Villain: Redux
By: Yay Ninja Bob
Part II: Hate & War
Chapter 7
Secrets and Sanctuaries
The city of Townsville had been home to Professor Utonium all his life, but his childhood home in the Valley was a place he hadn't visited since he left it behind at eighteen. It was a part of the city that he never had a reason to return to until then. It was his brother's final wish to have his ashes spread about on their old family farmhouse property, and so Professor Utonium found himself there again for the first time in over three decades.
Throughout his youth, the northwestern region of Townsville was an agricultural community, and home to more orange groves and chicken farms than people. His older brother Eugene was first to leave behind the citrus scented community for a more promising life in the bustling city of Citysville, some three-hundred and eighty miles north of Townsville. His brother was eighteen then, and he himself was fourteen. He envied the exciting new life his brother had built for himself in the state's largest city, and always imagined that he would follow after his brother as soon as he graduated high school and was able to do so. Only when the time to leave came, his mother's sudden and unexpected decline in health kept him from venturing beyond the greater area of Townsville. He chose instead to attend college in Downtown Townsville at Townsville State, so that he could stay close to his ailing mother. When she passed during his third year in college, he lost the desire to leave Townsville altogether. If it weren't for his mother leaving their old family home to Eugene instead of him, he imagined he would have returned to the Valley after his schooling. But when the will was read, and Eugene was named the sole inheritor of the family farm, a small bitterness seeded itself within the Professor, and the Valley- much like his brother- became something that he wished to avoid whenever possible.
The tiny two-bedroom home that he grew up in was built by his grandfather and was one of the last of its kind in the area. As Professor Utonium pulled their family station wagon onto the gravel paved driveway, he noticed that the citrus fragrance that had once sweetened the air around their family farm was only a phantom memory. The rows of orange groves were long gone, and replaced with rows of store fronts, family homes and asphault streets. Really, it looked just like any other part of Townsville now, and his childhood home had definitely become an eyesore in the middle of the surrounding modern suburbia. The white painted exterior of the home had turned yellow over time, and the paved gravel trail which led to the home was sparse and mostly dirt. The property sat on five acres of dusty land, so it was still somewhat secluded from the rest of the surrounding tightly packed neighborhood.
Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup exited the vehicle at the same time as their father, and quietly watched him as his eyes fell on his childhood home for the first time in a lifetime. The morning summer sun instantly beat down on the Utonium family, dressed in black funeral attire as they stood in silence for several minutes on the narrow gravel driveway. The three girls had never seen or been to that place until then. In fact, they never had a clue that the Professor had grown up on a farm at all, not until they learned of their uncle Eugene's passing the week prior.
Blossom looked down at the cream colored ceramic urn she guarded safely in her hands. They had met their redheaded uncle once or twice before, but hadn't heard anything about him in recent years aside from the annual Christmas card he'd send in the mail. The Professor rarely spoke of his brother, and the pink Powerpuff stayed silent as she wondered to herself how her dad was feeling in that moment. From the time he learned of his brother's passing, the Professor hadn't expressed much of any emotion at all. At least, nothing close to the mourning he and the entire Utonium family experienced after Ms. Keane's sudden passing almost three years ago. Blossom had always seen the Professor as a gentle-hearted and sensitive man, unafraid to share or express his feelings, so the sort of numb expression he wore as he stood in his black funeral suit was an odd thing for her to see.
Bubbles stood beside Blossom and also watched the Professor with curiosity. Even though she hadn't had a close relationship with her uncle, the blue Powerpuff's eyes still glistened as she fought back her own emotions. She felt sad for the Professor and for his loss, and she also mourned the fact that she would never get the chance to get to know her uncle as well as she would have liked to. As she wiped away a tear before it could fall, she watched as the Professor finally began to slowly walk towards the front door to the tiny abandoned house. She then glanced from her sister Blossom on her right to her sister Buttercup on her left, and suddenly felt another wave of sadness overcome her then. A flood of silent tears began to fall too fast for her to catch. Maybe it was the surreal sight of seeing her sisters in the same black clothing they had worn to Ms. Keane's funeral that brought up old feelings. Or maybe it was the unsettling idea of what it might be like to lose a sibling forever that made her cry then. Whatever it was, her emotions got the best of her, and she turned to her sister Buttercup for comfort as she buried her face in her shoulder and wept softly.
Buttercup kept her arms folded across her chest as Bubbles let her head fall onto her shoulder and cried. The green Powerpuff couldn't help but roll her eyes a little as she thought to herself: What are you crying for? We didn't even know him. However, as Bubbles continued to quietly sob on her shoulder and wrap her arms around her in a forced hug, Buttercup eventually placed one arm around the blonde's shoulder, and walked with her as the three of them slowly followed after the Professor.
Professor Utonium let out a small sigh before he forced open the door to his past. Despite the bright summer sun outside, the inside of the mostly empty house was dark. The windows had been boarded up for years, and the first touch of sunlight came from the opened front doorway where the Professor stood, with his three girls standing directly behind him. They waited patiently for the Professor to cross the front door's threshold and enter the home, but he seemed frozen there at the doorway and never moved.
After several minutes of silence, the Professor finally cleared his throat before asking Blossom in a low voice, "Do you have Eugene's ashes?"
Blossom nodded quickly and stepped forward with the urn still in hand, "Right here, Professor." She gently handed off the oval shaped urn to the Professor who took it from her without a word, and still wearing a blank expression.
