by,
Bunny & Pixie Princess
"This is my job, Ebony..."
"For now, Lexie-babe." she smirked.
"Whatever. The King is back--- so the Queen'd better watch her head." he winked, walking off.
Ebony rolled his eyes.
"Those stupid mallrats..." she thought. "Bray and Danni, Trudy, Lex... and that spider Tai-San... they'll all pay..." she thought darkly.
~*~
"Alice... you know I'm right!" Ellie hollered.
"You're sulking is what you are."
"But..."
"No buts, Ellie. Jack wasn't bullied; he can't drop everything just to follow your little reporter whims."
"Little reporter whims?!"
"This 'truth at all cost' is not helpful, despite what you think."
"Alice, we are supposed to be erasing the adults' mistakes, not repeating them!"
"I'd rather that than make worse ones, El." she warned.
Ellie huffed and turned her back, folding her arms across her chest as Alice left the room.
~*~
"We shouldn't be here, KC... we're going to get into trouble..." Pasty worried.
"Patsy's right; I wanna go home." Chloe chimed in.
"Then go; see if I care. I'll be along later."
"KC---"
"Go already?"
Patsy and Chloe exchanged glances but went ahead on home...
KC, meanwhile, slipped into the casino...
~*~
Later that afternoon, around dusk, Bray slipped into Trudy's room. She was resting peacefully--- his mouth quirked in that sexy way he had as he mused how angelic and peaceful she looked when she slept.
He reached out to gently stroke her cheek, careful as not to disturb her. Brady began to fuss slightly, so he dropped a kiss on Trudy's forehead and went to get her. Trudy stirred slightly, but she didn't wake up.
He shushed her gently and lay her on the table to change her, then kissed her cheeks and lay her next to Trudy, and smiled, laying down next to them and stroked her hair gently.
His eyes closed slightly, and he began to drift, not noticing Danni at the door, making a face at the picture they made...
~*~
KC looked at his watch and sighed heavily--- he'd been gone for too long; the girls would tell on him by now...
"Going somewhere so fast?" Billy Boy asked, stepping in front of him and blocking his path.
"Move it; Mall Rats don't hafta listen to stupid Jackals." he spat, trying to step out of his way.
"No..." he said, grabbing him roughly.
"Leave him be, Billy Boy!" another Jackal said, a female with long red hair with a streak of gold and a streak of silver.
"Leave it, wench."
"Kid? Run." she instructed, grabbing a pool cue and wacking Billy Boy upside the head with it. "I didn't studder--- go!" she said, giving him a running shove as Billy Boy got up...
~*~
Selene waited, tapping her foot as KC rushed in, panting and sweaty.
KC rubbed his arm under the sleeve where he'd been grabbed--- Billy Boy had left a large bruise. He wondered who the girl was who helped him, and hoped she at least got away... He felt guilty about leaving, but she had told him to, and what might have happened if he'd missed his chance to escape?
He came up on Selene about the time Lex was wandering into the cafe behind them; neither noticing.
"Where the hell have you been?"
"Nowhere?" KC lied, biting his lip.
"You brought Patsy and Chloe to that place downtown--- what were you thinking?! That's too dangerous for them! And, you for that matter!"
"Quit yellin' at me; it was their idea to tag... They went home..."
"Well, we were about to think of looking for you; it's late." she snapped, grabbing him by the bruised arm.
"Owww, watch it!"
"Stop being so melodramatic, KC! You need to learn to think!" she said, tightening her grip as he begun to squirm...
~*~
"Insufferable wench..." Billy Boy spat at the red haired girl standing in front of him. "...I'm your Leader!"
The girl said nothing, just stood there with a look of pure indignance on her face.
"Listen to me!"
"I don't listen to bullies."
"I knew we should have left you back here, but no, you wanted to come with us." He stood up and walked over to the girl. "You, Gwendolyn, are nothing more than a street-corner whor-" He didn't even notice Gwen grab her staff that was near the entrance to his tent, and swing it like a baseball bat against his head. "-GUARDS!"
~*~
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, Selene?"
Saline let go of KC's arm quickly. "Uh, Lex, I can explain-"
Lex's eyes filled with pure rage as he caught sight of the bruise. He looked at Selene, and pulled KC away from her.
