JEM

Jem watched the exchange between his uncle and his twin in disbelief. In some ways Scout's behavior felt familiar. She was naturally stubborn and fiercely independent. Fearless and bold where he tended towards caution. They balanced well. Except when they didn't.

But she was typically smart. Not necessarily in an academic sort of way. School, being tedious and boring, inclined her to barely squeak by. But she'd always had a savvy street-smarts to her that had pulled them through more than one sticky situation, all of which she'd gotten them into in the first place.

So, who was this idiot stranger wearing his sister's face? He could easily believe that Scout had gotten herself into trouble. She did that all the time. But she typically got herself out again with equal ease. This girl was lying there on the couch, sick and stabbed, and genuinely confused by everyone's concern. She really didn't think there was anything wrong. How was that possible?

"Well, it sounds like you two are going to have some quality time. I'll get Jem and Drea to school before they lose the whole day." Aunt Zoe gave each of them a meaningful look as she spoke.

He cringed and Drea protested. "What? No way."

Please no. His Aunt could not walk them to their high school like they were a bunch of little kids. It would be humiliating. Maybe he could intervene before Drea locked it in.

"It's really not necessary, Aunt Z. You can just call Scout in and we'll walk together..." He trailed off under her steely, unyielding gaze.

"Get your stuff. Then we're swinging by home to get Drea's. Now."

Drea clearly wasn't done yet, but he knew his Aunt Zoe. There would be no wiggling out of this one. With a sigh of defeat, he started gathering his supplies. Today was going to suck shell.

DREA

Andrea walked closer to Jem, well ahead of her mother. It was embarrassing enough to be escorted to school by your mom, she didn't need to be seen walking beside her- except that her mom was picking up her pace to do exactly that.

Oh, my gods, not now. Please not now. Drea's cheeks flushed and she nearly bumped into Jem while her mother forced her way alongside them.

"Tell me more about this Luke person." Her mother demanded. Much like Drea's father, her mom wasn't one to dance around the fire when she could fan the flames then jump right in. Scary thing about that is she usually walked right back out unscathed. It just wasn't normal, the kind of craziness her mom was guilty of. The woman was unpredictable and though Drea' loved her, she didn't want to be seen with her. Or her dad either for that matter.

One time, Brittany, the most popular girl in school ran into her at the electronics store in the mall. Well, they were there at the same time, they didn't actually talk. Drea's mom, dad, and uncle Donnie were there talking about some kind of game system for Anton. A birthday present. Anyway, Brittany was there with her sidekick Lucianna, picking out earbuds, while Drea was in the opposite aisle listening to them talk by pretending to sample music.

Brittany told Lucianna to look at the freaks with the scars all over them, that they look like they'd escaped that crazy place from all the Batman movies- Arkham Asylum?

Just as Drea' realized the freaks they were snickering, giggling and whispering about were her family, her mother lifted her head and beckoned her over. Ever since, Brittany and Lucianna exaggerate walking on the opposite side of the hall from her, whispering and giving her the side-eye.

Bitches. Drea' half wanted to bust up their plastic noses and defend her family, and half of her just wanted to fit in. It was that half that kept her silent.

"Andrea?"

Her mother calling her name pulled Drea' from her memories, back to the awful present. One with a drug addicted cousin whose habit would now place every kid in the Hamato family on lockdown. Thank you, Scout. Not.

"Andrea, answer me." Her mother's hand hovered around Drea's arm before she stopped herself, dropping it to her side. It could be to stop herself from reading her. It could also be so she didn't embarrass her. Too late for that and if the heat in Drea's cheeks was any indication of the redness scale, well her mom didn't need to touch her for a read.

Jem elbowed Drea in the side. "Time to come clean about Lukey."

Her mom's eyebrow shot up, her head pivoting around so she could level one of her terrifying stares at Andrea.

"Lukey?" She spat out his name, which it wasn't really, but that was Jem teasing her. Then it got worse. "Who is this Lukey, Andrea? And why have neither me or your dad heard of him? And for that matter, you said you'd been to his party. When was this and where did I think you were at the time?"

