Disclaimer: I do not own the Powerpuff Girls in any way, shape or manner as the rights belong to Craig McCracken.


It was in those final moments as the courtroom waited for the final verdict that I knew there's no turning back. When I went back home I wouldn't sleep in the same bed, I wouldn't see the same people, or the same grassy fields of Pokey Oaks Suburbs.

'Has the jury reached a verdict?'

No, the only things left are monsters, demons in disguise behind those plastered smiles. Demons that give us dirty looks when we pass, call us the most vile things when they hear our names, and turned their backs on us when we needed them the most. The City of Townsville, Home of the Hypocrites. Buttercup once said, I tried to argue with her, but now her words are the best way I could ever describe these citizens again.

'We have Your Honor.' The juror looked at us one final time, grave and ashen from what was on the paper. I knew. I knew from the moment I stepped in how it was ending.

'We find the defendants guilty on all charges for the murders of all eighteen students and Margaret Keane at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten Center.'

'LIARS!' Buttercup shouted. 'You're all LIARS!' Bubbles burst into tears as the Professor tried to calm her down, but I couldn't respond, I couldn't even breathe at that moment.

'And their punishment?' he inquired, the dull monotone drawl in his voice signaled his boredom of the whole case. It sickened me; they all did.

'We sentence them... to death by lethal injection of Antidote X.' It was all I could do to keep myself from screaming, from flooding my face with tears. I tried to look back at the Professor but the guards already took him away by the time the punishment was announced. I could still hear how much he screamed before they forced him out of the courtroom.

'Take them away for injection.' Then the chaos. Buttercup's shrieks, Bubbles's pleas as if they were already in agony. I didn't move and inch, my lips didn't dare utter a word, for fear that this was actually real and my voice would solidify that. It felt as though the world was falling before my eyes and there wasn't a thing I could do to stop it.

Useless. Just as useless as I was that day, and now there's nothing I could do to change that. In these final moments I knew the only thing I could do was accept the blame as the scapegoat everyone needed. I'll accept it because no one else will.

The guard laid be down on my deathbed, everything went silent. Soon he placed the cloth over my face and I closed my eyes. For the next ten years the only thing we'd know is the darkness.


Chapter 1

Part I: A Bittersweet Farewell

With the sun looming over and casting a glazed impression on the makeshift home of the Utonium family, Blossom jolts awake from a soft thud coming from the fireplace, sweat streaming down her forehead from last night.


-Blossom-

Breathe…it just was a nightmare...breathe...

I woke up with my blanket sprawled across the floor, trying to remember what it was from last night that I remembered. Nothing came up as usual, even though the dream couldn't have been clearer. The Professor says that our dreams are the illusions we let ourselves produce in times of great fear, but he never said anything about them being reminders.

I looked at the calendar with rising dread at how quick the years seem to pass; the anniversary of their deaths. And it happens every day, as I remind myself that I didn't imagine everything that happened and that the chances of me waking up with my sisters as a five-year old were slim to none.

The low thud came from a knock at the front door, breaking my train of thought. I glared at the door in annoyance. Who visits at 6:13 in the morning!?

"Stupid kids," I muttered to myself as I slumped a robe over my t-shirt to see none other than the man who put me and my family in this slum ten years ago.

The years weren't very kind.

It looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. The receding hairline was now nonexistent with a scalp lined with baggy wrinkles and liver spots. However, despite the thick tension between us, I started to snicker at the irony of him looking so helpless, like he was the one that suffered for ten years.

"And to whom do I owe the honor of having the Mayor of Townsville knocking on my door?" I retorted expectantly, the sarcasm dripping from my voice as I waited for his response. I've always imagined what it'd be like to face him, but I could never quite imagine how satisfying it would feel.

"Blossom Utonium…?" he asked, unsure of himself.

Wait, he doesn't remember me? Taken aback I nodded slowly, in an instant my gratification seemed petty, almost childish.

"Okay good." he mumbled to himself. "Could you please let me in–"

"–Give me one good reason not to slam the door in your face." I spat, a sudden animosity growling from inside. Ten years, ten years and there wasn't a single person out there willing to stand for us! Does that seem fair?

Shock flashed across his face before his dejected expression returned. What was he expecting to see? A girl with a big red bow on her forehead? That I was going to play diplomat and 'discuss' what happened?

"Because he's the reason we're returning to Townsville." I turned around to see the Professor emerging from the shadow by the entrance to his room with his cane. The years have done him in considerably too. His hair was now marked with hints of white and gray, giving it a salt-and-pepper look with a five o'clock shadow growing noticeable. Wearing his sweatpants and a wife beater, he gravely looked up at the unexpected visitor and prepared for the worst.

I stared at him in disbelief. The Professor wouldn't make a bluff like that, but I still couldn't believe what he just said.

"What?" Bubbles squeaked from the hallway, eavesdropping on our conversation. She entered the living room wearing her short blue nightgown from when we were kids which was now up to her mid-thigh leaving her hair hanging down from her shoulders in tight curls. She left from her hiding spot fearful of the person at the front door.