"Ow, watch it!" KC cried.
"Sorry." Lex looked back at Selene. "Keep your distance, you stupid cow..." With that said, Lex stormed off.
"I couldn't have grabbed his arm that hard..." Selene thought, as she watched Lex storm off with KC, "...could I?"
~*~
When Bray found Danni, she was absolutely seething. "Danni, what's wrong?"
"You know what's wrong, Bray!" She gestured to the direction he'd come from. "You, and, and - her!"
"Brady? You're jealous of a baby? Come on Danni, even I didn't think you were -"
"No, Trudy!"
Bray sighed. He figured this would come up sooner or later. "Danni..."
"No, I don't want to hear it Bray!"
As Danni walked off, Bray sighed again. Things were on edge, and something was going to happen, he just knew something was... but he didn't know what, and he didn't really want to find out. So he turned around, and walked back to Trudy's room to check on Brady.
~*~
Gwendolyn raced out of the casino with her backpack, her heart thudding against her chest, sweat beading against her as she ducked into an alley to catch her breath, praying they couldn't hear--- surely, they must hear ...
She began to breathe normally as they finally went past and leant back against the wall, catching her breath.
She picked up a tattered news-sheet lying on the ground next to her, telling something about a marketplace in a mall...
"The Amulet?" she read aloud. "Hmmm..."
~*~
Later that night, everyone walked down to dinner.
Lex looked to be in a foul mood, but that wasn't always so abnormal, so everyone kind of figured to leave it be...
"KC, I'm so---"
"I tol' ya to keep your distance from him and I meant it." Lex growled.
"Lex!" Ryan admonished.
"Well... look!" he yelled, pulling up KC's sleeve.
"Lex---" KC tried.
"No, don't you defend her; I don't care if she is a woman, she lays hands to you again I'll kill her myself!"
"It was an accident!" she cried, getting upset. "I didn't mean---"
"You actually bruised him?" Trudy asked, shocked.
"But... Ryan, help!"
"Sel... He's 10... you should go easy... Smaller, remember?"
Patsy and Chloe looked up at her with wide eyes, and she ran from the table.
"But, Lex---"
"Nevermind, now, okay? Just eat..." he said, putting a muffin in his mouth.
KC sighed.
~*~
Gwen took off at a sprint as she left the alley, knowing the guards would eventually figure her out and come after her. And she was right, she heard their footsteps and calls only a block behind her when she got to a dead end. On the other side, and a few blocks down, was the Phoenix Mall. She spared a glance at the sheet of paper in her hand, before stuffing it in her bag and throwing it over the chain link fence.
"I see her!" she heard one guard yell, and she turned to see them getting closer. She threw boxes that ere against the fence out of her way, and backed up. "She's at a dead end!"
"Oh no I'm not," she said, running towards the fence with her staff, and flipped herself completely over it. She landed on her bag. "Owww...." She looked back for a second as she picked up her bag, but then just kept running...
~*~
"I don't care if she didn't mean to, Ryan! She bloody well knows she shouldn't grab KC like that!"
"Lex, calm down!" Ryan looked over at KC, who was quietly sitting in a chair. "For him?"
KC wasn't going to tell Lex about the Jackals. Or the girl who had told him to run. He still wondered what had happened to her. In the back of his mind, he could hear Lex and Ryan arguing, but all he could think about was if the girl got out okay. Was she dead?
"Look, I'm not going to apologize, Ryan!"
"Fine Lex, then you should just go patrolling, all right? Blow off some steam, damnit!"
~*~
Selene wasn't even watching where she was running. She just ran. Her vision was blurred with tears and anger. "I didn't mean to!" she screamed, stopping in her place. Before she could start up again, she ran into someone. "Could you all just leave me alone?"
"Sorry, don't have time for this..."
"What?" Selene wiped her eyes, and looked at the girl standing in front of her. Then, the girl grabbed her hand. "Where are we going?"
"I don't know," Gwen told her, " but all I know is we've got to run, and fast!"
That's when Selene noticed the guys running after them. "This is turning out to be a great day..."
