Thunder crackled and rained poured down from the Ohio night as a slim figure limped from the large house she once called home. She clutched the tattered remains of her red uniform to her body unaware that high up a woman watch through the large decorative windows with an impassive look on her face. The woman didn't know it but letting her daughter go would be the last mistake she would ever make.
The cheerleader didn't stop until she reached the lights of town. Then, knowing that she was far enough away that her attacker wouldn't give chase she began to think about exactly where she would go from here. The boy who protected her by pretending to be her boyfriend wasn't home, off chasing another with her blessing, and the others that she knew she could eventually trust with her everything didn't yet know her secrets. There was one though that served as another she could visit. A brother to her and her protector, even if he wasn't home he would always leave his bedroom window unlocked for her.
She set off through the shadows, careful not to draw attention to herself until she reached the rundown house of her brother. The girl didn't go to the front; instead she slunk around the side of the house silent as the breeze. With supernatural effort born of the bed calling her name she climbed the tree to her brother's window. Without even a glance inside she tumbled into the room, drained from her injuries and her rapid flight.
It was the gasp that alerted her that she wasn't alone. Higher pitched then her brother and far too surprised for his younger sister she looked through bruised, tired eyes up at the face of one of her glee mates. The countertenor dropped to his knees beside her form. His hands skimmed up her body without settling anywhere as if to check her injuries.
"What happened?" He breathed as her brother's stockier form helped him to manhandle her to the bed and a more comfortable position. She caught his eyes in silent thanks and was surprised to see a spark of anger, banked but bright, in those jewel toned orbs.
Her breath caught, to tell or not. But that spark of rage held her even as the boy and her brother began to tend her hurts. The broader boy knew what had happened, knew the terrible secrets that hid behind the closed doors of her home but would the other be able to understand what lay behind her ice masks.
"My father" she croaked out at last unable to deny those angry eyes.
The spark of fiery anger was immediately snuffed and shard of pure icy rage took its place. "I see" his calm, emotionless tone belying the madness forming at the corner of his eyes. A strange bitter smile stretched across his face as he leaned in to whisper, "don't worry, we'll take care of everything. After all you're family now."
SUCH A PRETTY LINE
Two weeks later Quinn Fabray returned to McKinley, her dignity held against her like armor and her head up like a queen. No one, not even Coach Sylvester, spoke against her after the sudden death of her parents. The few that watched could read grief in her icy eyes. Even Jacob Ben Israel didn't question her after the first time her bodyguard reacted.
It didn't matter where she went the seemingly grief stricken girl was surrounded, but not by her fellow cheerleaders who couldn't get any closer than the rest of the school. No her self-appointed protectors came from the Glee club she had only just joined. Any rumblings of discontent as well as any attempted harassment were dropped after the first day when Tina Cohen-Chang kicked Dave Karofski in a very sensitive place.
In the safety of the choir room the icy determination faded into a giddiness that would have the rest of the school suspicious. Will Schuster's eyes glow bright with pride and madness as he took in his students. Soon they would be his children and they were already protecting each other. He clapped his hand to call everyone to attention. There was still much to do.
LET THE FIRE BURN THE ICE
No one noticed at first, even later none would be able to pinpoint anything concrete. The small group of Gleeks curled into itself when the Fabrays died. That Quinn chose to keep the home after she was emancipated, as per the orders of her father's will, wasn't strange. Then Nora Puckerman was found dead. Her kids had been out at Quinn's and it appeared that she had gotten drunk and fell down the stairs. The neighbors all agreed that going to live with Quinn was the best choice for the two children. Still no one saw, no one suspected as all the gleeks began to spend more time out at the large house. A couple of days at a time became weeks and one by one they all moved out there. Even the parents never let themselves see what's going on. There was some suspicion after Dave Karofoski was found beaten to death in the parking lot of the local theater; a bad feeling here and there but nothing more.
Not even the great Sue Sylvester, as paranoid as she was could have guessed. She rejoiced when Will Shuster seemed to give in and retired when the last of his precious Gleeks graduated. Two decades later this small high school would become a media sensation. The next trial of the century if only the perpetrators could be caught.
