RED || ethan landry

two| have you learned nothing?

chapter two: have you learned nothing?
aka sometimes it's okay to stfu

The following day, the group of friends found themselves on campus, receiving a lecture from Mindy.  It was quite obvious she's related to Randy Meeks. Though never meeting each other, the uncle and niece were exactly alike, two peas in a pod. They both gave their friends all the rules to survive the killings, unknowingly to the killer as well. Stu Macher was present while a drunk Randy told everyone the rules, and two of the killers were present as Mindy was doing the same thing. Luck just didn't seem to run in the Meeks blood.

"So we think that the killer is trying to copy the movies?" Tara asked.

"That is one possibility. Heroes now in college, check. Suspicious characters brought in to round out the suspect list, check." Mandy said, hands guestering to Ethan and Quinn.

Lain nudged her friend, whose shoulders she was leaning on. "Ignore her."

Ethan replied with a soft smile.

"But it can't just be about Stab 2." Mindy continued.

"Why not?" Tara asked.

"It would make sense if this were just a sequel. But we're not in a sequel, because nobody just makes sequels anymore. We're in a franchise! And there are certain rules that follow;
Rule one: Everything is bigger than last time. Bigger cast, bigger budget, longer chases, shootouts, beheadings. You gotta top what came before to keep people coming back."

Damn, she's good, Ethan thought. He stole a glance to his sister, but she looked away, as if to say 'keep your mouth shut and stop acknowledging me'

"Rule two." Mindy listed. "Expect the opposite of what happened last time. That's how franchises survive, by changing expectations. If the killers last time were whiny snowflake nerds with letterbox accounts, then expect the opposite. Lastly, rule three. No one is safe. Legacy characters? Basically cannon fodder at this point. Usually brought back to be killed in some lame attempt at nostalgia. Not looking too good for Gale and Kirby. Just look what happened to Dewey."

Elaina suddenly started to care about what Mindy was saying. "Wait, Kirby? Kirby's here?"

"Yeah, she's working the case, you know, FBI stuff." Sam informed.

"And you guys didn't think to tell me?" Elaina asked, slightly hurt.

Elaina and Kirby had a past. Elaina grew up around Kirby, the latter being a mom/sister figure to the younger girl. Elaina Cooper didn't have the world's best parents, seeing as they pretty much abandoned her, just supplying her with money to keep her out of their hair. Kirby was first introduced as Elaina's babysitter, when Elaina was just a baby. As years went on, the two grew close, and Elaina felt as if she was loved. Kirby was just what the girl needed. Parental love. However, after Elaina went through the killings last year, she shut everybody out. Including Kirby. Fuck, it was hard for her friends to get her to talk to them. Months on end, Elaina didn't leave her room. At first, her friends would just go sit with her, both needing the company. As more time passed, they started getting better, started moving on. Elaina didn't. The girl couldn't, she didn't have it in her system to get better. They slowly started visiting less and less, besides Chad. Chad barely left the girls side, even when everyone else did. Their bond was so strong, and nothing could ever break it. So, when Kirby stopped hearing from her kid, and no phone calls were answered, Chad is the first person she called. The boy informed Kirby what was happening.

"Oh my god. Is she okay?"

"Clearly not, that's what I just told you. I think she just needs more time. She lost Wes. She lost Amber. And she didn't have anyone to help her through it. I mean, you know. Her parents only came home for the hospital, because she was still a minor and her parents don't want CPS up their ass."