Beside Drea, Jem began making the same whining noise her Uncle Mikey made when he was either guilty of something- or was worried. This one was guilt. And no matter what Andrea told her parents about Scout's problems, or didn't tell them, they all began that night at Luke's.

All of her cousins had been there too, and all of them had told their parents they were going to a movie then spending the night with Chane at the warehouse. "Just like old times," she'd lied to her mom, telling her all of them wanted to have a sleepover like they did when they were little. In truth most of them did end up spending the night at the warehouse, but it was way beyond curfew, there was never a movie, and there was a whole lot of drama with, like, four of her cousins.

And then there was the whole thing with Andrea herself, the fact that she and Luke hooked up in his parents' bedroom. They were away on some kind of trip, a getaway, vacation, business, she couldn't remember and didn't care. All she knew was she'd had too much to drink and lost her virginity to Luke. Fortunately for her, he wasn't after a one-night stand. He actually had liked her, for a while even, and they'd been a thing ever since.

They'd been together three whole months now.

Andrea suddenly felt as though she'd hit a wall. Blinking, she stumbled back only to find her mother was the wall. Hands on her hips, one eyebrow cocked, her feet planted.

Oh, boy. Or, oh- mama?

Then-

"Luke is my friend, Aunt Zoe." Jem for the save. Thank you. Thank you. Then Jem's bright blue eyes met Drea's and her heart sank. Too many secrets came of that night, and those secrets had evolved into big problems- for all of them.

MIKEY

Entering the apartment, they walked into what was essentially a staring contest between Scout and Raph.

"Cubs, you're up! That's great." He rushed over to hug her, abashedly releasing when she grunted in discomfort. Right, the shoulder. But it was so good to see her awake. "Don't worry about school today, we got it covered. Just rest up and I'll go pick up anything your teachers need you to have."

Scout's eyes snapped wide and she frantically signed. "No! Don't. Please don't."

He cocked his head to the side in puzzlement. "Why? High school sounds great. I love it. Bet I would've been totes awesome at it."

Scout groaned and buried her face in her hands.

Denim sighed. "We'll call the school and they'll send anything you need back with Jem."

"Aww." He couldn't help pouting. The kids used to love it when he'd gone to their schools. How long ago was that? When had it changed?

Scout brightened, but Blue Jeans had her stern mama face on. "That doesn't mean you're off the hook. You are grounded and I mean total lock down until Uncle Donnie says you're clean, plus two weeks."

Scout looked aghast.

"And if you fight us on this, we'll have to go with a more formal rehab program, got it?"

Scout angrily crossed her arms over her chest in a huff, wincing as the motion tugged her stitches.

Poor girl. She just needed a little TLC.

"Buck up, Cubs. You can hang with me while your home. I'll make sure I have the time off." She didn't look as jazzed as he'd hoped, but he kept going. "Can I get you anything? Another blanket, hot cocoa, cookie-ice cream-smores?"

"Stop coddlin' her, Mikey. She ain't takin' this seriously."

He frowned. "Come on, Raph. I'm sure she's learned her lesson. See how ucky she's feeling? I mean, did I ever eat gray-green, moldy pizza after that one time?"

Raph's mouth compressed into a thin line. "Yes."

Mikey rolled his eyes. "I meant the six-month-old one. The others were totes salvageable."

Raph groaned, burying his face in his hands in perfect mirror of his daughter earlier. Why were people always doing that around him?

Looking up again, Raph's eyes blazed with anger. "When are you finally gonna grow up, Mikey? You're always fucking like this. What does your family have against reality? This is real life and shit don't work out just cuz you want it to."

Mikey's jaw fell open, but no words came out. He wanted to say that it wasn't so, that Raph had it wrong, but he had nothing.

Then it was Denim to the recuse, placing a calming hand on Raph's shoulder. "It doesn't hurt to have a little hope sometimes."

