Lukas stared up at Jesse, a slightly dizzy look on his face. "Hey," he said, a little loopily but still pretty casually, as though he was just asking her if she wanted to go get a coffee or something strange like that.
Lukas got to his feet as Jesse crawled off of him, and went over to pick up the slashed White Pumpkin mask. "Give me a second... I'm trying to figure this one out myself." And he turned to face Jesse.
"What happened? I- you were chasing him," Jesse said, uncertainly, still panting from her hype-up on adrenaline and every muscle in her body insisting on attacking someone, "you were right behind him!"
"Yeah, I was- until, you know, he punched me in the neck and stuffed this white pumpkin on my head." And Lukas made a slight face at the white pumpkin in his hands.
Before anything else could be said, footsteps echoed, and Jesse turned to see Petra rush in. "What's going on in here?!" she exclaimed.
"No!" Ivor said, eyes widening at the sight of Lukas holding the white pumpkin head.
"You caught the White Pumpkin! Grab him! Quick!" Stampy gasped.
"On it!" Stacy said.
"Hey, no, he's not- he's not the White Pumpkin!" Jesse exclaimed, stepping in front of Lukas protectively.
"Get away from him, Jesse," Cassie said, coldly.
"Yeah, it's all out in the open, now," Stacy said, walking towards Lukas and Jesse.
Jesse took the White Pumpkin from Lukas's hands, looking at it. "Lukas isn't the White Pumpkin, though!" she repeated, more insistently this time. Because... because he couldn't be the White Pumpkin, not one of her oldest friends, not the ocelot hybrid who purred like a car engine whenever she petted him or the one who was so calm and quiet and never got upset about getting the short end of the stick all the time. "You don't have any proof that he is, besides the White Pumpkin head, and that doesn't exactly prove anything!" And she glared around at them. Admittedly, this situation looked bad, but Lukas was innocent!
He had to be.
"You don't have any concrete proof," Jesse repeated, hands tightening on the white pumpkin head in her hands.
"Well, you ARE all half monster..."
Jesse gaped at Cassie at that, her jaw hitting the floor as she stared at the red-haired girl in complete shock. She wondered if her lungs had vanished, because suddenly she couldn't breathe at all. And it was funny. A second ago her stomach had been filled with a storm of butterflies and snakes with worry for Lukas. Now she was fairly certain her stomach was gone.
"Racist much?" Ivor growled, glaring at the redhead with a gaze that made Jesse think that it was really lucky looks couldn't kill, and maybe she would've vocalized this if she wasn't still gasping for air and gaping at Cassie, who had a slightly apologetic look on her face at the insult.
"That's not fair to Jesse!" Dan said sharply, suddenly, drawing all of their attention to him.
Stampy nodded, putting his hands on his hips. "Yeah, Jesse saved our lives because she was half a googly! Don't be rude like that!" he exclaimed, defensively.
"Besides, Lukas is the one hybrid actually here that's not even a monster- he's an ocelot! Ocelots are peaceful!" Petra responded, snappishly.
"Lukas was at one of the buttons, though," Lizzie pointed out, "and these horrible things only started happening when YOUR group arrived..."
Jesse crossed her arms defensively. "Lukas was breaking through the library door. Petra, Ivor, Dan, and Stampy DID see him, just now, right before we ran up the stairs, and I'm pretty sure they saw the White Pumpkin running up the stairs too. So... care to explain how he was in two different places at the same damn time?" Jesse asked Cassie, her voice practically dripping with sarcasm.
Cassie scowled at Jesse. "But explain how he's holding the head? Anything he says, can be pretty suspicious after that."
Jesse opened her mouth, but for once had nothing- absolutely nothing- that she could say.
Because it was all too true.
Cassie smirked when Jesse couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer. "Exactly. I say that we throw him outside and let nature take it's course."
"Wait- outside outside?" Stacy asked, looking a little taken aback as Winslow gave his female owner a disapproving stare.
"Where all the googlies are?" Stampy asked, looking unsure.
Dan crossed his arms. "Look, we might all have our suspicions about Lukas, but Jesse saved me and Stampy."
Stampy nodded at that, looking at Jesse as she gave them both a relieved sort of smile. "It just wouldn't feel right to throw your friend to the googlies," he finished the thought for Dan.
"Thank you," Jesse said, feeling and sounding immensely relieved.
"Fine," Cassie said coldly.
Lukas deflated almost completely, tail flopping against the ground, ears flattening against his head as he let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"Don't go celebrating yet," Cassie responded, as Winslow sent Lukas a sort of apologetic look, "we've still got to do something with you so you're not roaming around freely."
Lukas tensed, all of his hair standing up on end. "What? Like lock me up in a closet or something?" he asked, voice rising a full octave higher.
Jesse knew why- Lukas hated confinement. Any type of it. She remembered how sometimes the scientists would try to confine him in a room. Let me just say that by the end of the whole thing, Lukas needed to sharpen his claws again, and the scientists all got rather severely scratched.
"Why don't you just keep a watch on him?" Jesse suggested, "because I don't think you all want to go around with claw marks all over you. Lukas is a bit claustrophobic."
A small snort from Petra at that, even though she still looked very uneasy. "A bit? That's the understatement of the century."
"I guess that's fair," Cassie said, her expression softening a bit, "but I'm keeping guard first, because I don't trust him."
Jesse looked at Lukas, rather apologetically. "Are you okay with that, Lukas?"
Lukas smiled weakly at Jesse, although his eyes practically glowed gratefully. "I mean, it- it's not ideal, but if it makes everyone more comfortable..."
"It's fine, Jesse," and Ivor stepped forward, making the green-and-red eyed spider hybrid look at him, "I'll watch over Lukas. Come on, Cassie," and he started walking out of the room, Cassie following a little behind Lukas as they trotted out of the room.
"But don't go getting any funny ideas, Lukas," Ivor added, his dark blue eyes narrowing, "this isn't because I like you or anything."
Jesse could hear Lukas's amusement from across the room. "Nooo. Of course not."
"Quiet," Cassie said sternly, "prisoners aren't supposed to talk."
A/N: And Episode 6 shall be wrapped up relatively soon! In like... another ten chapters or something xD
angelwings: Woop!
Toni42: Well it's a good idea :)
DemonCatLady: Well we all know the White Pumpkin's fit, since Jesse's a spider and spiders can move pretty damn quickly when they need to.
Guest: Lol
rebekahtpe: It's kind of like pick your poison, but since Hillary was at least willing to admit she screwed up, I guess I'll go with her rather than the businessman who badmouths women and passes if off as locker room talk. Oh, and who hasn't paid his taxes in like forever.
TheRealRedGaming: Yep, well, they're ALIVE
NoItsBecky: Cool :) but, hey, it's your choice. And YAS
A Person: Lol, well, worry no longer!
RapidCrispy: Uh... haha... thanks, lol xD
guest1021: Oh, happy early birthday!
LittleAngelbun: Hehe xD lemme know some of your theories, I wanna hear 'em
x.X. A.L. X.x.