~*~
Ebony had trekked through the sewers so she wouldn't be caught as she left the mall, and headed towards the Chosen tower. It had been her home once, and it was the only place she really ever felt like she belonged. "Even with that stupid Jaffa there..." she sneered, as she watched a ceremony from behind a crate.
"Oh, great and powerful Zoot," Jaffa said, holding his hands up in the air, "the time nears for your return, and power and chaos to become the true way for all. Give us a sign, oh mighty Zoot!"
Ebony smirked. This could be fun...
~*~
Trudy walked into the kids' room later with a snack-tray.
"Come on, you guys... figured I'd bring you a treat." she smiled.
"Jelly!" Patsy squealed.
Chloe rolled her eyes; Patsy was easily pleased. But, she did like jelly...
"Thanks, Trudy." she said through a mouthful.
"KC? Come on, sweetie... have some?"
"Not hungry." he said quietly.
Trudy sighed.
"Um, girls, why don't you take your snack to the common room?"
Patsy and Chloe nodded and left as Trudy put Brady on Patsy's bed.
"Okay, something's wrong, and it's more than just Sel?"
KC nodded.
"Well?"
"I... I can't."
Trudy sighed.
"Okay, KC, but if you need to talk to me you can..."
"Thanks, Trudy, really... it's just... it's nothing really. Honestly?"
Trudy nodded.
"Okay, try to get some rest, then." she said, mussing his hair before leaving the room.
~*~
"That twit actually thinks Zoot's gonna call to him from beyond the grave!" Ebony thought, biting back a laugh. "Well, considering he bought the Zoot's amulet being on my bedside so that I could become the Locos' Queen..."
She looked around the hiding-place until she found an orange cone, like they used to block off traffic with in the old days... she was definitely getting some ideas...
~*~
Selene raced into the mall with Gwendolyn.
"Is this... the place that newssheet was talking about? The marketplace?"
"Yeah, but that's just a part of the mall... this is where my tribe is, The Mall Rats... Or, likely former tribe..." she sighed, blinking back hot tears.
"What happened, honey?"
"Well... see, I kind of did something accidentally, and now... well, it made someone very angry with me--- this guy is head of security? He's probably trying to convince our leader to kick me out right now..."
"That jerk; you seem like a nice person--- everyone makes mistakes!" Gwendolyn said hotly.
"Yeah, you might not think she's so nice when you find out what it was..." Lex snarled, coming up behind them. "What? You brought in someone new so you'd have someone neutral to bitch to?"
"Lex---"
"Oh, oh!" he said in a mocking tone. "Big bad Lex is mad! I don't understand why--- I just abused an innocent helpless kid!"
"That's not fair! I didn't strike---"
"Same thing!"
"Back off!" Gwendolyn snapped, coming between them.
Ellie's fit had pretty much blown over now, and she headed to Jack and Dal's to apologize. But she was sidetracked when she heard noise coming from the marketplace.
"Back off!" the first voice Ellie heard said, and she quirked her head to the side, thinking it sounded familiar, but couldn't remember where from.
"What did you just tell me to do?" a voice questioned the first in return, one which Ellie knew all too well.
"Lex needs to take a bottle of chill pills," Ellie grumbled, before standing of straight and smiling. If this thing sounded as heated as she thought it did, it would look great as a front page story in The Amulet. She ran off to get her notebook and a pen. "Truth at all costs wins again."
~*~
Danni was walking to the cafe when she saw Ellie running back towards her room. "Probably on another wild goose chase," she heard Alice say, which caused Danni to look at the entrance to the cafe. "I let her have it earlier about something and now she's probably just found another story that requires less traveling."
"Oh, I see..." Danni managed to force a smile at Alice, and heard part of a conversation coming from the marketplace.
"Oh come on!" Lex's familiar voice groaned. "Another stray in the mall is not what we need, Selene! And besides, who says you're staying?"
Selene's voice cut in nearly before Lex finished what he was saying. "I said I was sorry!" she screamed back at him. "What more can I say?"
"How about buh-bye?"
Danni and Alice rolled their eyes. Sometimes Lex could be so unreasonable.
~*~
"Uh, Trudy?" Bray asked, knocking on her door. "Can I come in?"
Trudy, who was changing Brady, smiled down at the baby. "Bray's here," she said. Back to Bray, though - "Sure, come on in. I'm just changing Brady."
