Author's Note: Hey friends! Today is my birthday! As my gift to you, here is the next chapter. Hopefully Addison and the Lunites will be able to fix Bucky. Haha! Next Chapter, we find out if the moonstone is in Building Z, and what else might be hidden there, as well...
Mayar grasped Starlight's hand reassuringly as the small group followed them quizzically back to the gymnasium office. Zed, Eliza, Bonzo and Bree were radiating concerned confusion as they strolled behind the Lunites. Qamar and Aruna were still laughing. Mayar was managing to handle her amusement a little better, mainly because she could feel exactly how un-funny her sister found the entire situation.
You guys, Starlight groaned internally. It's so not funny. I'm the worst cousin ever! How could I do something so manipulative to Bucky?
Oh, Starlight, Mayar replied comfortingly. You didn't do it on purpose.
It was probably instinctive. Qamar chipped in, helpfully.
You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Aruna added. You're brand new to this entire thing. You can't expect to get everything exactly right every time.
"I have a feeling you are all being way more understanding than Bucky is about to be." Starlight mumbled as they entered the now empty gym.
"Would anyone like to fill the rest of us in on what's happening right now?" Eliza asked, idly checking her watch. "I thought that we had a moonstone to go search for."
"Yeah," Zed said, "What's up, guys?"
Starlight stopped outside of the office, turning to face the assembled group.
"So..." She began, not sure exactly how to explain. "Bucky and I were arguing. He got really mad, and I thought I could calm him down so that we could actually talk to each other. So... I, um... tried to get rid of all his anger. And it worked. Except, it worked, like, way too well. And I couldn't figure out how to undo it. And now he's acting... Very un-Bucky like."
"Wait, what are you saying? You accidentally made Bucky... Nice?" Eliza responded, which triggered another round of quiet laughter from Qamar and Aruna.
Mayar shot them a look of exasperation as she silently chastised them.
Stop it, you two. Can't you see Starlight feels terrible?
But Bucky doesn't. Qamar replied with another snicker.
Starlight groaned, putting her head in her hands, white hair cascading down to partially obscure her face.
"Come on, Ads," Zed said as he rested an assuring hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure it's not that bad."
It was at this point that the door to the gym office opened, and a beaming Bucky stepped out of the small room, spreading is arms out in a friendly greeting.
"It's great to see you all!" Bucky exclaimed sincerely, walking over to Zed and giving him a massive hug. "Hey, big guy!"
"Uhh." Zed said blankly, as his arms were pinned to his side by Starlight's exceedingly cheerful cousin.
Bucky quickly released him, turning to address the group at large.
"Man, I can't tell you how great I feel right now! You guys," he pointed his hand from person to person, "are my best friends!"
He turned, scooping up Eliza and offering her a short hug as well.
"Wow." Eliza said, her face a confusing combination of astounded and amused.
"Uhh." Zed said again, apparently too shocked to form words anymore.
Bonzo and Bree were both struck speechless as well, Bonzo's mouth actually hanging open as he watched and listened to the suddenly uninhibited school president.
Aruna let out another short burst of laughter, as Bucky approached Addison and the Lunites. Bucky reached out, extending his hand to Qamar as if to shake his hand.
"And can I just say, you are one handsome guy." Bucky shot him a wink and a wide smile. "Sorry if we got off on the wrong foot, Qamar."
Qamar's snowy eyebrows flew up.
"You actually remember my name?" Qamar asked, unable to hide the smile of mingled humor and surprise.
"Well, yeah," Bucky replied. "You're a hard guy to forget."
There was a short, awkward beat of silence. Then, Qamar huffed another small laugh, and extended his own hand to return the handshake. Aruna and Mayar exchanged surprised looks. Mayar honestly couldn't believe that her firmly anti-human friend was willingly shaking hands with one of them. And blushing a light periwinkle, if she wasn't mistaken.
That's enough, guys. Starlight implored. Please help fix him, he's already going to be humiliated.
He won't really remember it. Qamar assured her. Human's memories tend to become very fuzzy in these situations. Without meaning to, his's thoughts went automatically to Addison's parents, and their willingness to ignore and forget the circumstances of her birth.
Starlight winced slightly.
The zombies and Bree were still staring dumbfounded at Bucky, watching the bizarre interaction between him and Qamar.
