Pink hair and a broken heart

Chapter 17. Clifftops

{Location: Crystal Pass}(Dawn's POV)[Years ago]

I walk into CJ's, the smell of pizza in the air. Someone touches my shoulder and I nearly judo flip him over, "Dawn. James is still here." Sarah smiles as I try to relax.

"Glad I didn't miss him." I smile as she lets go.

Sarah leads me to the outside part of the restaurant and gossips nonstop.

I really don't pay too much attention to her, "Oh really." I reply to a conversation I have no idea about.

"Ok," she points to an empty chair across from James, "I'll be right back with your food."

"Thanks." I sit as she scurries off. "Sorry, I'm late."

"Better than not being here at all." He smiles then digs into his food, "So what kept you?"

"I may have uncovered a small smuggled set of weapons in Crystal," I whisper as I take a bite out of my food.

"Once more please." James patiently waits until I'm finished before rubbing his forehead, "Please tell me you left the fancy looking knife alone."

"Not exactly." I sip my water, "It's safe."

"And you say you took it from Mr. Nom?" James' voice fluctuates.

"Yeah."

"Dang it." James licks his lips. "You can't trust him."

"We buy our food from him when it comes to this why is he trustworthy?"

"Because," James holds out a menu and leans closer to me, "Food is one thing, but he deals with a lot more than the soft cookies."

"He's done this before? Why isn't he in jail?"

"We can't get proof." James puts the menu down and draws back, "He's slippery. And even though now we have something, you touched it. Unless we want to arrest you too.."

"I can get more." What am I saying? That is crazy. I made it out the first time by the skin of my teeth. "It won't be easy."

"Dawn, if you do that and it doesn't work, you're spelling out trouble the rest of our lives." James holds my hands, gives them a little squeeze, "I'm not as brave as you but I don't someone like that angry at us."

I get an idea. It's definitely a mistake to be made but it's better than anything else. "So what if he isn't angry at us?"

This is a bad idea. But it's all we got.

"What do you mean?" James tilts his head, "He can trace it back to us."

"Yeah. But he might think someone else told me to do it." James still looks confused as I roll my eyes, "We can make Chen look like the guilty party."

"I'm listing."

{Location: Crystal Pass' old mine}(Seliel's POV)[Present day]

The lighter fire gets closer to the ground. I have to do something. That rail line can't be destroyed. Then another light comes on. "Freeze scumbag." AJ, what are you doing? Her flashlight is making the night-vision go haywire. Well, I guess I needed action. I turn off the night vision and creep up behind Victor.

Victor closes his lighter, "The fuzz already. Not a good sign for me."

I pull out my left kama, sidesteps and aim the point against his Adam's apple. "You know what else isn't a good sign? Blowing up a rail line."

"Seliel?" Victor sneers and squints in AJ's bright light, "Oh I mean all powerful Phantom Ninja. I thought you quit."

"I make exceptions for scum like you."