Professor Utonium remained outside as he slowly knelt down at the doorway, and sat the urn on the dusty wooden floorboards. He then reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a round, silver pocket watch that none of the girls had ever seen before then, and carefully placed it beside Eugene's urn on the floor. He stared for just a moment at the urn in silence before he sighed softly once more, and stood again. The Professor then shut the crickety wooden door and reached in his pants pocket for the key his deceased brother left to him. He silently locked the door for good, and turned to leave.
Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup exchanged confused glances with one another as they moved aside and watched the Professor walk quietly back to where their family station wagon was parked.
"That's it?" Buttercup scoffed a little.
Blossom frowned, "He's probably still in shock," she spoke quietly so that the Professor could not overhear, "His brother was just a few years older than him, after all."
"What was the point in dragging us all out here so early in the damn morning just for that? He didn't even spread the ashes." Buttercup rolled her eyes.
Blossom stood on Buttercup's right, and she couldn't see the look of disgust that swept Blossom's face then. "Could you at least pretend to have a heart, Buttercup? Jeez."
Buttercup turned her head so that she could see Blossom and narrowed her green eyes at her, but said nothing.
"The Professor is just processing things in his own way," Blossom continued. "Have some compassion."
Bubbles stood silent between her sisters as she watched the Professor reach their car. Her bright blue eyes were still flooded with tears as she slowly left her sisters behind on the porch and approached the Professor on her own. As she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry about Uncle Eugene, Professor," she sniffled.
Professor Utonium wrapped his arms around his blue eyed daughter and embraced her tightly, "Thank you, Sweetie." He pulled away from her embrace and smiled kindly as he gently wiped away a fallen tear from Bubbles' cheek. He looked to Buttercup and Blossom as they slowly made their way over to them. "Ready to go home, girls?"
"If you're ready, Professor," Blossom said with a supportive smile as she stood beside him.
Professor Utonium kept one arm around Bubbles, and placed his other arm around Blossom. He held them both as he took a moment to look back at the old house for one final time. He nodded slowly, "Yes, let's go home."
As Ace watched the red sun rise that morning, he knew it was about to be another record hot summer day on the east side of Downtown. He retrieved a pack of smokes from his back jeans pocket as he leaned up against the chain-link fencing of the construction site. He still had three minutes before it was time to clock in for the day, so just enough time to enjoy a morning cigarette before it was time to get to work.
His days began early. Too early, in his opinion, but at least that day was his last work day of the week. The job was in construction doing renovations and remodels on old apartment complexes in Downtown. It wasn't a bad gig other than him having to be up at the crack of dawn every day. The pay was decent, and the general contractor that Ace reported to was actually a pretty down-to-Earth guy. Having a boss that wasn't a judgemental jerk was a rarity for Ace, so he was pretty thankful for that alone. But the most important fact, and the reason why he took the gig in the first place, was that the job came with benefits and medical insurance for him and Sophia. Sure, the kid was still complaining about her braces, but she'd thank him one day for it.
As much as Ace wasn't a morning person, at least starting work so early also meant his eight hours were up by the early afternoon, and that made it possible for him to still keep his marijuana business afloat, although just barely. The Green Garden Collective was still the man's personal ambition in life, and if he could just focus on that business full-time, he'd be living the dream. However, although it was legalized in the state, the cannabis industry was still pretty cut-throat and keeping his business alive was easier said than done. Competition used to be fair enough, and Ace prided himself in growing some of the stickiest flower in all of Downtown which put his shop above a lot of the rest. But the bud quality was irrelevant to law enforcement, and the city sure liked to pass new ordinances on a whim to keep all the dispensary owners on their toes. The biggest and most recent setback for the GGC was when they lost their storefront on Esperanza Street.
The city had decided it was unacceptable for dispensaries to operate within a twenty-mile radius of any K-12 schools, but did not account for the fact that density of Downtown meant there was a grade school on every other block. The new ordnance instantly shut down the majority of dispensaries in the city, including Ace's. Of course, losing his shop was one thing, but enforcement showing up without warning one day and taking all his product and cash was the worst part of it all. That was a year ago, and Ace was still struggling to get his bud production back up to where it used to be. For now, the Green Garden Collective was temporarily known on the underground market as Green Garden on the Go- a delivery service. Running a marijuana delivery service out of his two-bedroom condo was definitely not up to code according to the state, but it was definitely easier to hide from enforcement that way, and the only way Ace could operate until he could find an affordable new storefront.
Ace took one final drag of his cigarette as he watched the rest of the construction crew line up at the time clock outside their general contractor's trailer. As soon as the clock turned over to five on the dot, the workers began to punch in for the day. Ace lined up with the rest of the crew, punched in, and collected his daily work assignment from the general contractor.
"Ace, your with Jerry and Derrick. Drywall. Units eight through twelve."
Ace whistled a little as he took the sheet of blueprints from his superior, "Damn, Fred. Eight through twelve? First it was two units a day, then three, and now four? Ya trying to break our backs, or what?"
The man chuckled a little, "Hey, don't blame me, my man. I got orders to follow, too, you know." The bearded contractor raised his voice as he spoke to the entire group, "Get what you can done, boys. I know it's asking a lot for the day, but the property owner needs this project completed by the end of summer, so time's a tickin.'"
Ace shook his head a little as he and the rest of the crew began to split off into smaller teams for the day. The apartments they were renovating had only begun reconstruction earlier that month, and already they were being rushed. That's how every project seemed to go at some point. "Hey great work, but can you do it faster?" He didn't blame Fred. Like he said, he was only following orders, just like him.