After he walked in, Bray took a deep breath. "Trudy, I came in earlier, and - Danni saw me."
"Oh..."
"No, no, I mean, she thought - oh, that doesn't work either." Bray sat down on the bed. "I knew I should have thought of what I was going to say before I came in here."
"Try again, practice makes perfect." Trudy managed a small smile.
"She thinks we're lovers?"
"Aha. And you set her straight?"
"Well..."
"Bray?"
"I kind of... well... I'd forgotten how nice it was?"
~*~
"Lex, is it?"
"Don't start with me; you're cute but I doubt you can convince me on her behalf."
Gwen reached out to slap him but he caught her wrist.
"No, I think you an' your friend should just go?"
"Lex?" KC asked, coming up behind him.
"Go to your room."
"Kid? Hi..." Gwen said softly, reaching out to touch his cheek.
"No, no..." Lex said with a little shake of his head, pulling KC behind him.
"You're alive?"
"Yeah... glad you made it okay..."
"Same here..." KC flushed. "Thanks, by the way..."
Lex frowned.
"You know her?"
"Lex, there's something I gotta tell you..."
"He had a bit of a problem with Billy Boy this after?"
"Billy Boy?"
"Um, we'll be right back..." he said, dragging Lex over to the side.
"What am I missing, KC?" he demanded. "What's this about Billy Boy?"
"Well... I didn't know how to bring it up, but... Sel didn't give me that bruise? I mean, she made it a bit worse maybe, but Billy Boy did it. I tried at first to tell you, but you were so upset..."
"Well... you should tell me these things, understood?"
KC nodded, looking down.
"Still... Selene is not off the hook--- she doesn't act rough with you whether she gave ya that bruise or not. Where does the chick fit in?"
"She helped me out?"
"Okay, go wait in my room. Now." Lex said, pointing when KC opened his mouth to protest.
As KC ran upstairs, Lex walked over.
"I'm still not apologizin' to you, Selene."
"But, Lex, I heard---"
"You were still wrong? Made it worse. But you, thanks." he nodded to Gwen, walking back up the stairs.
Danni was having a nice talk with Alice when Ellie ran into the cafe. "Alice! Alice!" she said, "Lex just said thanks to someone!"
"Yeah right," she replied, "you're supposed to be reporting the truth, not undeniable fiction."
"No, really! There's a third person in the marketplace, Alice. She's got long red hair, and I can't see her face, but.... it looks like it has spiral curls, like Gwen's was."
"Ellie, now I know you're lying. Gwen was captured by Billy Boy and the Jackals, remember?"
"Yeah, but it looked a lot like her, I'm telling ya..."
~*~
"Power and chaos rule supreme!"
"Stop!" Ebony called out, emerging from behind the crate, "I am your sign! The one you've been waiting for..."
Jaffa glared at Ebony. "The false leader wishes us to believe she is a sign from the mighty Zoot!" He narrowed his eyes to slits and pointed at Ebony. "I demand a test for you, to prove you are the sign we have been waiting for."
"I can take it, throw it at me, Big G."
~*~
"He said thanks?" Selene questioned aloud, not even to Gwen. "I don't think I've ever heard Lex say thanks." Then she turned to Gwen. "And I mean to anyone."
Gwen shrugged, and then bit her lip. "Listen, sweetie, I'm really sorry I brought you back into trouble." Then she attempted to ask a question without worry in her voice. "So, you grabbed the kid?"
"Yeah..." Selene sat against a wall, and was soon joined by Gwen. "... but I didn't mean to so hard. He's always getting into scrapes, and going off alone, when he knows he's not supposed to. And especially by the casino." She sighed. "Sorry."
Gwen shrugged. "Nah, it's okay. I was stupid and joined up with the wrong people." Then she sighed. "I wasn't even vital. As I was supposed to be was a girl of the night, someone the guys could have fun with. I ended up beating them more often than not."
"Well, I've become not vital. And everyone else but Lex believes me. I didn't mean to, I swear. But we were about to send out a search party for him."
~*~
Defeated, Ellie went to the only person she hadn't told yet about her story, Tai-San. "Hello Ellie," she said, "more news for the newssheet?"
