Jacksy

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Skully found Princess and her friends waiting at the store. It angered him to see Bear, but he restrained himself from acting on this anger. Bear was strong, and he could be very useful. Skully made sure the blinds were closed before he started to talk. He wasn't going to let these kids into his house, but his store... His landlord wouldn't mind.

"Noah's been taken," Skully started, gesturing toward one of the holograms he had placed on the desk. The red dot was still within the fake building. "That's where he is now. I've-"

"How do you know that's where he is?" asked the kid with the long legs.

"Because he's got a tracker on him," said Skully. "What's your name?"

"Zippy," he replied, looking a little nervous.

"I've got the dealer to give us safe passage to Noah's location. I don't know what'll be waiting for us, which is why I have a plan. Bear, you'll-"

"Who's the dealer?" asked Bear, folding his large arms across his larger chest.

"A druggie," said Skully shortly. "You'll break down any keypads or locks, or cameras that get in the way. Skippy, you'll-"

"Zippy," he replied.

"You'll draw away anyone who gets in our way. How fast are you?"

Zippy frowned, glancing down at his shoes. "I can probably sprint for about ten minutes, but then I'd transition to a jog."

Skully sighed. "Alright, well, you'll draw away any guards. Don't let them catch you under any circumstances. Princess, you'll hopefully serve for a distraction."

Princess didn't look offended. She simply shrugged and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"And you can help get Noah and... And anyone else out of the building," Skully said. "I can't see the layout of the building. I don't know about cameras, weapons, guards. But, the dealer has many weapons that can help us."

"That's it?" remarked Bear. "That's your plan?"

Skully straightened, and Bear unfolded his arms. "If you have a better one, go ahead," Skully said. He only waited for a second before he spoke again. "Why are you here?"

Bear glanced at Princess. "I get it," he mumbled. "So, when does all of this happen?"

"Tomorrow," replied Skully. He rubbed his hands over his face, then grabbed the holograms. "Meet me here at sunrise. If you try anything, or if you don't show up, when this is over, I will find you."

Princess's jaw dropped.

"Now he's threatening us," mumbled Bear. He pushed through the front door.

Skully sat down at his desk and pulled one of the holograms closer to him. He tapped it twice, turning it solid, then swiped until it showed a picture of Ashton before he was taken, when he was fifteen. Maybe Noah had found Ashton. Skully's heart ached equally for them both. They needed him. Ashton always managed to find good things in the darkness of their childhood, but it was partly because Skully was around to be beside him. Sometimes, Skully wondered if it had been him to go missing. If only Ashton hadn't gone out to buy dinner. Skully was usually the one to take care of them, but that day, he was feeling sick, so Ashton had gone out. How had they taken him?

What would Skully say when he saw Ashton? Would he feel grief, regret, guilt? Would Noah forgive him? Hopefully Noah knew that Skully had been drugged. Skully would never sleep through something like that.

"I'm glad we don't have a plan."

Skully looked up and found Princess standing near the door, casually leaning against the wall. He had thought she left. He turned off the hologram. "You should leave."

Princess leaned away from the wall and shook her head. "Why are you so rude?"

"I could say the same for you," said Skully. "Why are you being so nosy?"

Princess sighed. "I just wanted to... I feel like we should be on better terms before we find Noah."

Skully scoffed. "Of course you do."

Princess took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. "None of us asked to look this way, you know. None of us asked to have heightened immune systems, or altered DNA."

"Don't lecture me," warned Skully.

"I'm just trying to have a conversation," said Princess softly.

Skully could feel the question looming in the air. He had only ever briefly mentioned his brother to the dealer, though with Noah, Skully had mentioned his brother with more detail. He wasn't about to tell Princess all about him... But if Ashton was coming home, maybe it was time for Skully to tell people... Ashton wasn't meant to be a secret. He wouldn't want to be a secret. He was too mischievous to remain a secret. He would want to come home knowing that his brother wasn't afraid to talk about him. Besides, Skully was feeling more courageous lately. "He's my brother," he said, turning on the hologram of Ashton.

Princess took a few steps closer. "May I ask why you both look..."

"Our parents worshipped death," Skully said, a sour taste in his mouth. "So they made us to look like it. The ironic thing is that they couldn't look at us without hatred."

"I'm sorry. That's... That's awful," said Princess.

Skully sighed. He shouldn't have said that last part. He wasn't comfortable with this conversation. It wasn't like talking with Noah.

"My parents wanted a perfect child, and this is what they thought of," said Princess with a shrug. "I can't relate to your situation, but I sometimes feel like people make assumptions before they know me... It's a curse. But I've learned to forget about it." After a pause, she said, "What happened to your brother?"

"He was taken," said Skully quietly. "Four years ago."

Princess looked down at the floor. "Where do we plan on going after we get them back?"

"The dealer will help with that," said Skully. "You don't need to be afraid of him. He's just a shy druggie. He's harmless unless you owe him."

Princess didn't look reassured.

Skully took a deep breath. "You can't stand by and let Bear ruin this."

Princess straightened her spine. "I don't... I don't know-"

"If he messes this up, we all will die," said Skully very seriously. "Can you make sure he doesn't do anything?"

Princess took a deep breath and folded her arms. "Sometimes he listens to me... I will do my best. If I need to, I'll distract him."

Skully nodded. "Good. Get ready for tomorrow. In two days, the mayor will no longer rule this city."