He and his team entered their first assigned unit, and his co-worker Derrick suggested that he start in the kitchen, while he took the living room, and Jerry the bedroom. As Ace entered the apartment's kitchen, the bright yellow tiled floor of the room stirred up a feeling of nostalgia for him. It was the same colored tiling that was in the old apartment he and Sophia had been forced out of three summers ago. As rundown as that old place was, he still missed it from time to time, and seeing that tacky yellow tiled floor reminded him of the past once more. If he closed his eyes and imagined it, he could still hear the laughter of his old friends Billy, Grubber, Snake and Arturo.
Ace slowly walked along the yellow tiled floor and to the far end wall of the kitchen, as he tried to shake the past from his thoughts. There was no use getting sentimental over things he couldn't control. He firmly grasped the metal pry bar in his hands and focused on a spot on the white wall. Ace took a deep breath, before giving the wall a solid wack.
Princess kicked her feet, from where they dangled off the red leather cushioned chair. The short redheaded teenager pursed her lips as she scrolled through her laptop's screen, focused intently on her latest project. She paused for a moment to scribble something quickly on a yellow notepad she kept beside her computer on the office desk. As she jotted down her notes, she smiled to herself deviously, "Oh, this just keeps getting better and better!"
The double doors behind her opened as Alfred stepped inside with Princess's daily morning ice coffee in hand. He sat down the tall, cold beverage beside the youngster's purple colored laptop, carefully sliding a marble coaster underneath so as to not damage the mahogany. "Yolanda Riglee called this morning, Miss."
Princess sat down her pen and paper and looked to Alfred. She rolled her eyes as she responded, "Riglee? What, is she finally ready to give up on our bidding war?"
"No, I'm afraid that she's made another offer to the state-"
"What?!" Princess exclaimed as she spun around in her chair to face Alfred. "So what? She's just calling to try and rub it in or something?" She scoffed as she spun in her seat once more, to return her attention to her laptop, "Well whatever it is she's offering the state, Alfred, I want you to double it. I'm sick of this eight million, eight point five, nine, ten, eleven- let's just get on with it already."
Alfred smiled a little, "I'll put in another bid then, Princess." He paused before continuing, "She had called to try and arrange a meeting with your father, actually."
Princess halted in her keyboard typing for a moment. She turned once more to face Alfred, "And what did you say?"
"I said he was unavailable, of course," Alfred answered. "She was rather stubborn about the matter. She said she was impressed with your father's unwavering determination to outbid her, and would like to discuss a business opportunity with him."
Princess gave a short laugh as she reclined in her seat a little, "Riglee has another thing coming if she thinks I'm going to team up with her! I can outbid any number she throws down, and she knows it. I bet you, Alfred, that woman is panicking now. That's the only reason why she'd want to work together- she's almost out of money and she knows it!" She rubbed her hands together as she smirked, "Unfortunately for her, I always win."
Alfred watched as Princess turned in her seat once more.
"If she calls again, you tell her that Daddy said he's not interested. Got it?"
"Will do, Princess," Alfred nodded. He watched Princess take her yellow notebook in hand and tear off the sheet of paper that held her hand written notes she had been taking.
"I need you to get in touch with our contractors and find this employee for me. I want to know what work site he's on, and I need to meet with him today. Got it?"
She handed the yellow sheet to Alfred, and he took it in hand, "Andrew Espinoza?"
Princess lifted her laptop and showed the screen to Alfred then, revealing a mugshot of a dark haired man with an rough, olive-green complexion. "Also known as Ace."
Alfred nodded, "Very well, Princess. I'll make the call straight away." He smiled a little. "It sounds like your making progress with your latest scheme then, Miss."
"Alfred, you have no idea!" Princess grinned as she reclined in her seat and took her ice coffee in hand. "I've been researching for the perfect lackey for my next plan of attack, and honestly I don't know why I never thought of employing that greasy haired gangster before now! He was persecuted by those Puffs just as much as I was. Once he hears what I have planned, he'd be crazy to not want to get a piece of that revenge! It's perfect!" Princess sipped her coffee before continuing, "And if revenge isn't enough, or the cash reward I plan to offer, then I can always just try threatening his job. Now that I know that he's technically employed by me!" She laughed a little as she took another sip of ice coffee, "It's perfect!"
The teenager hopped off from her chair, and stretched a little. "I'm off to take Precious on a walk, Alfred. I trust you'll have the information I need by the time I return?"
"Of course, Miss," Alfred answered as he held the door to Princess's office suite open for her, "It shouldn't be a problem at all."
The bold black lettering was projected onto the wall twenty feet away from where Buttercup sat impatiently. The blurred font she was instructed to read wasn't getting any clearer, no matter how hard she concentrated, and all she could make out was a series of blotchy black dots. If the Professor hadn't stood behind her shielding her left eye with his cupped hand, she'd be able to read the projection just fine, but all she had to work with was her damaged right eye.
"Line number five," Professor Utonium repeated.
Buttercup gritted her teeth as she snapped back in a low grumble, "I told you already, Professor: I can't see shit."
"Just your best guess will do, Buttercup."
Buttercup exhaled deeply with a groan, "Is it F-U-C-K-E-D?"
Professor Utonium sighed as he lowered his hand. He grasped the headrest of the swivel chair the teenager sat on, and spun her around so she faced him. He said nothing to her, and only shook his head disapprovingly as he next retrieved a small flashlight from his lab coat pocket.
Buttercup still gritted her teeth as Professor Utonium gently held her chin and directed her gaze forward while he shone the flashlight in her right eye for a minute.
