So I got back and then ended up being really busy these last couple of day but I really wanted to update before I got back to school. So here it is though I am sorry it took this long to update. I do hope to post chapters weekly from now on but I suspect school work may interfere, in which case please bare with me and reviews are always welcome :) (even if its just to tell me to get a move on and write xD)
The Chosen were gone, finished and done with or at least according to 'The Amulet'. Well Ebony didn't believe that was true for a second. Even without having any long periods of time in the Guardian's company, she knew the type, hell she dated the type. It was a sort of psychotic power hunger guy who happened to be a great leader and inspire such loyal followers despite teetering on the edge of the deep end. He wasn't even original, following in the late Zoot's footsteps and attempting to turn the kid into a deity to guide them into a 'new age' or something as equally stupid.
The Guardian had created a cult that had a religion based around a rebellious teenager who just wanted to destroy everything that reminded him of the old world, of his parents. Ebony wasn't blind; she knew the reason that had turned sweet harmless Martin into the terrifying and crazed Zoot. His parents had died and he took it worse than his brother, yeah Bray had felt the loss but losing the parents that had spoiled him and protected him from the big bad world had filled Martin with hate towards everything from the past. He changed his appearance and his persona into someone she could use to survive the post virus world and control this city, not that she needed much help with that.
But if the Guardian was aspiring to be anything like the dead founder of the Locos then he wouldn't give up, she sure knew better than most that he would never just give up. No, he'd come back stronger and destroy anything in his path in the perfect display of power and chaos. She suspected he was probably planning such a display right now unless he had already put said plan in motion. If so she needed to rally more people as she doubted her militia alone could handle a group of crazed cultist.
Yet despite the fact she didn't believe a word that journalistic brat wrote she decided to go to the rat races anyway, giving Jack and Dal the day off as well. Yet she had to give some credit to KC as the kid always manages to find a way to pull off a con and most of the time because of some help from Lex. The rat races were symbolic apparently, or at least that was the reason the Mallrats gave her when they told her they needed the militia for security. She had to admit that Lex could be quite the smooth talker when he was trying to make a profit as no doubt KC was giving him cut in the winnings. So not so surprisingly KC's rat would have been a clear winner, considering neither of the other rats even moved, if only his white rat had not ironically been unable to race. This meant that a last entry of Cloe's rat instead won, which made most of the Mallrats happy though she did notice Jack did not reflect that mood and Ebony was sure she could guess why.
She had noticed them as soon as she'd arrived. That annoying brat fawning over that puppeteer that Ebony was sure should have left by now but apparently he had given her the story that was the cause of this celebration. Though Ebony hadn't actually spoken to them, refusing to waste her breath on that irritating farm girl, she felt something off about that kid. She couldn't pin point exactly what bothered her so much about the kid or why she felt that at any moment he was going to do something to prove her suspicions right but she just felt in her gut that he was going to turn around and bring hell down upon them.
Then again since this whole good guy appeal started she wasn't sure she could trust her own instincts anymore. She might simply be feeling this way toward the guy because of the way the brat was flirting with him or maybe even because of the way Jack had been glaring at the kid throughout the celebration. Together those two where leaving Jack looking down when he should be enjoying himself; after all that had been the reason she'd told him to go to the party, obviously under the pretence of not leaving them unguarded while her and her militia where out of the hotel. She was even willing to admit that seeing Jack in this state had pissed her off, as though she had failed him by letting that farm brat make him feel like that. And Ebony hated failing.
So here she was again, unable to comfort him and it was started to hurt worse than the last time. This is why she had summoned the tribal leaders. She knew that the chosen weren't finished but more importantly than that she needed something else to focus on, a goal to keep her occupied instead of heading over to the Mall and teaching that brat a lesson for mistreating Jack. The only thing stopping her from doing this and instead filling her time by building a defence against the Guardian was how she knew Jack, along with the rest of the Mallrats, would react to her if she did. She was making progress with Jack and she didn't need anything, especially her, ruining that. She wasn't worth it.
These feeling and thoughts tumbled through her head, colliding with each other throughout the day, taking more of her self control to keep a calm and stoic exterior and was probably the reason she threw that demon dog kid into her pool when he didn't get the message to remove his arm from around her shoulders. But once she saw Jack the battle inside her calmed, silenced for the time being.
'Hey,' she called to him to get his attention, 'they tell me you've been here all day.' She looked around indicating to the militia as Jack stops in his tracks and slowly wandered back over to her.
'Yeah.' He answers looking away and then back, seeming to not want to broach the subject.
She was curious as to way he had come in at all, she'd given him the day off hoping he'd hang out with Dal, maybe at the farm, and come back in a better mood than at the party. But maybe that was just it. She had noticed he always seemed to want to keep his hands busy when nervous or stressed, therefore she might not be far off in assuming that the work he did here could provide him a perfect distraction, like she sometimes needed, when not wanting to have spare time to dwell on something, or someone. He could need to get away from the mall, as he hadn't seemed quite at ease there last time she visited, that and it might be worse now considering how the brats treatment towards him was worsening as she was spending more time with another guy.
Why else would he spend the whole day locked away in what could only be referred to as his work station if not to get away from his problems at the mall, to get away from her?
'Look I need you to sort out the night time security,' she told him, which wasn't exactly a lie but rather not the main reason for her wanting him to stay. 'So we'll find you a bed.' Ebony continued while silently adding preferably a room close to her and far away from brat.
'But i-I.. but I got to get back. I-I promised Ellie.' He managed to reply though it didn't really have much power behind it, as if he wasn't really trying to argue with her but had to least say it for arguments sake.
'Too bad. ' She replied not feeling the least bit sorry about stopping him from leaving. 'She'll just have to wait.' Ebony said slightly patronisingly, though to be honest it wasn't really directed at Jack.
'Besides there's a storm brewing,' Ebony reasoned to him as she turned her head, hearing the rising winds and echoing of thunder. 'You don't want to be caught up in that do you?' She asked, now facing him.
He doesn't answer her and now that she thinks about it, he didn't put up much of a fight to return back to the mall, back to her. In fact his reaction to staying here at the hotel only strengthens the belief that maybe she was correct in her assumptions. Maybe he does want to say here with Ebony rather than with her. Maybe She'd made more progress than she had thought. Maybe this is her chance. She have never been one to waste an opportunity and that brat's actions and this storm were giving her a perfect opening, one she intend to make the best of. How she did this was the question but she doubted she needed to worry about that, after all she did have all night…