Derrière le Rideau (Behind the Curtain)

•Deux•

July fourth, a national holiday that is eagerly looked forward to every year if it's the food, family, parties or the famous fireworks that happen in a darkened sky that makes the lights seem too bright to look at. But here at Riverdale, oh, things twist and turn into a tragic story that multiple people are secretly a part of but dare not speak the truth. For the truth is stranger than fiction in this case. And here in this town, everything is supposedly glamorous and positive but underneath the layers, monsters rule and money is digested for the taste of royalty. Once those tainted lips are stained with greed there is no going back and many residents accept gracefully what it means to "live on easy street".

Overall, people were at the wrong place at the wrong time or at the right place at the right time. And Atlas, she is everywhere at the wrong and right time. How does she do it? Well, she has a motivation beyond anyone can understand and no one will ever.

On that day, there was someone else on that island. In a high tree way above the traveling scouts, a forbidden yet blooming romance, two twins and one that needed an escape from their life, but it would take a turn no one expected. Well, not everyone.

Just one person knew before hand.

But back to the story that is being unfolded.

At five in the morning, the clock began to tick and bring to light motives in the dreary dark. The mucky muck of darkness in the lives of every human being who ever walked this earth. They say when humans are born that's when they get their first imperfection.

"Well, well, the "Mini Glassy Boy" with his "Mini-Mini's" in shorts on a hunt to survive in the raving wild that's just across from civilization. How ironic." Atlas narrates ending with a long sip of freshly made lemonade in now a metal container than the plastic a few weeks before. Jughead is with Archie and hopefully having fun because if they aren't she'd have to help them out. Even though she has no idea where they are.

Or the incredibly insignificant detail that Archie has no idea who she is.

Here they come, the troops with "Mr. Glasses-No-Puberty" and his army of sticky figures in oversized clothes. Now here is an odd picture, the tallest (well almost the tallest) person pulls out a gun and takes aim at a target. A haunted and memorable echo fills the hot air and two new parties step up to the plate.

On my right there are two redheads in white, fear fills their matching eyes, the one gives a quick hug and then dashes away into the green where he does stick out a lot. The one has longing and lust written all over her flushed white face and bright lipstick. With the two parted another action comes from my opposite side.

On my left, a light blue buggy with two quite familiar characters that are currently lying intimately and aren't planning on backing away from each other. Atlas sits up and her lips drop low. A low rumble of thunder claps inside her chest, anger beings to boil.

Archie.

Him and, the music teacher?!

Archie and Mrs. Grundy, oh no. That is the most no, no Atlas has ever witnessed in her life (but it is about to get much worse) and slightly growing more disgusting as her eyes couldn't stop watching. It's intriguing and so juicy when it comes to this knowledge. The connection they have together is a mere fling, though she wants more and he, well, he just wants. He always has had a, if you want to call it a "problem" then okay, but it is something more than that. A deep hole that must be fixed. One that can only be filled and flowing over with a woman.

The twins, one running away, though due to constant warnings he has received he still is going. Atlas sighs and shakes her head at those two. They are never up to good, but this is a whole new level of "not good".

A group of 'we-were-forced-to-do-this' children and a leader, who doesn't know what he is doing a majority of the time, are just doing a lesson, but this time, it isn't smart. Hunting near the river? When there is multiple parties present and well, yeah. That seems illogical and dangerous.

And the lovers, oh, lovers, Atlas cannot stand them with every inch of her being. She starting to have an irresistible itch to drag them apart. Mrs. Grundy, a plank in someone else's eye that must be removed or everyone else will go blind. But not her. Her skin scratches with a bite from a poisonous bug that she cannot get rid of. An ointment is rare in this case, and she may need this very soon for love and lust are two different subjects and they don't know what is right and what is wrong. But that didn't stop them before or when they first laid heavy eyes on each other. One steamy day with two people who would create more friction than a science experiment created by their chemistry teacher.

"I think I'm going to be sick with all this kissing and messy business. But, I do have to say, he won't be happy." With a leap and skip and a hop, the ground is beneath her feet. "Atlas has landed, and her brain has expanded with knowledge beyond comprehension. A totally disturbing relationship, "Mini" and his "Mini Mini's" having target practice, and a runaway twin." She plants the straw in her mouth and walks away from the drama that soon would be mangled into a situation that only she could foresee.

All the daily news in this town is unbearably boring, but will her lips spread this? No. Only clues, that's what she leaves for those who dare look into it. Those who dare to find the truth and completely understand it can gladly follow it. Where will it end up?

No one knows.

Well, expect Atlas.