"I know you hate these vision check ups, Buttercup," he spoke as he shut off the flashlight and tucked it back into his white coat pocket, "but I really can't get an accurate assessment without your cooperation." He folded his arms across his chest as he frowned, "I wish you would take these things a little more seriously. It's for your benefit, after all."
Buttercup rolled her eyes, "Who cares? It's been like three years and it's never gotten any better. You say yourself every time that it's only gonna get worse, so what's the point?"
Professor Utonium continued to frown as he looked down on his tomboy daughter. He wondered if she had been truthful about not being able to read the last text slide, or if it was just Buttercup being troublesome Buttercup. If the line was truly unreadable for her, then at this point the deterioration of her right eye's sight had worsened beyond what would be considered blind for an average human being.
"Ready to go yet, Buttercup?" Bubbles' voice came from the top of the basement steps.
"Yeah, are we done yet, Professor?" Buttercup asked with annoyance.
Professor Utonium nodded, and watched the grouchy teenager hop off from her seat immediately to join her sister at the staircase. "Where are you two off to?"
"Movies," the girls answered in unison.
"And Blossom?"
"It's Sunday so she's tutoring at the library today."
"Well, will you all be home in time for dinner tonight, or am I dining solo another night?"
"Sorry, Professor," Bubbles frowned, "I don't know about Blossom, but I promised Dr. Weaver I'd help out at the hospital for a bit tonight." Buttercup nudged her sister with her elbow. Bubbles blinked at her for a moment in confusion, before she quickly added, "Oh yeah, and Buttercup's gonna come help too!" Her smile changed from cheerful to nervous.
"You are, Buttercup?" the Professor sounded a little surprised.
"Yeah, so what? Is that so hard to believe?"
"No, no," the Professor continued to smile, "It's just nice to see you've taken up a hobby finally. Working with animals isn't something I imagined you would like so much. You've been at that hospital just as much as your sister this summer."
"Well, animals are better than people. That's for sure," she muttered.
"OK, bye Professor!" Bubbles shouted quickly, sounding a little desperate to leave suddenly, but before she could successfully take off, the sound of their home's doorbell rang out.
"That's probably another delivery," the Professor said as he returned to his work desk in the corner of his basement laboratory. "Do you mind, girls?"
"No problem, Professor!" Bubbles replied as she pulled Buttercup along up the steps with her. As the two reached the top of the basement steps, Bubbles gave Buttercup a hard pinch on her arm, "Way to give me a heads up, Buttercup!"
"What?" Buttercup shook her head, "I told ya weeks ago that I needed you to cover for me tonight. Not my fault your such a forgetful bubble-brain," she muttered.
"OK, well you know how I hate lying so maybe just a reminder ahead of time would've been nice," Bubbles sighed, "I get so nervous when you put me on the spot like that."
"Sure, whatever. You know for someone who hates lying, you sure do a lot of it," Buttercup smirked a little. "So, you ready for the movies?" Buttercup gave the final word air quotes with her fingers as she rolled her eyes.
Bubbles narrowed her blue eyes at her sister for a moment, "You know I hate lying about that, too!" she said seriously. "And if everyone would stop judging all the coyotes so unfairly, then I wouldn't have to lie! You know that, Buttercup!"
"OK, OK, calm down," Buttercup shook her head, "Go get your stuff for your mangey mutts, and I'll go get the stupid delivery at the door."
Buttercup watched as her sister shot off quickly with a flash of blue light. She took her time as she hovered slowly to their home's front door, and waited until she heard the sound of the postal service truck drive away before she reached for the doorknob. Gifts and letters were delivered daily during the weeks leading up to their birthday, and sure enough there was a two foot tall heap of freshly delivered packages waiting on their front porch.
The skinny teen knelt down and scooped up the large pile of gifts in her arms and carried them into the living room where she carelessly tossed them onto the ground before the fireplace. Her green eyes fell on the rest of the birthday packages they had accumulated over the past several days. It was just two days before her and her sisters' sixteenth birthday that year, and they were beginning to run out of room for their fans' gifts in the family room where they had been storing them.
Blossom was usually the one to sort through the daily deliveries and organize the gifts and letters into individual piles for them. The pink Powerpuff's pile of presents were neatly stacked along the far wall of the living room. The large collection was stacked nearly as tall as the ceiling, and Buttercup estimated that she had received at least some two hundred gifts, and that was not including the dozens of bundles of enveloped fan letters addressed to her too. Bubbles' gifts sat on what used to be their living room sofa, only the pile had grown so large the furniture had disappeared entirely beneath the massive heap of presents, and began to spill onto the floor by that point. Buttercup's own gifts sat on the coffee table at the center of the living room. There were just about a dozen packages altogether, but x-ray vision had already revealed to her that it was mainly unsolicited junk. There were a few gifted artworks which weren't too bad except that they all depicted her days before her scarring which personally irritated her. Skin care and makeup products were the most popular gift for her, and Buttercup suspiciously wondered how much of it was a sincere gesture, and how much of it was just a flat out prank. Lastly, there were a few bibles from religious nutjobs who were convinced her hideous scarring to be some sort of mark of the devil and wished to save her soul.
"Man, ever since we stopped having that birthday carnival it seems like we get more presents delivered here than ever," Bubbles joined her sister in the living room. The blonde girl slung a navy blue backpack over her shoulder, which clanked loudly with the sounds of twenty-something cans of dog food inside.
Buttercup watched Bubbles as she entered the room and gazed upon the new pile of gifts for herself. As her bright blue eyes shimmered, Buttercup could tell that her sister used her x-ray vision to take a curious peak for herself then. Bubbles gave Buttercup a cheerful smile, "I miss getting to see all our fans every year, but I like the tons more presents better."
