A/N: Don't know when I'll update this, but know I've started working on it right after I uploaded the first one!

Seriously, I've got big plans on this story. True, I've still got things to fill in to make it more lengthy and interesting, but for now I have it sketched out in base lines up to the very end. And we should be getting to the meat of the story real soon. Possibly even by the end of this chapter! If not, it may be a bit short. Eh, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

So yeah, this will mostly be Erika going through the town, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

Brace yourselves….

For a probably as slowly moving chapter as the last one, yeah.


Chapter 2:

Angry Clusterfuck meets…

An Ordinary town..?

"What's up with this place?

Erika had departed from the house that was her home now, until the summer ends. Which… in retrospect, isn't a very long time.

In the noon heat of early June, Erika stubbornly stomped through the town in clothes of dark shades, carrying a faded dark blue pouch around her waist. Though she was already sweating a lot, she pretended the Sun just wasn't there and made her way into the forest.

To the famed Mystery Shack.

Well….

She didn't know what to expect.

It was just another stupid tourist trap.

Just like five thousand the bus driver had stopped near for people to stretch their legs.

She felt a bitter sensation dance across her taste buds upon hearing the nonsense the old man had been talking about clearly stuffed and stitched together animals and the worst part is that the tourists were buying it. Literally. I mean really, Jackalope? She couldn't will away the frown even if she tried.

Searching for anything remotely helpful and trying to tune out the old crook as he talked about something he called a Mystery Bag that makes your money disappear.

After about half a hour going through useless souvenirs she came to a conclusion that a couple of thousands "No refunds" signs pointed towards at least 40 feet from the rundown building.

It really was just a dumb souvenir shop run by a Con Artist.

Speaking of the old fart, trying to interact with him had only made her angrier, as he wouldn't talk with any "Smarty Pants" sniffing around his shop without buying something, and then proposed a tour for 20 bucks to reserve for an "Haunted after-closing-time Tour" after she bought a magnet, still avoiding a straight answer. He even had the nerve to ask her if she was a narc or something of that kind!

She stormed outside, mumbling to herself;

"Mystery Shack? More like Mystery Hack..." she had stopped not a second after the statement to look at the sign and cracked a small smile, finding humor in the foreshadowing the sign gave her.

"Oh my God that is rich" she whispered with a quiet snort.

Though, just the happiness had been just as short lived as the subtle jump in her walk, and the laugh itself.

It wasn't long before she sat down at a Coffee shop and ordered just that; a large cup of coffee. The waitress gave her a weird look, but brought her the order.

It might've been because I'm apparently too young to be drinking caffeine. she thought, occupying her mind with something other than the mental bitterness, and enjoyed the other, much more soothing bitter of the coffee instead, or it might've been the fact that it's nearly 30 degrees out and I'm ordering a hot beverage rather than some soda.

Who cares, we had worse back at home at this time.

Should I call my family?

.. Nah.

She finished her cup of coffee with downing the glass of water she ordered with it.

Maybe it's too soon to give up. She thought, After all, there's another guy claiming to be a spawn of the supernatural.

And I haven't even gone into the woods yet.

Besides, don't things like that usually happen there?


Another Failure.

Turns out "Lil' Gideon's Tent Of Telepathy" was another hoax.

Should've probably watched the commercial before paying 10 bucks for an admission.

10 dollars to sit in a crowded tent, watching some short, fat kiddo who uses more hair product in one day than she did in her entire life dance for a couple of minutes.

Such humiliation.

Burned once too many times by the business phonies of the town, she resorted to her cousins for directions. And they were more help than she thought they'd be.

They said that the paranormal of that town is a gold mine for the con artists, and told her of every store putting up the front, before announcing it's dinner time and scooping her to go to the diner nearby.

The next morning they'd woken her up after mere 5 hours of sleep, saying that they've got a lot of stuff to do so that she'd have to go get the groceries.

Promptly swearing in her mother tongue on her way out, she rubbed sleep out of her eyes once again and headed for the store she saw not far away.

"Closed on Sundays." she read aloud before storming off down the street. "Great, the next one is half a mile away at the least."

Yet, she walked, already knowing it's gonna be at least 30 degrees Celsius out by noon. Turns out, waking her up to do it early had been an act of mercy.

She didn't see it like that.

After buying everything her cousins had asked her to- well, more like wrote it on a crumpled up old sticky note, she walked outside, eye sliding over to a slightly familiar face of a tall, Red haired girl in a green flannel shirt.

It had been a while before she realized she'd been staring.

And she wouldn't have, if the girl hadn't noticed too. She snapped her gaze away and continued walking.

"Hey, dude." The tall redhair spoke, causing Erika to stop in her tracks. "Do I know you?"

She let out a quiet breath.

This was a conversation she'd rather not be having.

"I believe you're the cashier at that tourist trap yesterday." she said with a deadpan voice, turning around. Her face changed, into a slightly discomforted grimace.

"Oh right," she smiled when the memory dawned on her, "You're the kid that stood up to my boss. Never really seen any visitors do that."