"Yes," she said, flopping down into a chair, "but no one thinks it's real." She looked at Tai-San. "Lex said thanks. And I think I know the girl he said it to."
~*~
"Hi, Lex..." KC said, looking down.
"Relax?"
"You're not mad?"
"No--- but I told you about going there without me."
KC nodded.
"So, in trouble?"
"Nah; but I don't want you goin' out for... um... 3 days?"
"Grounded? Come on---"
"You heard me."
~*~
"Are you sure?" Tai-San asked Ellie again.
"Positive!"
"Then, what are we wasting time for?"
"Yeah, come on..." Ellie said, dragging her.
~*~
"I believe you..." Gwen tried to soothe.
"You know, always I've been kind of the Mom figure--- I mean, yeah, Trudy's motherly too, but it was always me, ya know? And... now..." she sighed.
"Selene? Don't be so hard--- everyone makes mistakes..."
"But, this one was a biggie..." she sniffed.
"Gwen?"
~*~
"Come on Trudy," Bray pleaded, "I didn't mean it that way!"
Trudy spun around to face Bray, fire in her eyes. "In what way? That I'm a fun person, but just not the type you want for the rest of your life? That way, Bray?" Then she paced back and forth. "Or, oh, I know - I slept with your brother and you don't deserve seconds, you always want firsts."
"Trudy, listen to me-"
"NO! OUT!"
~*~
"Gwen?"
At the sound of the voice behind her, Gwen turned around and saw Ellie. "ELLIE!" Gwen ran forward and pulled Ellie into a hug. "I missed you!"
Ellie smiled, and held up her notepad as she backed from Gwen. "Now," she said, "mind giving me an account of exactly what went down?"
Tai-San walked over to Selene. "Lex will calm down," she stated, "maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it will happen."
"Yeah, but he's already thanked Gwen, and he just met her," she said, sniffling.
"That's very unlike him..."
~*~
Alice handed Danni a tray of the cans they were having for dinner, and nearly dropped it when she heard Gwen. "She wasn't killed..." was all Alice could manage to say.
"Who wasn't?" Danni asked, balancing the tray and carrying them to the big table in the middle of the cafe. "The mysterious third person?"
Alice nodded. "My other sister, Gwen..."
~*~
Ebony couldn't believe it. She had to walk over hot coals, while repeating the four mantras of Zoot followers. And twice. "I'm gonig to get you for this, Jaffa," she muttered under her breath.
"What was that, false leader?"
"Nothing, oh great and powerful Guardian, speaker of the true revelation of Zoot!" Under her breath however - "Who has a fancy for women's underpants and makeup..."
~*~
Ebony slipped back into the mall after everyone had gone to bed and pulled off her clothes, painfully sliding into a warm bath. She hissed as she stretched out--- that stupid Jaffa and his moronic tests...
Well, at least she could pride herself on being good at hiding pain; she'd passed with flying colors...
~*~
Bray paced back and forth, but he finally decided to break down and go to the one place he never thought he'd go for advice--- Lex's room...
He shuddered as he opened the door; knowing he would have to swallow a lot of his pride for this one... But... Lex did know women, and... well, he and Zan had worked things out after the Ebony and Tai-San fiascoes... And, he knew Lex really loved her; he'd watched him mourn...
He looked in and saw Lex, snoring away, KC asleep under his arm. He hated to wake them; they made a nice picture for one, and for two... well... Lex'd be madder than a grizzly... But... he did need to talk...
Grimacing, he reached out to shake him...
~*~
Ryan nuzzled Selene gently.
"Come on, then... it's okay..."
"Ryan, you're turning into... Lex!"
"Beg pardon?"
"You can't solve my problems with sex!"
"That would be more Tai-San's 'shakras'?" he pointed out.
"Shut up."
"Damnit, Sel; I can't please you to save my life!"
"Stop trying so hard and maybe---"
"You know what? This is my room. Why don't you go back to your room if you don't wanna be here?"
"But, Ryan..."
"Oh, I'm sorry... don't cry?"
"Don't you want me?"
"Yes." he sighed patiently. "I want you, I do... I just don't know how to satisfy you?"
"Well..."
~*~
"And, you're really back, I just can't believe it!" Alice said for the millionth time.