"Sure I guess you and Blossom get a ton of presents, but I don't," Buttercup rolled her eyes in response.
Bubbles kept on smiling as she reached for her sister's shaggy black hair and gently pet it. "I'm sure you have lots more on the way, Sis. You'll see!"
As soon as she felt her sister's hand on top of her head, the green Powerpuff immediately hovered off the ground by several inches, rising to the same height of her sister as she pulled away, "Yeah, whatever," she muttered.
It wasn't that long ago when her sister Bubbles had experienced a big growth spurt. It seemed like just their last birthday the blonde stood just at equal height with Buttercup, although Buttercup argued at the time that she was still taller. But now just a year later, it was obvious that Bubbles stood just as tall as Blossom then at five feet and eleven inches. Buttercup doubted she'd ever get used to the fact that the girl she had called her "baby" sister now stood taller than her, and every time Bubbles patted her hair like that, she felt as if the former shorty was teasing her in some way.
"Come on," Bubbles smiled cheerfully, "Let's go before it starts to get later."
Even on a hot summer day, the dense woods of Townsville forest offered plenty of shade from the brutal sun, and the rickety, aged wooden shack hidden deep inside the forest managed to stay relatively cool inside. The front door to the wooden home had been replaced by a bright blue, heavy plastic tarp, allowing packs of wild coyotes to run in and out of the cabin as they pleased.
Bubbles had always been determined to help the coyotes that would show up in their home's backyard in search of food. When the first coyote had wandered into their yard, Bubbles gave that pup some left over meatloaf, and later shared with the Professor what she had done. Of course, the Professor advised the girl not to feed the coyotes again, as did Blossom, and so did Buttercup. But when other coyotes showed up hungry, what else could the animal lover do? She couldn't just turn them away when they were hungry. And what started with one coyote, quickly turned to three, then five, then eight- before she knew it, Bubbles would step out onto their back porch to find more than a dozen coyotes at a time, waiting patiently for some food. With packs of coyotes that large, it was only a matter of time before the Professor found out about it, and when he did, he directly forbid the girl from feeding them any longer.
Of course, technically he said she couldn't feed them in their yard, and so that was when Bubbles set out to find a sanctuary for the coyotes of Townsville.
Bubbles was first to step inside the small wooden cabin, and she was instantly greeted by a barrage of coyote kisses. Buttercup stood at the entrance way, balancing the blue colored tarp above her head, as she watched as her sister was knocked to the ground by the energetic group of wild dogs. The blue Powerpuff was sure to visit them every day, yet the canines greeted her with the same enthusiasm every time.
"OK, OK," Bubbles said between giggles as the coyotes took turns lapping her face, "I missed you guys, too!"
Buttercup volunteered occasionally to help Bubbles feed and exercise the pack of coyotes she kept hidden from everybody else but her, but it had been a couple weeks since she'd last been inside the abandoned cabin in the woods. Truthfully, she'd only volunteer to help whenever she needed a favor in return. As she stepped inside, she could see that Bubbles had begun painting a colorful mural of a meadow of wild flowers along the far end of the cabin wall. She laughed a little, "I don't think Fuzzy would appreciate you painting up his place with dainty little flowers and rainbows, Bubbles."
The coyotes that had swarmed Bubbles finally let off her, so that she could stand. "Probably not," Bubbles giggled, "But it's not like he's ever coming back." Bubbles brushed herself off before walking to a wooden table at the center of the room. She removed her backpack, unzipped it, and poured the collection of dog food cans she had brought across the table top.
Buttercup watched her sister go about the room, collecting the empty dog dishes scattered throughout. The sound of the clanking metal bowls in Bubbles' arms must have alerted the rest of the wild pack to their presence, because soon after another energetic group of dogs burst through the tarp flap. There had to have been about twenty coyotes crammed into the cabin now.
"Here," Bubbles handed off an armful of bowls to Buttercup, "Start filling them up."
As Buttercup stood at the table and began to fill the metal bowls up with the thick gravy chunks of dog food, she stared at the wild group of dogs bouncing excitedly about the room in anticipation for their feast, "Jeez, Bubbles. Is there even enough here for all of them?"
Bubbles sighed a little as she joined her sister at the table and the two of them made fast work of filling up each dog dish with a single can. "Well, it's all I have until I get paid at the hospital tonight and then I can get more." She paused. "And you know, if you actually did work at the hospital with me instead of just lying that you are, you'd get a little money too, and you could help me get even more dog food." She batted her eyes at Buttercup innocently.
Buttercup rolled her eyes, "Yeah, eight bucks an hour to pick up dog poop and clean litter boxes? No thanks."
"Fine," Bubbles sighed. "What time should we meet up later tonight to come home then?"
Buttercup shrugged, "I dunno. I won't be that late. I'll text you."
Bubbles frowned a little, "You know, I still don't get why I can't meet your secret friends when I let you meet mine," Bubbles gestured to the room full of coyotes as she began to set down the filled bowls of food on the floor. "I know that your friends are stoners, and I told you that I don't care, Sis. It'd be nice to know who you spend all this time with."
Buttercup sighed. "Look, Bubs. I know you wouldn't give a shit who I'm hanging with, but truth is- You suck at keeping a secret."
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!" Bubbles persisted. "I promise I'd never tell anyone, Buttercup! Just like I know you wouldn't tell anyone about my coyote sanctuary! I trust you, so why don't you trust me? It's not fair!"
