I followed Sean inside, navigating the familiar layout of his house with practiced ease.
The place was already filling up with people—classmates from Midtown, some I knew well, others just familiar faces. I nodded and greeted people as I passed, exchanging the kind of casual pleasantries that lubricated high school social dynamics.
I have to admit, I'm kind of popular at Midtown.
Not bragging—just facts. My academic performance was solid, and I was tall and reasonably handsome. I wasn't into sports, but nobody called me a nerd after I'd thrown the school quarterback out of a classroom with one hand during an... altercation.
Reputation matters. Even in high school.
I walked to the table in the living room and set out Mom's food. Several people immediately gravitated toward the containers, curious.
Mission accomplished.
I poured myself a glass of red wine—probably from Sean's parents' collection, smuggled in by someone who thought they were being sneaky—and escaped the crowded living room. Too many people. Too much noise.
I made my way to the third floor, to a small activity room with a balcony that most people didn't know about unless they were close friends with Sean's family.
The balcony wasn't large, but the view was excellent. One of the few places in this house where I could actually relax.
I settled into a sun lounger, glass of wine in hand, and let the cool night breeze wash over me.
If all parties were like this—quiet, peaceful, just good wine and a nice view—they wouldn't be so bad.
Nearly an hour passed in comfortable silence.
I lay on the lounger, eyes half-closed, enjoying the tranquility—
When a sudden burst of raised voices shattered the peace.
Of course.
I opened my eyes, annoyed, and sat up to investigate.
Below, in the garden beneath the balcony, four girls faced off. Three against one. Their body language screamed confrontation.
The three I recognized vaguely—social butterflies from Midtown. The kind of girls who were "open-minded" about relationships and had once tried to flirt with me before I'd shut them down. We hadn't talked much since.
The girl standing alone against them looked familiar, but I couldn't place her. Probably someone Sean had invited.
A side show? Interesting...
I didn't announce my presence. Just watched.
"Tessa, give me an answer today!" The lead girl—Angela, apparently—was practically vibrating with anger. "Can you leave Kane alone or not?!"
The girl called Tessa looked remarkably calm for someone facing three hostile classmates. She smiled without fear, a glimmer in her eye. "Angela, I'm not the person I used to be. Your threats don't work on me anymore."
She tilted her head slightly. "Besides, Kane followed me voluntarily. Everything was his choice. He pursued me. Even if I left him, he'd just keep chasing. As for you..." Her smile sharpened. "I'm afraid Kane won't even look at you."
"What did you just say?! You fucking bitch!"
Angela raised her hand to slap Tessa—
A male hand shot out, grabbing Angela's wrist mid-swing.
"Angela, what do you think you're doing to Tessa?!"
A boy—Kane, presumably—had appeared from somewhere, his voice hard and angry.
Angela winced, pain flickering across her face. "Kane, you're hurting me!"
"I'll ask you again. What were you planning to do to Tessa?"
"I just wanted to teach her a lesson! You're hurting me!"
"You wanted to teach Tessa a lesson..."
Kane's expression darkened. He raised his hand as if to strike Angela—
"Kane, stop."
Tessa's voice was quiet. Calm.
Commanding.
Instantly, Kane's anger vanished like someone had flipped a switch. He released Angela's wrist and walked to Tessa's side with an eerie, robotic calm—gentle and obedient, like a well-trained dog.
My eyes narrowed.
What the hell?
Angela clutched her wrist, staring at Kane in horror. "It is real! It really is! You must have used some method to control Kane! Hypnotism? Witchcraft? Drugs?!"
She backed away, voice rising hysterically. "You despicable woman! I'm going to expose you! I'll make sure everyone knows what you did!"
Tessa's expression didn't change. "Angela, how many people would believe a woman like you? But since you don't seem willing to give up..."
She turned to Angela's two companions. "You two. Teach Angela a lesson."
The words hung in the air for half a second.
Then Angela's two friends moved.
They launched themselves at her with disturbing synchronization, tearing at her hair, scratching her face, beating her with the mindless aggression of rabid animals. Their expressions were blank—dazed and sluggish, exactly like Kane's.
No.
No, no, no.
Ice flooded my veins.
I knew that look. That blank, hollow obedience.
I'd seen it before.
Angela screamed, trying to defend herself as her own friends attacked her. The noise finally attracted attention—other partygoers rushed over, pulling the two girls away from Angela's body.
But they didn't stop. They kept struggling, trying to get back to her, movements jerky and desperate.
Tessa, seeing the growing crowd, whispered something to Kane. He nodded, took her hand, and led her away quickly.
I stood on the balcony, watching them disappear into the night.
My expression had gone cold. Serious.
Below, the two attacking girls were finally calming down—confusion replacing the blank obedience as whatever compulsion had gripped them faded. They stared at Angela's scratched, bleeding face with dawning horror, clearly not understanding what they'd just done.
Kilgrave's ability.
How the fuck does that girl have Kilgrave's ability?
Is Tessa the daughter of Kilgrave? Did he have a daughter I didn't know about? Or is this something else entirely?
Kilgrave was dead—I'd killed him, dropped him from a rooftop and watched him splatter. I was certain of that.
But this was the MCU. People came back from the dead. Powers got transferred. Experiments went wrong in interesting ways.
If Kilgrave had been resurrected somehow, or if his abilities had been passed to someone else...
Mom. Theresa.
My hands clenched into fists.
Mom had been controlled by Kilgrave. If his power was still out there, still active, she could be targeted again. And I wouldn't always be there to protect her.
I need to investigate this. Now.
I set down my wine glass and moved toward the other side of the balcony. While everyone's attention was focused on Angela and her traumatized friends, I slipped away, following the direction Tessa and Kane had gone.
My magic power hasn't recovered enough to Apparate. Otherwise this would be so much easier.
Tracking on foot it was, then.
I descended the stairs quickly, avoiding the main crowd, and exited through a side door into the cool night air.
Somewhere ahead, Tessa was walking around with mind-control powers she shouldn't have.
And I was going to find out exactly where she'd gotten them.
The trail was easy to follow at first. Kane and Tessa were walking in broad daylight equivalent—the light from streetlamps casting their shadows long across the pavement. I kept my distance, staying in the shadows, using the streets' natural obstacles to break up my silhouette.
Three blocks from Sean's house, they turned into an upscale apartment building. The kind of place where a single unit cost more than my entire yearly income.
I waited in the shadows across the street, watching the lights come on in what looked like a penthouse.
So Tessa lives in luxury.