"Blossom, we understand what you're feeling; we've all lived through it. But can you please let him inside? There's a lot that needs to be explained right now." The Professor said calmly.

Even though all I wanted to do was spit in his face and kick him off our driveway, I slowly creaked open the door with my fist clenching the handle in bitter defeat. Looking at the carpet beneath my feet, I started to think about what Buttercup would say. God, I missed my sister, especially in times like these.


-Bubbles-

Our living room is pretty small. It only has small fireplace, a ratty couch, and a matching chair with stuffing coming out of the seams, but still it's a room that I've lived with for ten years.

And now we're leaving it all.

I was sitting next to Blossom, who was in the middle between me and the Professor on the couch while the Mayor sat on the rocking chair with his assistant standing by the fireplace. It took a while, but he finally managed to convince Blossom that she wasn't armed. But she didn't look like she was really dangerous; in fact she looked pretty nice. The woman had short dark brown hair in corkscrew twists going down to her chin with light café brown skin and chocolate-brown eyes. I didn't know why, but I felt like out of all the strangers I met in my life, I could trust her the most.

But I couldn't believe it was the Mayor though; he looked so different. His face was gaunt, pale, and covered in dark spots. All of his hair was gone, even his fluffy little mustache was shaved off and left a pair of sagging lips protruding with age.

After a long silence, Blossom turned to all the adults expectantly. "Would anyone care to inform my sister I on what the hell's going on?" She looked really impatient with everyone in the room, including the Professor, probably feeling resentful that he never told her anything beforehand.

The Mayor cleared his throat to start "Majority rule was set in the N.S.A., and after a long debate they've decided you'll be moved back into Townsville..."

I had to double-check my ears so I was sure I heard them right. I glanced over to our family picture against the wall back when we were five in Townsville. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes looking back on how innocent we were. So much has changed since then.

When I looked back over I saw three pairs of eyes staring at me and my sister, preparing for our reaction. But I didn't know what to say. How could I respond to something like that?

Luckily, Blossom was the first one to recover. "…Just like that? No votes, press conferences…?"

"There may have been some opposition–"

"–Well no shit," she retorted.

"Blossom!" the Professor yelled as he gave her a stern look, even I was a little shocked. Only Buttercup would say that, and she would only say it under her breath. But at the same time, I couldn't blame her.

"It's okay Mr. Utonium." The Mayor reassured. Maybe that's why he looked so miserable; having to face the people he hurt a long time ago.

His assistant, I think her name was Gladys, appeared from the corner to speak for the first time. "What Mr. Morgan means to say is now that Townsville has forgotten about your existence and actions, it should be okay for you to leave Western Pines under aliases and –"

"They forgot about us?" I whispered, my voice sounded so soft. This is supposed to be a good thing, but it hurt so much more. The times with Dick Hardly, Mojo Jojo, the Gangrene Gang, and they just forgot all about it?

Gladys approached our side and knelt so that she could face me and my sister. From the looks of it, she seemed like she was a nice person. The agent had dark brown corkscrew curls resting below her chin that matched a pair of deep brown eyes, contrasting the light cafe skin that glowed against the fireplace.

"Think on this optimistically. You get to have normal lives for once! You wouldn't have to worry about criminals, you can go out with friends, go to school dances, go out on dates…"

No more crime. We could be ordinary people for once. But I noticed the conflicted look on Blossom's face as we exchanged looks and I knew exactly what she was thinking.

It wouldn't be us.

But what other choice do we have?

"What about all the criminals?" I asked. "The Femme Fatale, Mr. Mime…?"

"All taken care of," Gladys grinned. Blossom and I had a hard time keeping a straight face. Exactly how could they have managed to take down the people we had issues with since we were kids?

"Gladys Campbell has worked closely with the National Security Branch and served as a detective in cases like narcotics and organized crime. Taking care of a few street rats is nothing for them." The Mayor added, probably the longest he's ever spoken since this visit. But my mind kept thinking about HIM, Mojo Jojo, and the Rowdyruff boys, who were twice as strong. Using guns and cannons couldn't even be considered threatening since Mojo literally had closets full of them.

"Guess it can't be helped," Blossom sighed, showing defeat. "So when are we leaving? In a couple of days? A Week?"

"Today. It's 6:37 now so we can leave by 7:30 once you're done getting ready." The Mayor said absent-mindedly, clueless to me and Blossom's shock. The Professor's remained placid; he's probably already packed.

"Today!? How are we supposed to get all of our stuff ready in under an hour!? What about Buttercup?!" Blossom cried.

"Oh, right. There are three of you." He mumbled to himself. I stared at him in disgust. How could he have forgotten about Buttercup?

"Where is she by the way?"

Exchanging knowing glances, none of us could really find the words for that answer and instead me and Blossom quickly left the living room to pack when the Professor slowly rose to his feet. "We'll meet her on our way out of Western Pines." When he looked up to see the doubt written on the officials' faces, he tactfully added, "Out of the three girls, Buttercup has had the hardest time… adjusting to the situation."


-Buttercup-

"Utonium!"

"Please let it be a dream." I groaned to myself, burrowing further into my blankets. That son of a bitch already had me run 5 miles last night, the least he could do is spare me a couple minutes of sleep!