Buttercup shook her head. "I know you mean well, and I'm sure you try your best to keep secrets, but you got a big mouth, Bubbles. You accidentally blab about things all the time, and this is just one of those things I don't want you ruining, OK?" Buttercup looked to her sister and saw that her blue eyes were beginning to water. "No offense, alright?" she added.
Bubbles remained quiet as she sat down the final bowl of food on the ground. Her somber mood was instantly detected by her closest coyote friend, Victor, and the grey coated dog left behind his bowl of food to nestle up against Bubbles' side. He tenderly pressed his forehead against her hand, and she sniffled a little as she began to pat her friend's head quietly.
Buttercup groaned a little. "Come on, Bubs. Don't be like this."
"Like what?" she squeaked.
"All guilt trippy!" Buttercup threw up her hands.
"I'm not trying to guilt trip you, Buttercup," Bubbles sniffled again. "I just want you to trust me. I'm your sister, after all."
Buttercup sighed heavily as she approached her. "Look, I trust you enough to cover for me, don't I?"
"Well... I guess so..."
"So that makes a difference, don't it?"
Bubbles stayed quiet as she continued to pet Victor's head for comfort. She watched as Buttercup seemed to impatiently check her phone for the time.
"Look," Buttercup said as she shoved her cellphone back into her jeans back pocket, "I gotta get going. I'll text you later, alright?"
Bubbles nodded, "OK."
"OK," Buttercup stepped towards her and gave one of her long, wavy pigtails a playful tug, "See ya," she smirked.
Bubbles returned a weak smile, "Have fun, Sis."
Ace was just about to stamp his time card, and punch out for the day when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw his boss Fred, "Hey, Ace," he said, "They're asking for you in the office before you go," he nodded his head towards the shut trailer door.
"Whose askin for me?" Ace raised an eyebrow. The only boss he had ever answered to there was Fred.
Fred shrugged, "Not sure, my man," he snatched his own time card and punched out, ahead of Ace. "See ya next week," he gave Ace a pat on the back before he turned to leave.
Ace stepped inside the tiny trailer office, and was immediately greeted by a short, irritated redhead. "Ugh! Finally!" she said as she approached Ace. "It's like a thousand degrees in this shitty little box car!" she complained as she fanned herself aggressively.
Ace blinked at the sixteen-year-old for a moment, "Princess?"
"That's Miss Princess to you," she pointed her finger at him, "I sign your checks, after all."
Ace raised an eyebrow. "Uh, OK. So you're who wanted to see me?"
Princess nodded before she scoffed again, "Ugh, I am not spending another second inside this oven. Come on, I'll give you a ride home and we'll chat."
Ace stepped aside as Princess marched past him and back through the trailer door. He followed her down the ramp to where her limo was parked just beyond the construction gate. Alfred dutifully waited by the rear door, and opened it on cue as she approached him. As Princess slid into the limousine, Ace stopped just before the door.
"Well?" she called out to him, "What are you waiting for? Come on!"
Ace hesitated. "What's this about, Kid?"
Princess smiled innocently from where she sat, "I have an opportunity of a lifetime for you, Ace," she patted the black leather cushioned seat beside her. "So let's talk."
Ace sighed a little. He wasn't a fool, and he knew the former villain hadn't dropped her feud with the Powerpuff Girls. Any opportunity she had for him, must've had to do with that old game, and frankly, he wasn't interested. Still, it was brutally hot outside, so a ride home in air conditioned luxury didn't sound half bad. He slid inside the limo, and took the seat beside Princess, and Alfred promptly shut the door behind him.
The only upside to summer for Buttercup was that she didn't have any school, which meant she didn't have to face any of her peers. A break from all the whispered gossip and rumors was definitely something she looked forward to every summer vacation. What she didn't look forward to was the summer heat. As somebody who wore a baggy, oversized hoodie to hide her scars every day, she would rather spend her time indoors than be out in the sun. Even a super powered teenager like herself could feel the effects of the intense summer rays that beat down on East Downtown. But she had promised Ace weeks ago that she'd be there to babysit Sophia for him while his band played a gig at the beach pier that night.
As Buttercup stepped onto the front porch to Ace's condo on the east side of Downtown and knocked on the front door, she kept her hoodie up and drawn close around her face to try to keep her identity hidden from any nosy neighbors. Just as soon as she finished knocking, a tiny green eight-year-old swung the door open with an eager smile on her face. "Yay! Nino's home-" she stopped immediately when her brown eyes fell on Buttercup and her smile faded a little, "Oh. It's just you."
Buttercup couldn't help but laugh a little as the short, three-foot girl seemed to let out a depressing sigh as she stood aside and allowed Buttercup to enter their home. "Nice to see ya too, Runt."
Sophia sighed again, "I thought you were my uncle."
"Yeah, I can see that," Buttercup said as she watched the girl return to the living room sofa which sat against a window. She climbed up onto the brown cushioned seats and sat backwards with her chin resting lazily on the headrest as she stared out the window with sad eyes. "He's not home yet?" Buttercup questioned.
Another sad sigh from the girl, "Nope."
Buttercup lowered her hoodie, and turned her head as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching from down the hallway. A short green woman with short neon yellow hair entered the room next. It was Betty, the drummer to Ace's band and one of his two roommates there at the condo. "Oh, hey, Buttercup," she greeted her as she passed through the living room and into the kitchen.
"Hey." Buttercup followed Betty into the kitchen. "So what's up with Sophia today? She's staring out the window like she's in some dramatic music video."
