Ch. 2: Beginnings
"I gotta say you were right. The pit makes a great house," Chief Michael Beatcom noted, looking up at the odd, but comfortable new residence. Hard to believe that a giant peach pit, once slick and sticky with remnants of peach juice and chunks of fruit was now a house built to accommodate a family of seven. The Chief's head was still reeling as to how a seemingly cramped space could fit a furnished living room with a fireplace, a kitchen, a dining room, two full bathrooms, and a separate bedroom for each family member. The last few days had been busy ones for the family; they had spent much of their first days in New York furnishing the peach pit house to suit their tastes and turning it into an extremely comfortable home.
"Yes, the pit is a wonderful place to live," Miss Spider agreed, not looking at the Chief. Beside her, Centipede blew a ring of smoke off his cigar.
"Made for a great way to travel too," was all he said but, like Miss Spider, he did not make eye contact with the Chief. Instead, both bugs kept their eyes trained on the small group of children playing some game or another on the spacious back lawn. Or rather, they watched one small boy in particular.
Chief Beatcom followed their gaze and mentally sighed. James looked a lot better than he had the first night he and the peach had appeared in New York and considering that had only been a few days ago, that was saying something. Chief Beatcom still felt prickles of guilt whenever he remembered how it had been his actions that had put the little boy in danger. True he'd had no idea that those women would attack their nephew with axes, but still.
Well, it had worked out for the best. And soon, the six human-like bugs would be James's official legal guardians. Good for them all. If the house was any indication as to how the family would live, then it was obvious that they would be able to provide for a child. Even better was that his opinion was shared by many others in the city. Speaking of which…
"You know, Sam wanted me to ask you something."
"What's this about?" Chief Beatcom turned at the sound of Earthworm's voice. He had slid out the back door, followed by Mr. Grasshopper and Mrs. Ladybug. All three looked uneasy. Then again, he had mentioned the name of the lawyer who had been put in charge of the bugs' adoption of James.
"Nothing's wrong, is it?" Mr. Grasshopper asked the Chief now.
"No, not that I know of." Of course, the circumstances of the adoption were extremely unusual, but as far as the city officials were concerned, the strange group had proved themselves more than capable of caring for James. As such, no one had protested when the strange family had asked to legally adopt the boy and until the process was complete, the Chief imagined that anything unexpected would worry them.
"He just said that he'd found something of interest while looking through records of some sort. He said he could stop by late, if that'd be better."
"Does James need to hear what Sam has to say?" Mrs. Ladybug asked.
"Probably not," the Chief admitted.
"Then let him come later," Miss Spider answered while the rest of the family nodded.
"Ten o'clock would be appropriate, I think," Mr. Grasshopper finished.
"Right, I'll let him know for you."
"Thank you, Chief Beatcom." The Chief nodded, but he was once again ignored as the family once more turned their attention to their soon-to-be son.
*****************************************************************************************************************************************************
Rikers Island, while the main prison of New York City, was not a permanent stop for prisoners. Criminals were held there if they couldn't afford bail or if their sentences were for a year or less. People who had committed more serious crimes were merely housed at Rikers until a more suitable prison could be located for them. And it was here that Spiker and Sponge had been placed until a better prison could be found to house them for the rest of their lives.
On this particular evening, the corridors were strangely quiet. The guards were, for the most part, glad, as it meant an absence from the usual yells and threats. However, there was something about the silence that was downright eerie.
"I dunno, maybe I just like the abuse," a young officer joked with his partner as they lounged in a tiny office, nursing cups of coffee. The other officer glanced at his friend before taking a draught from his cup.
"Yeah, well, I don't like this. It's too quiet and… forget it."
"What?"
"I feel… watched." The guard sighed. "It's stupid, I know, but I can't shake the feeling that something's here that shouldn't be." His partner was silent for a few minutes, then stood up.
"Actually, I feel that way too. Maybe we should look around. You know, make sure everything's in order."
"Good idea." The two guards left the office, heading for the beginning of the cell block. Unbeknownst to them, a shadowy form watched them retreat before heading in the opposite direction further down the block.
A shadowy figure with glowing golden eyes.