I ALMOST HAD YOU
"What happened?" FBI agent Peter Marks asked.
"Same MO" Said his partner, Mary Jenks, "The difference was that this building was burned to the ground. Roughly fifty people inside, of those they think that maybe half dropped before the fire started."
"Fifty at once? Jesus that's the highest yet."
"Yeah, we're having quite a time trying to find out if any one of them is the target and the others are just collateral…"
"Or they all were intended targets. What about the locals?"
"That's where we're heading now. Lima, Ohio"
"Who could have been such a high profile target in some little town called Lima."
"From what we can tell it was a class reunion that was hit. The building, William McKinley High School was completely burned to the ground."
Help! The lines are talking to me
Will Schuster paced in front of two of his children, he was irritated and worried but not truly angry at them. "What were you guys thinking, hitting the school. What if someone makes the connection?"
The two perpetrators, Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel, were unrepentant. "It'll be fine Will" Rachel practically purred in satisfaction. "They're still trying to figure out if one or more people could be the target. Who would connect 50+ deaths to a show choir?"
The world had evolved since their first kill over a decade before and through it all the group of twelve had stuck together like glue, growing slightly but remaining true to their roots. They now totaled 16 adults and three children. No one outside their circle also knew they were one of the most prolific group of assassins in the U.S. If they had their way no one would either.
"That's not the point, you made it personal and you used our calling card."
Kurt laughed, "Of course we did but they'll never make the connection. Think about the information they have. Even if they make the connection about this being personal only about half our graduating class came to that reunion. They'll be interviewing the other fifty and no one will question why we didn't go."
"And when they find out about all of us?" Will asked them sarcastically
"Who says they will" another voice drawled as Noah Puckerman sauntered into the room, "Your boy Blainey is feeling frisky again, princess; can't say I'm against the idea either. Don't worry so much Will. We all have our own apartments on paper and we own the building jointly. We stick with a simple enough cover story; small town friends in high school who go separate ways to college then end up in the same city. They each can pool some money so they buy an apartment building where they can rent the lower floors but live in the top few. Saves on rent and they can trust their neighbors. An old teacher moves without knowing who the landlord is; Plausible and provable."
Will shook his head, "I still don't like something so close to us. You will all make the short list for the FBI if they think to look into who those kids tormented in school."
Rachel smile slyly "We already took steps. The people we hit with our signature poison were the ones that were kind to us in school. Every single one of our tormentors died in the fire."
Will couldn't help but look impressed as he followed the line of thought, "meaning they'll think that the real targets were just collateral. Even if we end up on a short list they'll look at us as buyers not the killers. Okay guys you definitely did better than I thought."
"We know you were just worried. It's fine." Kurt said before turning and waltzing gracefully from the room with Puck following behind.
Will shook his head, "If I didn't know better I would think Blaine is an incubus considering all the sex he has." Rachel laughed as she left, likely to find either Quinn or Finn.
Blaine was one of their newest members; one of a trio they had absorbed around a year and a half before. He and his friends Wes and David had graduated from Dalton Academy which was only a few towns away from Lima. Like all of the rest of his children they were outcasts, and they were in pain. Blaine was a lot like Quinn in the fact that behind closed doors of his home sadism ruled the day. David and Wes were a little different; Just before their freshman year they had been kidnapped. After nearly 3 weeks they had escaped their captors and no one had even noticed they were gone. Wes' parents were on a second honeymoon and David's just didn't care. It left them co-dependent but very efficient cold blooded killers. The three had begun to make a name for them when they moved into the building. It hadn't taken long for them to move to the top floors.
It amazed Will sometimes how life just slipped together for them after everyone had graduated. Yes there had been some scares and arguments but in ten years only Puck had ever been to prison. That was for a small drug bust, he only got about six months.
It had broken Will's heart to find out what had been happening to one of his students under his nose. Finding out how badly Quinn's father was hurting her had shot his anger through the roof but by the time he found out about the abuse the Fabray's had already been taken care of. It had been Kurt who drew them all together for all that Will became the one to motivate them. That first murder had shown them a taste of the power that each of them felt they lacked. He couldn't help but be proud how each of his children developed their talents to make them great