Betty retrieved a can of soda from the fridge and tossed it to Buttercup, who caught it with one hand. She grabbed another soda for herself and leaned up against the granite kitchen counter top as she answered, "She's been like that all summer," she cracked open her can and took a swig. "Now that she's home from school, she's upset about Ace working all the time. She waits for him to come home from his construction job every day by that window." Betty began to walk from the kitchen and back into the living room, and Buttercup followed. "I tell her, he's working all the time just for her."
Buttercup nodded as she took a drink of soda. "Yeah, but shouldn't he be home by now? I thought you guys had a show to play."
Betty shrugged, "Maybe the buses are running late."
"Two hours late?!" a man's voice shouted from the other room.
Betty rolled her eyes, "Tyler's in the garage freaking out a bit," she explained to Buttercup. "I told him it's not the end of the world if we have to cancel the show-"
"No way! We are not cancelling the show!" Tyler shouted as he came down the hallway. The shaggy haired man was dressed in his best green plaid jeans, black leather jacket and combat boots, and clearly ready for the show. "I'm not missing this shit! We haven't had a platform to perform at since they shut the GGC down!" He marched over to the sofa and fell backwards onto the seat beside Sophia.
"Little hard to play a show without a bass player, Ty," Betty said. "We're not gonna have much of a choice but to cancel if he's not here in the next ten minutes."
Tyler stomped his feet in a bit of a tantrum as he cried out dramatically, "But I need to perform!"
Betty rolled her eyes a little, before cupping her hand over her mouth and whispering to Buttercup, "He swears he's such a rock star."
Buttercup smirked a little before she took another swig of soda.
"Hey!" Tyler narrowed his eyes at Betty, "I heard that!"
"It's just some generic show at the pier, Tyler," Betty said, "We're gonna be playing to a crowd of shitty tourists and old folks, so it's not gonna be as fun as our shows at the GGC anyway."
"I don't care," Tyler crossed his arms, "A show's a show by this point. Dude, it's like I'm the only one who cares about this band anymore."
Betty sighed, "Why don't you call the booker now and ask if we can reschedule?"
"I did already and the dude said they had the stage booked up every night for their summer shows, so this is our only shot. Jeez, Betty, you should know by this point that the man ain't gonna do any favors for us punks," he frowned. Tyler leaned back in his seat with his arms still crossed as his eyes fell on Buttercup. He stared at her for a moment before a slow sly smile began to sweep his face, "Hey, you play the bass, don't ya, Fea?"
Buttercup raised an eyebrow. "Uh..." she hesitated, "Yeah, I do."
Tyler shot up from his seat and quickly reached into his leather jacket to retrieve a crumbled up sheet of paper. He unfolded the setlist and forced Buttercup to take it in her hands. "You know these songs, right?"
Buttercup read the list of songs he had written down and slowly nodded. "Sure, I guess I do..."
Tyler pumped a fist in the air, "Yes! Fea saves the day!" He gave Buttercup a slap on the back and grinned, "Come on! Let's get going! I already have the truck loaded up with our equipment and ready-"
"Dude," Buttercup interrupted, "I can't play in the show."
"Why the fuck not?!" Tyler shouted back immediately.
"Well first of all, I'm supposed to watch Sophia for Ace-"
"We can bring her with us!" Tyler interrupted, "Like Betty said, it's gonna be low key so she'll be fine there! She'll have fun! Won't ya, Soph?"
Sophia spun around in her seat, "Will Nino come to the show?"
"Yeah, I'm sure he'll show up at some point," Tyler said.
"OK, yeah!" Sophia cheered.
Buttercup sighed, "OK, but second of all," she paused to set down her can of soda on the coffee table, "Don't you think people will recognize me?"
"She's got a point," Betty added, "She's got a face that's hard to miss." Buttercup glanced at her and Betty smiled weakly, "No offense."
Buttercup crossed her arms as she faced Tyler, "Yeah, I'm not lookin' to draw any more attention to myself, Dude. This stupid city already treats me like Sasquatch enough as it is," she scoffed.
"What about some makeup?" Tyler suggested. Buttercup narrowed her eyes at him, and Tyler quickly added, "Nah, I didn't mean makeup makeup! I know you ain't like a chick chick. I meant like some Halloween makeup or something! Ya know, some face paint! Just to cover up," he paused as he waved his hand around the teenager's scarred face, "...You know."
"I know how to hide your face!" Sophia gasped loudly as she hopped off from the sofa and ran quickly down the hallway.
As Buttercup watched the little girl disappear down the hall, Tyler fell to his knees and took Buttercup's scarred hand in his as he began to beg, "Please, Fea! You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this gig, Man!"
Buttercup looked from Tyler to Betty, who just gave her a small shrug. "Dude... I dunno..."
"Here!" Sophia shouted as she ran back into the living room carrying something in her hands, "Last year for Halloween, I was an alien from outer space!" she handed what she held to Buttercup, and Buttercup saw then that it was a Halloween mask. "You can borrow it if you want!"
Buttercup took the green colored alien mask in her hands, and studied it for a moment. She smirked a little and reached down towards the eight-year-old and tousled her hair, "Thanks, Runt."
"So, is that a yes then?" Tyler jumped to his feet as he continued to stare at Buttercup with begging eyes.
Buttercup couldn't help but laugh a little at the pathetic desperation on Tyler's face then. She rolled her eyes. "Fine, Dude."
"Yes!" Tyler pumped his fist in the air once more, "Let's go!"
