Unearthly Battles

3.

The group of three made their way to Paxton's hideout, making many turns along the way. Skyler did her best to make note of ay easy landmarks as she walked quietly in the back, Addison being between herself and Paxton. The whole ordeal had put her in a mood, and she had yet to say a kind word to the boy, excluding her fast greeting when they first met. 

Addison, on the other hand, had no issue ignoring Skyler's sulking as she carried on a conversation with the blonde teenager. She was trying to learn some information about where they were going and who they would be spending their time with. And even though Addison knew she would never admit it, Skyler was listening in and absorbing all the facts that he was mentioning. 

Skyler didn't think her intelligence was anything special, but Addison had been top of her class, and even with that, Skyler was more brilliant than she could ever be. Maybe it was the literal street-smarts that she had been gaining for years. Or maybe she was naturally a smart person. But either way, no matter how little Skyler thought of herself, everyone around her could see the amazing person she truly was. 

It didn't take long for the three to reach a small door at the back of an alley. Paxton crouched down next to it, knocking three times at the bottom, twice in the middle, and then twice more at the bottom again. The girls could hear some shuffling and a scraping noise before the door creaked open and Paxton reached out to open it further. 

Squatting in the doorway was a boy who looked to be about twelve, with bright orange hair and freckles. Unlike Addison, he was actually a red-head, even though her hair was scarlet. He was tall and lanky, with deep brown eyes that were fixed on the girls with certain amount of coldness. He flicked them up to look at Paxton;

"You brought people back with you?" He asked with a hint of anger, "We barely have enough space and food for the two of us, and you invited more teenagers?"

"Come on, Nick. We've got plenty of space. Plus I think they can probably help us get food. From what I've heard, they're decent thieves." 

The boy - Nick - let out a huff and rolled his eyes, "Whatever"

Skyler took this opportunity to try and leave, "Look, Addi, not even Ginger wants us to be here. We'll be draining their resources or some shit. Let's just go."

Nick's face became red with annoyance at the name Skyler had given him, but didn't bother saying anything. 

"No, Sky, seriously? This is the best place we've had a chance at staying at for the past few weeks, we can't give this up. Maybe they'd be a bit more willing to let us stay if you stopped acting like a spoiled brat!"

Skyler was silent as she took out a new cigarette and lit it, only being able to inhale once before Addison grabbed it out of her hand and threw it on the ground. The older girl's eyes seemed to flash red with annoyance as she looked at the cigarette that was now smushed into the pavement. Her jaw clenched as she tried to hold the anger in. Paxton and Nick watched the two with uncertain silence.

"I need to go for a walk." Skyler said slowly, with a forced calm tone, her eyes still trained on the smoldering lump on the ground.

"You're going to throw a temper tantrum over this? Really? Come on, Sky, just stay and get some sleep, please. You and I both know that if you leave, you won't be coming back tonight." Addison quickly realized that Skyler was serious. It was always walking on eggshells around her, her temper was so short, and Addison had already lit the fuse. 

Skyler shook her head, "No..I gotta, fuck, I gotta go."

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