. They'd do anything just to make you say high to them. And the cheerleaders... well, do I even need to touch on that glittering subject?"

"...."

"That's what I thought." I chuckled as I downed the remaining juice in the bottle. "Face it, Claire, I'm the only friend you're going to have for a very long while."

"...Maybe, but I know I won't be alone. Without me, you'd be as lonely as Tesla. Nah, even worse." She retorted playfully.

"...Fair, you got me. Wait, how do you even about him? Cuz, he's not what I'd exactly call famous."

"Heard it before I dozed off in Physics class. A guy in class was like he died a virgin and I was like, in my mind at least, that sounds a lot like Xander too me."

I couldn't help but burst into laughter at this, and she joined in, our laughter replacing the conversation for a moment. After a while, the laughter subsided, and a comfortable silence settled in.

It had been a day since I got out of the hospital, and thanks to my injuries and my overprotective dad, I'd been stuck at home, very much alone, from morning till early evening.

I did nothing but eat, drink, read some ebooks I bought online, and occasionally check the stock market for any interesting updates.

It was all good, relaxing even as I recuperated, but my patience was wearing thin, and my anger seemed to bubble up with every passing second.

Sylar was still out there, healing, waiting for the right time to enact his plans. And Peter's failure to call only added to my impatience and anxiety, giving me a sense of foreboding.

The whole empty house felt suffocating, and I would have done something stupid if Claire hadn't called last minute, helping me take my mind off Sylar and everything else.

"Say, what did you want to talk about earlier?" I broke the silence, extending my fingers into the large blue cookie wrapper, only to find it empty.

"Yeah, about that," she hesitated. "My dad... he knows about 'it.'"

"About what?"

"My powers. I couldn't keep it a secret anymore," she said with a hint of betrayal in her voice. "Especially after what happened with that maniac, so I told him about my powers. But it was useless because he knew the whole time, apparently."

I paused, furrowing my brows, sensing the betrayal in her words.

"And let me guess, you had an outburst."

"Yeah, I mean, who wouldn't!? I always felt like a freak before I met you, constantly trying to find someone who could understand and help me with what I was going through.

"Apparently, my dad saw all of this but ignored it, giving me a lousy excuse that he only did it to protect me. Protect me from what? Sylar?

"Well, that ship has sailed," She scoffed. "When I wished him good luck with that, he assured me, with a confidence I never thought my dad had, that he had been taken care of. That he'd been contained."

My face froze, and a heavy frown settled on it. So, I was right. Those Illuminati bastards really did have Sylar. At least now, I was sure of his location.

Hopefully, Parkman and his FBI partner were still around. Once I pinpointed the exact floor he was on, it would be game over for him.

"The funny thing is, somehow, I believe him. It's weird, right? But it's the way he said it, like he had personally done something about it.

"Which is really weird because my dad is just a regular guy who works as a manager in a paper factory. Guys like that don't usually have what it takes to deal with someone like Sylar. So, what did he mean by that?

"I'm just so confused right now. On one hand, I'm glad he already knows, but on the other, I feel so betrayed. So much that I'm starting to suspect him.

"Call me crazy, but I don't think my dad is just a simple paper factory manager. I think... he's something else, something way scarier." She revealed her thoughts, ending on a mysterious note laced with a tinge of fear.

Standing up despite my bandaged body's protest, I decided to humor her as I made my way to the door of my room.

"...What do you think he is then? An alien?" I asked in amusement, failing to hide the sarcasm in my voice, as I descended the stairs painfully slowly.

"I'm serious, Xander. My dad isn't who he seems," She reprimanded me seriously. "I think... I think my dad is a secret government agent, like something out of the X-Files or something."

"Claire... have I ever told you how beautiful your imagination is?" I laughed, hiding my surprise as I placed the phone on the kitchen counter and grabbed another packet of Oreo cookies and a bottle of grape juice from the fridge.

...If only she knew how close she was to the Mark. Well, at least, she was finally starting to doubt him. It was high time she stopped being daddy's little girl...

"...We'll see who'd be laughing after I get some proof," She said promisingly, her voice determined.

"I'll tell you what, Claire," I smiled as I closed the fridge with a muffled bang. "If you manage to find anything that might confirm your theory, then I promise to change my noble name from Xander to Butt-face." I advanced towards the staircase, the snacks in both hands.

"You have a deal, Butt-face," she accepted. "Hmm, Butt-face, cool name. Kinda fits you perfectly, don't you think?" She teased playfully.

"Haha, very funny, Claire-Bear," I chuckled, shaking my head as I stepped onto the stairs. But then I paused when I saw something from the corner of my eye.

The door that led to the garage was slightly open. It was supposed to be closed...

"Claire, I'm gonna have to call you back," I said seriously, my voice cold but suggestive, as I turned to face the narrow corridor it was set in. "I think I have a situation right here."

Claire, understanding my meaning, paused for a few seconds and then asked with worry in her voice, "...Can you handle it? Or should I call for backup?"

"No need. I'll take care of it myself," I replied, dropping the things on the floor and taking my phone from my pocket.

"...Be safe, Xander. If I don't hear from you in the next twenty minutes, I'm calling the police," she whispered in a serious tone.

"Glad I can count on you," I responded quietly, ending the call and backing away slowly into the kitchen. "Whoever you are, you can come out now. I know you're here!" I called out loudly as I drew open one of the kitchen drawers and took out a thick butcher's knife.

Who was it? The organization? Either way, they were going to be very sorry for stepping into my house...

The deadly silence of the house was all my ears could hear. Clicking my teeth in annoyance, I called upon my power and immediately hovered over the tiled kitchen ground as the world warped into gray.

But, unexpectedly, the moment I willed myself to move, the grayness of the world shifted back into color, and unsteadily, my feet landed on the floor as my power flickered off on its own.

My eyes widened in shock and confusion. I tried again, concentrating harder this time, but all I got was a staggering headache as my vision blurred with a mixture of gray and color that eventually returned to normal.

...What in God's name was happening!? Why wasn't my power fucking working!?

"I would stop that if I were you," A clear and sonorous accented voice rang out as I tried activating my power again to no avail, only doubling the intensity of the headache. "You don't want to faint, do you now?"

Wincing and grimacing from the pain as footsteps approached the kitchen, I rose my dizzy eyes up and became shellshocked when I saw the intruder.

The person who was second on my list of favorites when it came to the show.

...It was the bloody Haitian!