Sighing, as though he didn't quite want to do it, Qamar firmly grasped Bucky's hand with both of his own. He inhaled deeply, and Mayar felt the slight strain as he pulled the excess joy from Bucky and into himself.
Here's the lesson, Starlight. Mayar said as she gently squeezed her little sisters's hand. Emotions don't just disappear once you put them out into the world. They have to go somewhere.
Qamar smiled as he absorbed the happiness, sighing contentedly as he flexed his shoulders and let it spread out across him.
We pull the emotion back into ourselves, Mayar continued, and we all must learn how to not let it effect us as it dissipates through our system. And more importantly, this gift should be used sparingly. People are entitled to feel their natural emotions. We mustn't take that away from them.
Starlight squeezed her hand back, watching as Qamar finished his work.
Bucky blinked rapidly.
Abruptly, he looked down and saw that he was holding hands with Qamar, and hastily jerked his hand out of his grasp.
Bucky's face looked comical as he glanced around him, clearly not sure how he came to be outside the gym office surrounded by a group of Lunites, zombies and humans.
"Addison?" He spoke hesitantly, trying to slide back into his normal, confident persona. "Weren't we, ah... Weren't we just talking about something?"
Starlights eyebrows raised, making quick eye contact with the Lunites before sliding back to Bucky.
"Yep!" She said, perhaps a bit over-enthusiastically. "We were just, um, talking about how we're about to go look for the moonstone. We thought that you might want to come along."
Glancing at one another, their friends seemed to quickly catch on.
"Uhh, yeah!" Zed said. "You free to go moonstone hunting, Bucky?"
Bucky straightened out his shoulders, the self-assured smile sliding easily back into place.
"Ah," he said, nodding sagely. "You need a brave, resourceful leader to come along. Of course. I'd be happy to help you out."
"Cool," Zed said. "We're heading that way now."
"Let me just change really quick. Can't risk getting this uniform dirty!"
Bucky grabbed up his bag besides the bleachers, and jogged quickly to the boy's changing room.
Mayar and the others watched him go, most of them still staring after him in complete bewilderment.
"Well," Bree said after a moment. " That was... um..."
"Awesome." Eliza finished. "I wish we could have left him that way. But... Did he really mean all of that stuff?"
"Yes," Mayar replied, nodding. She had been able to feel the sincerity of each thing Bucky had said. "He really does care for you all, and considers you to be his dearest friends. And," she continued, "He really does think that Qamar is handsome."
Mayar let out a laugh of her own as she watched her friend scowl in reaction to her statement. He may have been frowning, but he was also blushing, radiating an unexpected mixture of surprised confusion. Maybe he wasn't as anti-human as he had originally thought.
ZzZzZzZ
Only minutes later, Bucky had changed into tan slacks and a powder blue polo shirt. Together, the group had headed back to the barrier entrance, where the wolves were waiting to meet them. Zodiac ran parallel alongside the barrier, so it was an easy matter to simply follow the street. Before a year or so ago, this street had been virtually deserted. Now, however, the buildings nearest the barrier entrances had been refurbished into tiny shops and restaurants. Some of the forgotten parts of Zombietown were slowly coming back to life.
As she walked, Addison fell back in the group, to where Bucky was walking towards the back. Apparently, he had no memory of seeing the ring and blowing up at her for keeping secrets from him. But still, she felt like she needed to make it right between them. Because at the end of the day, they really were close, and he really was like her big brother. She would tell him, as she should have in the first place, and let him react however he needed to.
"Hey, Bucky," Addison started, "Can we talk a minute? I have something to tell you." She beamed, the joy seeping out of her as she felt the light weight of the aquamarine stone against her left ring finger.
"Sure, Baby Cuz." He replied.
Addison tilted her head, indicating that they walk a bit behind the others so as not to be overheard.
The two cousins fell back by several paces, where they were still in view of the others but out of earshot.
"What's up, Addison?" Bucky asked, once they were far enough behind. "Needing some more coaching advice? You know I'm always happy to help."
She laughed.
"No," She replied. "Actually, it's not cheer related at all."
Addison wrung her hands together, determined but nervous. What if he reacted horribly again? What if he got mad, or stormed off angrily?
"Hey," Bucky said, squeezing her shoulder briefly. "Seriously, what's wrong? Do I need to get ugly with someone? It may be off brand for me, but I'd be glad to punch someone if I need to, ya know."
She laughed.