A moment of peace followed. I sank deeper into my sheets with sweet gratitude. Maybe it was my lucky day.

"UTONIUM! DID YOU NOT HEAR ME? GET YOUR SORRY ASS OVER HERE NOW!"

"So much for that." I muttered. I kicked off my sheets and jogged to where Boggs was, walking would seriously annoy him, and I don't need two strikes this early in the morning. I glanced over at my watch to see the time. 6:41, who the hell wakes at 6 in the damn-

"Phone call." He said as he handed me the phone. At first I stared at him with a confused look on my face, sure that he probably made a mistake. I couldn't even remember the last time my family called me, or visited for that matter. But as soon as he raised his eyebrows at me I knew that I was just better off biting my tongue and telling whoever was on the line that they were looking for someone else.

As I took the phone from his hand, I felt a little uneasy using it. The thing looked like it was older than me. "Hello?"

"Sweetie, it's the Professor," he cleared his throat before he went on. "I don't have a lot of time before I have to hang up the phone so I'll be quick."

Shit. He's calling after what, six months? The only times things got real bad was when they involved me, so why would he be calling now? My palms were beginning to sweat and the phone started to weight a ton. I didn't know if I even wanted to hear this (in fact I just wanted to hang up) but chances are it wouldn't be good.


At 6:51 First Lieutenant Shirley Boggs was preparing for the morning call when he noticed Private Utonium was still on the phone.

Usually she can't put up a decent conversation with her family for five minutes. he scoffed to himself. But as he looked closer he could notice something was off about her composure. The longer she spent on the phone, the color on her face began to drain into pallor. Her eyes shifted frantically on the table as her free hand started to quiver, and it was clear to Boggs that whatever that phone call was, it couldn't have been very pleasant to see his one of his toughest students like this.

When Utonium finally hung up the phone, her eyes were still fixed on the table and it looked like she was going to drop any second. Taking a second glance at the intercom, he decided no one would complain at a few more minutes of sleep and approached the trembling figure.

"Utonium."

She didn't seem to respond as her eyes remained on the floor, miles away from here.

"Utonium." He repeated a bit more stern. She flinched at his voice like it was the first time he spoke to her. "Sir." She responded faintly as she drifted towards her bed, the pallor on her cheeks still present as she picked up her Duffel bag.

"Utonium just what do you think you're doing with your luggage? Get in line for morning call!" he barked.

"Sorry, Sir," She looked at him for the very first time this morning and managed to put up a wry smile even though her eyes showed pain, "but I just can't do that."

"What?"

"My… dad just called," she mumbled to herself, still feeling uncomfortable by calling the Professor her dad after so long, "and he said that I'm leaving. Today in about 1 hour."

Boggs lowered his arm for a moment and stared at the girl and knew every word she said was true. Out of the eleven months he's known her, he's never seen her so depressed.

She reminded him of himself, and even though he wouldn't admit it, he'd miss her deeply.

Boggs was unsure of how much time had passed between the two before he found his voice again. "Well, the least I can do is help you pack. You can't fold for shit."

Utonium let out a small chuckle, fighting hard to hold the tears stinging the back of her eyes. She didn't know which part was worse; leaving a place she just started to call home, or going to a place that she's dreaded since she was a kid. Just the name Townsville drains the blood from her cheeks, and now she was going back after all those years. She'd have to face all those people again. She remembered the glares, the accusations, the jeers, it was a chapter in her life that she just wanted to turn away from.

But Bubbles and Blossom will be there with you, she thought optimistically, only to be replaced by a more cynical tone.

Don't kid yourself, sweetheart. They're not gonna be any help for your situation. They don't know.

She zipped up her Duffel bag and looked out the window towards the cloudy gray sky, at a loss of words for how she felt; confusion, loneliness, sorrow, but most of all the insurmountable remorse of one mistake.

It was all you. You were the one who didn't follow orders, you were the one who attacked, and now… you're the one who's paying for it all. They don't know. They don't know shit.

She could hear the horn honking at a distance, and she knew it was time to say goodbye, but she didn't even know how to start. Sure enough when she rose to face her Lieutenant, he swept her up into a giant bear hug.

Usually, she'd complain about how tight his grip was, but instead she returned the embrace gratefully.

"I'd better not see you with your shirt loose on the street or I'm gonna have my foot up your ass," her lieutenant muffled in their tight embrace.

"Whatever you say, Shirley", Buttercup snickered under her breath and ran off before her old director could lash out on her for calling him by first name.

Running past the stacks of beds in the chamber room, she finally made it towards the back door entrance where she could meet the Professor by walking alongside the border of the school to the Main Gates. But as she stepped out the door and finally slowed down, she realized that she didn't run to avoid Boggs's wrath. He wouldn't have even bothered.

As a small tear tore through the corner of her eye, she knew that the last thing she wanted to leave her Lieutenant to remember her by was how heartbroken she felt.

She quickly swiped the tear away, refusing to let her family see her like this. And with that resolution, she turned back one last time to see her one solace, and slowly exited the back gates of the military school and made her way to the sound of the horn.