A/N: Hey! So so so sorry for the wait... We just found out my grandma has cancer and she was rushed to the emergency room the other day, so we've been spending a lot of time figuring that out. Good news is I actually know where this story is gonna go now and I should be able to knock it off in a few more chapters.
If you really want to annoy a blind guy, ask him if he needs help with anything. Need proof? Just ask Jay.
Half of his life had been spent on the arm of some random stranger who thought he couldn't walk up the stairs properly. Newsflash: blind doesn't mean stupid. Nor does it mean they enjoy being spoken to like a three year old.
Maybe that's why he was always in a bad mood, not just because he couldn't see, but because he could no longer lead a normal, solitary existence. Whatever the reason, he was at his worst on the day that he saw (well, heard, but you get the point) Timothy Thomas recruit his entire family to his plan.
What plan, you ask. Well, Jay wasn't really sure. The conversation seemed to be going nowhere fast, the only clear objective being that all of the Thomas kids were on board to act like one big, happy family.
"You're actually being totally serious about this?" a girl's voice came. It was Thalia, as far as Jay could guess. "You think we act all chummy and we're the next Brady Bunch?" Jay snorted to himself.
"Thal, calm down." Ah, Brandon. What had happened to him, anyway? After his break-up with Skyler, he'd effectively disappeared. Jay supposed that with no further connection to the metaphorical royalty of Four Oaks, he'd been restored to his former title as social outcast. "Maybe... Maybe we could just be a real family now." Isn't that sweet? Like the lost little boy inside of Brandon was just hammering away at his cage. It was straight out of a Lifetime movie. Gag.
"I'm still mad at you," Thalia warned in a 'duh' voice. "Besides, your last relationship lasted two seconds. Why would I take this kind of advice from you? This is obviously just some ploy to gain public sympathy or something." Hey, she was smarter than she seemed.
"Trust me," Timothy coaxed.
"I wouldn't trust you with the life of a deer tick! And where's... God, I don't even know my own sister's name. Where is the new girl?"
"Margaret," Holden supplied. "My sister had a prior commitment, but I assure you, she will agree to this." Thalia cackled.
"Yeah, that sounds real trustworthy. What are you doing, torturing the poor girl?"
"Actually, she just wanted to get to know all of us better," Timothy announced. "She had no problem making a few public appearances."
"Public appearances? Are you crazy enough to run for governor or something?"
"Of course not." Timothy sounded irritated. "Only my colleagues would vote for me, anyways."
Colleagues? Jay wasn't aware that serial killers worked in packs. It was possible they were only from a regular job, but the Thomas patriarch didn't seem to be seriously employed anywhere. Who would take him? A stint in jail doesn't look great on a resume, you know.
"So you considered this far enough to who would vote for you?"
"Stop twisting Dad's words!" Jay was losing faith in Brandon by the second.
"Why do you trust him? After all he's done?" Silence.
"I-I don't know... I guess... I just... do."
"Well I don't. Let me know if you want to extract yourself from this little puppet show of his." There was the sound of wood scraping against tile, and then clipped footsteps towards the door. Bye bye, Thalia. Hope you stay alive long enough to let other people in on your familial issues.
There was a loud sigh, and some murmuring in tones so hushed that not even Jay could hear. It appeared that the others had been dismissed with the promise of another, more private meeting. Good move. Jay grumbled to himself. While the conversation was interesting, it didn't appear to have any real meaning. What was the point of knowing that Timothy Thomas wanted his family's help with something if you didn't know what for? It was like being expected to complete a puzzle with only one piece. Useless.
A/N: Rushed, but I wanted to get it out there. Review please!