Raph's expression softened and he heaved a sigh, shaking off Denim's hand and tromping towards the kitchen. "I'm getting some breakfast." He paused and looked back. "We ain't got a job tonight. Aries is watching movies with Nellie or some shit. So, I'm free if you guys need me."

Mikey couldn't help but smile at his tough softie of a brother. You could always count on Raph.

"Hey, why don't I make breakfast for everyone?" Mikey trotted into the kitchen after his bro.

SCOUT

With her Dad and Uncle in the kitchen, Scout felt some of the pressure was off her. Now if her mom would just go away. Her horrible threats echoed in Scout's aching skull. "That doesn't mean you're off the hook. You are grounded and I mean total lock down until Uncle Donnie says you're clean, plus two weeks."

"And if you fight us on this, we'll have to go with a more formal rehab program, got it?"

There was no way she was going to any rehab. Alli had done it with that whole starving herself thing, and it didn't seem to do her a damn bit of good. She was obviously starving herself again, since that was front page Hamato news this morning. That and all of them thinking, she, Hamato Scout, had a drug problem.

Well they were wrong.

And this whole lock down business, getting clean and tested with a two-week period and probably a retest before she could be free to live her life again? Screw. That. There was a world to hear and songs to sing and fans to adore her. There could be none of this lock down madness that they'd been subjected to multiple times for various reasons over the years.

Avoiding her mother's waiting gaze, Scout exhaled one sigh of relief. Her Uncle Leo had yet to be heard from. Even if she was deaf his lectures sucked. Being on the receiving end, the target of one, was almost as bad as Uncle Raph's terrifying scolds. Nope. She'd take handling her dad over any of her Uncles any day. In fact, the sooner Uncle Raph left the better.

The couch shifted as her mother sat facing her. "Talk to me, Scout."

Scout's eyes closed then she twisted her torso so her shoulder was facing her mom. She was going to have to lay on her sore side just to make it clear to them she didn't want to talk. Nothing was wrong. Everything was fine. She had it under control. If she talked to Zeke or Drake they'd know what to do to counter the side effects. They'd know what adjustments to make so everything would be better and she wouldn't have to feel so bad anymore.

No there could be no lockdown. She needed to get out of there. Get to someone who could help her. But how. How could she get out if Uncle Raph was hanging around? If her dad was staying home then her mom would probably go to the parlor and check in on things so he could stay. If she distracted him while her mom was gone, well that shouldn't be hard. She'd been doing it for years. A half smile formed at the corners of her mouth. He'd been the one to teach her the fine art of distraction. Everything he knew. And lately, he'd been no match for her. She could handle her dad, easy.

But Uncle Raph. Now that was a problem. Unless—Oh! Yuuta! Yuuta would tell them she was fine. He'd explain it wasn't a big deal. Then if everyone was reassured, Uncle Raph might go home. Scout turned toward her mom, her eyes flickering to the details of her mom's face. Dark circles under red-rimmed watery eyes, a frown at the set of her full lips. The white of her mom's skin even seemed paler than usual, her freckles like golden stars sprinkling her cheeks. Her bright copper hair was a tousled mess that grazed her shoulders. Scout envied her mom in that moment. Hoped that on her worst day she looked half as beautiful. Then again, this wasn't her mom's worst day. As of this moment, that day was still on Alli.

"Mom," she signed. "I want to talk to Yuuta. Will you ask him to come over?"

Her mom's eyes, deep blue as the color she was named for, brightened. She sniffled and stood, smoothed out her shirt and signed. "Definitely. As long as you talk to someone. As long as you confide in someone we can trust. Whatever you need to help you through this." When she leaned over and kissed her brow an unexpected lump rose to Scout's throat. "I'll call him now. But, Scout, we love you and you can tell us anything, I want you to know that. Anything. And we will get through it together."

Scout dropped her gaze to her blanket, where she'd gathered it in fistfuls. Part of her wanted to cry and part of her wanted to argue. No, Mom. You can't give me what I need. You can't get me through this. This, I have to give myself.