"Well, after what happened today I'm out of the Jackals--- I wonder if Lex knows I'm an ex-Jackal?"
"Well, he already thanked you--- something he's never said to anyone before--- so I don't reckon your ex tribe will matter..." Alice said.
"He did go a bit nuts today... it's gonna make a great story!" she enthused.
Alice and Gwen exchanged glances and rolled their eyes comically at each-other...
~*~
"Jack? Go to sleep?"
"It's just... weird? I mean, Lex and Selene are fighting, Trudy and Bray are fighting, and some new chick shows up all in one day?"
"Well... it can only get better from here?"
"Don't count your chickens before they're hatched, farmer-boy..."
"Bray's not very good with Trudy, anyhows..."
"You fancy her and we both know it, so come off it..."
"What? We're friends... it's just... Bray could be better."
"Uh-huh... sure... So, Ellie and Alice's sister... she seems nice?"
"Yeah, even Lex was civil... that's just freaky..."
~*~
"Oh, yeah, right th- Bray, get offa me!" Lex screamed, before realizing KC was still laying next to him, sleeping like a baby. Tai-San had given him some sleep aid to slip KC in his dinner, so the kid would actually sleep through the night. "Geez, man!"
Bray rolled his eyes, before sighing and moving back from the bed. "Lex," he said, closing his eyes, "you are my last resort, but - I've made a mess of things?"
"Well, gee, who woulda thought?" Lex commented with so much sarcasm, you could marinate a couple of steaks in it, "The leader has messed things up? A shock, a complete and utter shock."
"Look, you're the only one who has knowledge of women like I need... and I need it now."
"Tell 'em they're pretty?"
"No, you see, it's like this..."
~*~
"So you see Jack," Ellie said, "I'm really sorry, but Gwen gave me a better story."
"And it's true?"
"Of course it's true. Selene heard him too."
"You will be putting that in after talking to Lex, right?"
"Of course Jack, I'm not a complete ditz."
Gwen was walking by just then. "I beg to differ," she said, smiling even after having to duck out of the way of Ellie's notebook, "tsk, tsk, Mom would be so ashamed Eleanor."
"GWEN!"
~*~
Danni had decided she would apologize to Bray in the morning, but right now, needed to get to the hot tub store and take a nice long soak in the tub.
Just as she was about to walk in, she saw Ebony in one of the tubs. "Stupid Jaffa and his stupid tests to prove I'm the sign," she said, grumbling, not noticing Danni behind a column, "but at least I got him to think I was."
~*~
"Thanks for letting Gwen stay with you, Tai-San," Alice said, as she helped Tai-San make up a second bed in her room, "at least temporarily."
Tai-San gave Alice a smile. "It will be nice having someone to share the room with," she replied, "we'll get to know each other." Then she laughed. "Maybe Lex will ask Bray to let her join the Mall Rats."
"Well, he's already thanked her, who knows what's next?"
"Marriage?"
They both had a good laugh over that one.
~*~
Lex looked at Bray as he heard his story and suddenly doubled over laughing.
"It's not funny, Lex!" Bray seethed.
"Yeah, it's frikin' hysterical..."
"Lex!"
"Awwwww... come on, then... Okay, you have to prove it? And somethin' better than candy and flowers, man..."
"Helpful."
"I'm tryin', but..." he cut himself off as he began laughing again.
Bray groaned and flopped back onto the bed, forgetting for the moment about KC.
"Mmmmphhh... what's going on?" he asked weakly, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
~*~
"Tai-San?" Danni whispered, shaking her.
"What? Danni, I was just about to sleep..."
"It's Ebony; she's up to something..."
"Perhaps you are misjudging her; Ebony is turning over a new leaf---"
"Don't be stupid; she's doing... something! I know it!"
"Based on?"
"I overheard her talking in the bathtub to herself?"
"Well, looks like we've got ourselves a peeping perv..." said a voice from the door.
~*~
"Gwen, come on!" Ellie whined.
"Go to bed; you need your rest." Gwen smirked, tucking the notepad in her back pocket. "Now... let me get acquainted?"
"But---"
"To bed, Eleanor."
~*~
"Chloe? You 'sleep?"
"No..."
"I'm scared, Chlo..."
"Why?"