"Well, maybe they should have..." she quietened down her voice even more, squeezing the bags, "Also I'm nearly 14. I'd prefer not to be called a kid."

"Really?" she tilted her head, "You seem younger."

"Yeah yeah, the height, I get that a lot." Erika replied, voice gradually quieting down to a murmur. After a silence for a few moments that seemed like minutes she straightened up, shifted bags into one hand and put the other one out.

"N-name's Erika Langli."

"Wendy Corduroy." she shook it.

"R-really? Weird coincidence.. Y-you know, because your shirt.."

"Huh? Oh, that. I get that a lot as well. Kinda weird ya didn't laugh, most at my school do."

"Eheh.. I don't really joke with people I've just met.." She replied with an awkward smile, scratching the back of her head. The sweat was starting to itch. God, she should've showered yesterday, "B-but anyways, it was nice meeting you."

My hand was probably all sweaty too.

God, why the hell are those bags always made of plastic?

Hah, weird to mention those two in the same sentence.

You're talking to yourself again.

Though she's really pretty I hope I didn't leave a bad first impress-

"Dude, you okay?" the older girl gave her a weird look. What did she do now? "Your face's kinda flushed and you're making weird faces."

Oh.

So that.

"N-nevermind that, it's just the heat. probably should've worn something else.." she replied rather apologetically, discretely dropping a handful of greasy hair she ripped off her own scalp absently.

"Now that I think about it, I haven't seen you around, you here with your parents or something?"

"W-well, I am visiting, but not with my parents. I'm pretty sure you know Isaac and Ivan.."

"Woah, no kidding, you're related to those two party animals?" Wendy immediately seemed a bit more interested. Erika appreciated that, even though she'd much rather be showering and thinking about this conversation. She could feel utterly embarrassed by her poor social skills under a stream of cold water.

"Age difference and different overall appearances may not make it so obvious, but yeah. They're my cousins."

"Awesome, dude." Wendy continued, "They always threw the best parties around, or so I heard. Just when I could go they got all work mode, you know?"

"Yep… Not much free time, working for the Northwests.."

"True man."

. . .

Come on, say something or go!

"S-so… What are you doing here? I-I mean, are you waiting for someone?"

And right on cue, a teenager with short, black messy hair walked to them. He wore a black hoodie with a stitched up heart on the front, fingerless gloves and…

Ew, are those piercings? And mascara?

There are three on the gay ear too...

"Hey Wendy." he said in a leisure tone before turning to Erika, "Who's this toddler?"

Outside, it was just twitch of an eyebrow.

Inside, he just blew a fuse.

Thousands of fireworks like friggin' fourth of July are about to set off and it is not going to be nice.

"Oh hey Robbie, this is Erika, moved in to spend the summer. You know, the Razicky Sibs?"

Ah. So that's what they call themselves.

"Oh right, those." he flicked his head a bit to get the bangs out of his left eye.

We both know you don't want them out, Moody.

"And may I ask who are you, really?" a note of coldness seemed to catch his attention. Though she received no reply.

Typical.

"… Don't you have anywhere else to be kiddo?" he said after a short staring contest before turning to Wendy in a subtle, but still friendlier note, "So, Wendy, we got rehearsals, if you wanna listen or whatever."

Oh I see your moves, jackass. Cheap flirting skills and petty insults. Two can play at that game.

"Rehearsals?" she said, throwing in a hint of flattery. "You're in a band?"

"Well, duh. Robby V. and The Tombstones." he rolled his eyes. God, how he grated her nerves. Did she act like that? No, impossible. "Not your type of stuff kiddo. Pretty dark."

She took in a breath. He really couldn't take a hint.

Though, she could see he noticed her tone, and was eating it up.

It's almost like he's a woman, to notice that kinda stuff.

She bit down a laugh at the thought.

God, how I love my own jokes.

"You sure, V? Because if you compare our skin tones. we could see who's naturally darker."

"Look guys, I gotta go, nice talking to ya both." Wendy said, walking off. Good, she didn't seem to pick up on the passive aggressive remark.

Though as soon as she left, Robbie seemed as if he took off a mask.

"Scram, kid. if you know what's good for you."

"And you stop calling me kid, goat cheese." she picked her bags up again and walked off, the thick air of arrogance from those eight words still lingering in the air.

"You've picked the wrong guy to mess with, newbie." He continued, picking up after her and towering above her as she turned around, face as uninterested and apathetic as his often is.

Oh my God, this is rich.

"Yeah yeah, get off your high horse. I'm pretty sure Wendy wouldn't be too keen on you hitting a younger girl." as soon as he opened his mouth to speak she continued, a smug smile stretching across her features "You see, Robbie. Two can play at this game."

She turned away, using the tone of intimidation to hold the tense silence she adored as much as that feeling, and her smile.

"And by the way, your piercings are on the gay ear."

"What-? Are not!" he held hand to the ear with extra piercings.

"Right ear's the gay ear, V!"


A/N: Wowie, the conversation stretched for longer than I thought. However I really wanted to write this, just the transition between a nervous mess into a smug jackass.

Expect the next one soon!

EDITED!

And remember..

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