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"I'm okay, mom," Sloane says, patting her mother's back. "But I could use a shower. Do you mind entertaining our guests for a little while?"
Her mom sniffles and swipes at her eyes, then nods.
"Not at all," she says. "Make yourselves at home, boys--are you hungry? I'm Drea, by the way."
As we make ourselves at home, I can't help but notice the tension in the air. Sloane's mother is clearly anxious about Sloane's safety, and I understand why; this has been a stressful few days.
"Thank you for having us, Drea," Nate says, trying to break the ice. "Your home is lovely."
She smiles weakly. "Thank you. It's been in our family for generations, but we had to come in and renovate when we came back from up north. An ACB family had moved in and well...you know."
I know all too well. During the ACB's rule of the city, they took control of all the property and ended up ousting tons of people who didn't like the new status quo. After the revolution, they all came back in and took their stuff back...and they've been making their place again ever since.
"Your family has an amazing story," Arjun says. "It's an honor to meet you."
"So tell me who you are," she says. "Sloane mentioned you over the phone, but failed to introduce you in person. I would say she needs to mind her manners, but I'm sure she's stressed."
"Oh! I'm so sorry," Arjun says. "Well...I'm Arjun Singhe, this is Nate Reeves, and this over here is Milo Thorne. We're the Enclave agents assigned to Sloane's case."
"And now she's come to have some affection for you?" she says.
Nate blushes bright red.
"I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable," Drea says. "She texted me on the way here and told me she wanted me to meet you all. I uh...I haven't watched the video, but I understand it was private."
I frown. "I can't imagine what it must be like to see your daughter go through this," I say. "First the assassination attempts, and now the media circus..."
"She always knew there was risk," Drea says. "We all did--and we supported her anyway. That's what we Ashford women do."
"Speaking of which..." Nate says. "Where is her sister? She said Willa and her publicist would meet us here."
"They will, but they apparently got caught up in an interview with security. I don't understand why they need to do that," Sloane's mother sighs. "They're just trying to protect my girls, but it doesn't matter how many guards they have. Omegas...we have to protect ourselves. That's how it's been ever since the Great Mutation."
Drea's words hang heavy in the air, and I can sense the fear that she's trying to hide. It's understandable given the circumstances, but I can't help but feel a little frustrated that we can't do more to protect Sloane and her family.
I wish she trusted us.
And I guess Nate's feeling the same way, because he chimes in and leans over the kitchen island.
"We care about your daughter, Ms. Ashford," he says. "I hope you know that she's safe with us."
"I know dear," she says, "which makes me feel bad for saying this...but my daughter has been hurt over and over since she met the three of you."
Nate opens his mouth and closes it again, all of us completely stunned. But we can't reply--because just then, the sound of the front door opening interrupts our conversation. Two women come straight to the kitchen: a girl that looks just like Sloane, but a few years younger and quite a bit less refined, and a blonde in a smart suit and carrying a leather briefcase.
Sloane's doppelganger--her sister Willa, I presume--goes right up to Drea and wraps her arms around her. "Mom," she says. "I'm so glad we're all together...this has been so scary."
"I know, sweetheart," Drea says. "Boys, this is my daughter Willa, and Sloane's publicist Vanessa. Girls, this is Arjun, Nate, and Milo."
We all raise our hands in an awkward greeting. I thought we were welcome here...but it feels like the women are coming in and taking care of things. I glance at Nate and find that he looks even more ashamed, his head hung low.
Arjun, though, is unflappable--and he starts peppering them with questions.
"So what's the plan?" he asks. "How can we help?"
"Well...we need to get ahead of this," Vanessa says. "Sloane is--of course--all over the news right now, but she's always been honest about who and what she is. She needs to get on camera and make it clear that an omega's heat doesn't mean that she can't govern."
Willa nods. "And we need to start damage control. We have a press conference scheduled for tomorrow morning here outside of mom's house where Sloane will address the situation and lay out her plans for Solstice Bay. But until then, we need to make sure the media stays away from her and doesn't twist her words into something they're not."