"No, Bucky, nothing's wrong." She paused, then continued. "Actually, everything is great. Zed...asked me to marry him. And I said yes!"
She held up her left hand, offering it to him for examination as they stopped walking.
For a second, he was silent, eyebrows high and his hand reaching out to examine the ring adorning her left hand. His emotions were a mixed bag of fear, confusion, and, to her surprise, happiness.
"Are you happy, Addison?" He asked her seriously, concern rolling off of him.
"I'm so happy, Bucky. I really love him, and he loves me back."
After a short second of tense indecision, she watched in awe as Bucky stretched his arms out to hug her.
"Well, if you're happy, cuz, then I'm happy, too. Congratulations!" He wrapped his arms around her, laughing lightly as he lifted her briefly off of the ground. He leaned back, grasping both of her arms with his head and bouncing lightly on his feet. "Oh my gosh, baby cuz, we get to plan a wedding! It is going to be simple and elegant, yet overblown and flashy."
Bucky fanned his hands out in his classic 'jazz hands' pose.
Addison laughed, tossing her head back at the ridiculousness of it.
She had been absolutely terrified to tell Bucky. Yet she had completely misjudged him. Addison had learned a lot about her cousin recently, between him helping the zombies at school a few days back, and by his uninhibited statements today. He was no longer the self-absorbled bully he had once been, even if he liked to pretend otherwise. Maybe, eventually, he wouldn't feel the need to pretend anymore, with a little help from her and their friends.
"Hey," she cut in. "Just keep this between us for now, though, okay? I wanted to wait until after we find the moonstone to tell everyone else."
Bucky quickly mimicked sealing his lips shut with an invisible key, then tossed the invisible key over his shoulder.
They laughed together as they began to walk forward again, stepping quickly in order to catch up with the rest of the group. Addison smiled, feeling as though her relationship with Bucky had suddenly become so much closer than it had been before. While her major goof-up had been terrible, it had also been very illuminating. And a definite learning opportunity for her.
By the next block, they had nearly caught up to the rest of the group.
Addison looked ahead to see Zed, craning his head back to check on her.
Everything good? He asked, grinning.
She smiled and nodded, giving him a discrete thumbs up.
Zed turned back to his discussion with Bonzo and Bree, However, although his thoughts were no longer directed towards her, Addison could still hear them clearly.
Jeez, she's gorgeous in the sunlight. I can't wait to see how beautiful she looks in a white dress. His head tilted to the side. Not to mention, how delicious she'll look in her swimsuit on Shore Day. Mmm.
Addison snorted out a burst of laughter, earning her weird looks from Bucky, Willa and Eliza, who were also at the back of the group. She just shrugged.
"Inside joke." Addison explained, making Eliza chuckle and shake her head.
"What," she laughed, "with yourself?"
Addison just grinned again as she glanced at her surroundings.
Whoa.
While they had gone less than ten blocks, the appearances of the street and buildings had changed drastically. Most of these buildings had boarded up or broken windows, and almost all of them looked like they had been devoid of activity for quite some time. To her left, she saw a rather sleazy-looking fuel station, which had an even sleazier-looking liquor store attached to the side of the building. Two older male zombies stood outside smoking, watching the unusual grouping of teenagers walk past with a look of intense boredom. They walked on.
Zed glanced back at her, meeting her eyes once again. This isn't the best part of Zombietown. Stay close.
Addison nodded, nudging Bucky and indicating that they should tighten ranks. He nodded fervently, clearly nervous despite his supposed bravado. As they rounded the final corner, the left side of the street seemed to open up into mostly empty lots or partially demolished houses. Unlike the rest of town, this area of Zombietown still seemed to show actual evidence of the struggle that had occurred during the long-ago outbreak. A streetlamp was leaning sideways, knocked partially out of the ground by a burned out 1960's VW beetle. An empty newspaper box was on its side on the sidewalk, door hanging open and filled with old, rotted out newspapers.
There was a strange quietness that seemed to permeate the entire block. A soft breeze ruffled Addison's hair, and she suddenly felt a strong, cool hand grasping her's. She looked up to see Zed, who had moved back in the group to reach her. He was staring down the street to the right, past the large, empty lot which separated them from a large, decrepit-looking brick building. Addison shivered. She had never felt such a thing before, but even from this distance, the structure itself seemed to radiate sadness.
Building Z.