YUUTA

Yuuta stood in the center of Spot's apartment, scanning the room in the dim light. Not that he needed anymore to see, but the jerk really could stand to wash his windows every once in a while. The layer of grime coating most of the plate glass filtered the mid-morning sunlight into a dingy, overcast gray.

He'd hung back at home channel surfing just long enough to watch Anton coax Alli, sip by painful sip, through her entire can. Every little bit was a struggle, but she'd done it. For Anton.

He didn't know exactly when things had changed. It had to have been shortly before Alli's initial descent into madness. Close enough that it couldn't be a coincidence. There had to be some connection. But it was not a topic broached lightly.

Despite the awkward longing between Anton and Alli, the three of them had always gotten along, like they belonged. He'd never felt like a third wheel and they'd never become too emo over their suppressed desires. Life had been good.

Until suddenly it wasn't. The problem wasn't Alli. Not at first anyway. One day Anton had just shut down, pulling away from both of them, isolating himself, every word and action tightly controlled and rationed out.

Alli had tried to bring him back, and if anyone could it should have been her, but Anton was unyielding. Something about that failure had triggered her downward spiral, though he had difficulty comprehending how such a small thing could cause so much harm.

Did it suck that Anton decided to go full on misanthrope? Yes. But instead of fighting harder, as he'd expected Alli to do, she gave up, seeming to fade away, first mentally and emotionally, then physically.

What the hell had happened? They'd always been a team. Inseparable. Undefeatable. Now they were almost strangers whose lives periodically intersected.

He hated it. But he didn't know what to do about it. He'd learned from his father the value of discretion and respecting boundaries. Confronting Anton over the 'secret' of his forbidden love for his completely unrelated cousin seemed to cross that line, not to mention stepping into the TMI territory for him. As much as he hoped they worked it out and found some measure of happiness together, he could do with as little detail as possible. But there was no way to dig into when things had gone awry while skirting the issue. And so, he'd held his piece and waited for them to figure it out. What else could he do?

By the time Alli had finished her meal and promptly passed out against Anton's side, he still hadn't found anything worth melting his brain on in the abyss that was daytime television. Anton wasn't even trying to watch, awkwardly typing a paper one handed on his lap top, too afraid of waking Alli to move the arm she'd curled underneath.

Suffocating in the tension that had filled their apartment for months now, he had to get out, even if he was caught up on all his work projects and didn't have class until evening. So, he'd chosen to make himself useful.

Breathing in the scent of the place, he immediately regretted it, nose wrinkling in distaste. Spot could afford to invest more effort in personal hygiene as well.

He stilled himself, waiting for that cue of intuition to guide him. Almost immediately he was drawn towards the little card table set up in the kitchen, where they'd been playing last night. Cards were still spread across the top and abandoned, half-full bottles of beer littered the surface.

He crouched, looking beneath the table and saw it under a flier for some place called Marco's. Scanning the paper, he had a pretty good idea of what kind of establishment it was. Classy.

He tossed the flier aside and snatched up Anton's phone. It would be better if they didn't leave Alli any obvious excuses for returning here. Spot was poison.

Having collected what he'd come for, he slipped out the door, using his picks to lock it behind him.

Then his phone buzzed in his back pocket. Aunt Denim? He answered, squeaking a salutation.

"Hey Yuuta, could you come over and talk to Scout? She needs to speak with someone and she's asking for you."

Surprised, he chirped an affirmative and hung up.

He'd been close to Scout when she was little, signing being both of their primary form of communication. No one else really understood what it was like to live in a world made for those who could speak and hear.

But since she'd hit her teens, hanging out with her uncle wasn't a cool thing to do anymore and he'd let her have the space she'd angled for. It had been a while since they'd last seen each other more than in passing. He hadn't expected her to confide in him.

The alternative was going back home to the uncomfortable silences full of too many unspoken things. Anything was better than that.

He changed direction to head towards the building where his brothers Mikey and Leo lived.