"Everyone's fighting; we're gonna be orphans..."
"We already are..."
"You know what I mean..."
"Yeah, don't worry; it'll work out, Pats... We've got each-other and Cloudy?"
"Yeah, guess..."
~*~
"Ebony!"
Ebony walked into the room, hair still dripping from the hot tub dip she'd just taken. "Yeah, that's right... bet you got an eyeful, huh?"
Danni and Tai-San both rolled their eyes. "I wasn't peeping, Ebony," she said, "and you were at the Chosen tower!"
"You could have just walked in and I wouldn't have thought the wiser, just wouldn't of talked, is all. And it was a private conversation, thank you very much!"
Tai-San sighed. "Would you two leave the room at least?" she asked, in a half-whine, "I was trying to sleep you know."
"Fine, fine," Danni grumbled, glaring at Ebony with icy daggers in her eyes as she walked out.
~*~
"The next person to come into my room and wake me up is getting a syringe up their butt!" Tai-San screamed, and Gwen walked in. She calmed down once she saw it was Gwen. "Sorry, Gwen..."
Gwen smiled. "It's okay," she said, "I was just wandering, and got Ellie's notebook. I'll give it to Lex tomorrow."
"Uh huh, whatever. Be quiet, okay?"
"You got it."
~*~
"Geez Bray!" Lex let out as he grabbed Bray and pulled him up off KC, "Hurt kid there!"
KC groaned. "Yeah, and yelling doesn't help," he said, throwing a pillow at Lex, "I was actually sleeping."
"Hey, Bray's the one who jumped onto you."
Bray rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and you pulled me off," he said, "and yelled."
"Look, we'll finish in the morning, Bray; just know you gotta do some major making up with one of them, and dump the other one. But you always go back to Trudy, man."
~*~
"Selene!"
"Hey Pats..."
"You're not leaving, are you?"
"Not for a while... until it's official, me being kicked out."
"Oh... okay..."
~*~
Trudy sat on the balcony outside, holding Brady. "You think Bray meant that in a bad way, huh Brady girl?" she asked, sighing.
Brady only cooed in return.
"Yeah, I love 'im too. Just wish he would stop being so stupid and be in love with me."
~*~
Lex woke up the next morning, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He saw that KC was still sleeping, so he decided to leave him where he was and head down to breakfast.
When he got there, Gwen was waiting for him while everyone else was eating.
"Lex... I wanted to talk to you about something..."
"Yeah?"
"See, Ellie wanted to do this story about what happened, right? But, I thought you should see the notes first..." she said, handing them to him.
"Hey, that's not finnished yet!" Ellie called out.
Lex glanced them over; he didn't know why, maybe for show, as he couldn't read them, and rippped them up, tossing them into the air.
"Now it is."
"Lex!"
"I don't want any stories like that printed, Ellie. I don't read your little newssheet, but if I hear tell of a word of it in there, I will break your printing press." he snapped, walking out.
Gwen stared after him in open-mouthed-shock.
"Don't mind him; he's an old bear sometimes... you get used to it..." a voice said from below her.
~*~
"God, Bray, why won't you listen to me?! Because I don't have my breasts shoved in your face?! Because I haven't given bi---"
"Enough, Danni! You wanna know why I am not listening to this? Hmmm? Because you are petty and jealous--- of everyone. We could've been something, b---"
"C-could've? Bray, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying you can't just go around accusing people of things with no proof or even evidence..."
"No! What are you saying about we 'could've'???"
"Danni... I'm sorry... but..."
"It's because of her, isn't it?" she huffed angerily. "Damn, Bray, never would've thought you the type to want someone's sloppy seconds..."
~*~
Meanwhile, where KC slept, someone loomed over his head like an ominious shadow, putting whispers into his ear, that burned into his sleeping brain, affecting his dreams...
~In the dream, he could see Billy Boy before him, clear as anything, standing over him as he was pinned down by... something, he couldn't tell what.
"They'll come and find me." he told him confidantly.
"Who? Your precious little Mall Rats? Perhaps big brother? No... they won't come--- you're a weakness, a liabliity... they've decided to get shed of you..."~
And, Billy Boy smirked through his blue makeup as the boy tossed and turned fitfully...