Buttercup watched as Tyler bolted for the front door, running straight for his pickup truck he had parked outside. Betty walked over to Sophia and took her by the hand, and began to walk with her to the truck as well. Buttercup looked down at the green mask in her hands, and then noticed a mirror hanging on the wall to her left. As she approached the mirror, she adjusted the strap to the plastic face mask, and pulled on her disguise. She cocked her head to the side as she stared back at the alien face in the mirror. "I guess it'll do," she said with a shrug.
It was starting to get dark, as the sun began to set for the evening. Blossom gazed out the window to her left from where she sat at the small diner table, and watched as the sun began to disappear behind the horizon beyond the beach pier. As the waitress sat down the strawberry milkshake she had ordered on the table, her cellphone buzzed with a text message. It was from Bubbles, asking if she was still at the library. Blossom paused for a moment before answering.
"Yes," she typed her message and hit send. She sat her cellphone back down on the table, with the screen faced downward, and let out a long sigh. She didn't like having to lie to her sister, but what choice did she have? Sure, Bubbles probably wouldn't care, but she was terrible at keeping a secret. It was mainly Buttercup who Blossom wanted to protect in the situation. Even though it had been years since she started swearing that she no longer liked Robin, Blossom was certain that if she ever found out the two of them had secretly started dating last fall, it would break her sibling's heart.
Blossom's pink eyes fell on Robin as she watched her walk from the other end of the diner and make her way back towards their booth table. Her shoulder length brown hair was wavy and still a little damp from the ocean water. She had used the diner's bathroom to change out of her swimsuit and into a pair of cut off jean shorts and tank top. Blossom couldn't help but admire how perfectly her girlfriend's skin now glowed after their long summer beach day together.
Robin giggled a little as she sat across from Blossom, "Quit staring so hard," she teased. "People might get the wrong idea, you know?"
Blossom blushed, but said nothing.
Robin smiled back at Blossom, finding her blushed cheeks to be pathetically adorable. She always liked to tease Blossom often about the secrecy of their relationship, but sometimes she wished it didn't have to be that way. Of course, she understood why Blossom was strictly against any public displays of affection. As a famous superhero, Blossom couldn't be out in public without being recognized by everyone she met. As much as she would have loved to be able to reach across the table and simply hold her girlfriend's hand, she knew she couldn't do so without drawing the attention of all the constant onlookers. Blossom said she wasn't ready for anyone to know, and Robin could respect that. Though as time went on, it definitely got more and more difficult for her.
Blossom took a plastic red straw from the table's straw dispenser and placed it inside her milkshake. Before she could take a sip for herself, Robin reached across the table and snatched the milkshake from her hands. Blossom laughed a little, "Hey! Get your own!"
Robin sipped from the straw as she giggled. She slid the frozen treat back towards Blossom and smiled innocently, "I just wanted a taste."
Blossom laughed as she shook her head, "I can order another if you'd like."
"No thanks," Robin smiled.
Blossom's cellphone began to buzz as it began to ring from a call, and she groaned a little.
"Whose that?"
"Bubbles."
"Oh," Robin stared at the phone as it began to vibrate across the table. "Why don't you answer it?"
"'Cause I'm supposed to be at the library tutoring right now." Blossom reclined in her seat as she pouted and sipped from her strawberry milkshake.
Robin waited for Blossom's phone to stop buzzing before she continued, "You know, I've been thinking..."
"About?"
"Well, we've been- you know- since last Halloween. It's gonna be a year soon, so maybe..."
"Maybe?"
"Well," Robin sat up a little, "Maybe we should tell your family."
Blossom blinked back at Robin as she leaned forward and sat down her milkshake. Before she could answer, she heard a woman's voice ask politely, "Excuse me, Blossom?"
Blossom turned to see a middle aged woman with a little girl by her side, hiding shyly behind her. "Oh, hello," Blossom smiled at the strangers. "How can I help you?"
The woman smiled at Blossom, "My daughter is your biggest fan. Do you think she can get a quick picture with you?"
Blossom nodded as she began to stand, "Of course." She stepped towards the little girl and smiled, "What's your name?"
"Kaitlyn," the tiny shy girl in glasses squeaked.
"Nice to meet you, Kaitlyn," Blossom offered her a low five and the small child giggled a little as she slapped her tiny hand against the superhero's. Blossom stood beside the little girl and posed with a smile as Kaitlyn's mother used her cellphone to take a picture. As soon as the photo was taken, Blossom gave the little girl one last smile, "Take care, Kaitlyn!"
Robin sat quietly as she waited for Blossom to finish up with her fans. As the redhead returned to her seat, Robin watched as the forced smile on Blossom's face began to fade as soon as the strangers had left. She could tell before they had arrived that Blossom wasn't too thrilled to hear her suggestion, and as Blossom stayed quiet for several minutes after, Robin could also tell her mind was starting to race.
Robin leaned forward and spoke softly, "Hey, I know you're nervous, but I really think all this hiding stuff is causing more anxiety for you than anything."
Blossom took her milkshake again and sipped quietly for a while. "I just don't think it's the right time yet, Robin."
Robin frowned a little. "I get not wanting strangers to know your business, but your family's a different story, Blossom." She sighed, "Look, I didn't mean to upset you or anything. I'm sorry. I just want you to be happy."
Blossom sat down her milkshake and smiled weakly, "But I am happy."
Robin returned a weak smile, but said nothing.
Blossom watched as Robin turned her head away from her and began to stare outside the window. Blossom's eyes searched the room for a moment, scanning for anyone who might be watching them. The corner of the diner where they sat appeared to be empty, and so Blossom gathered enough courage to reach across the table for Robin's hand.
Robin was surprised by the sudden touch, and her teal eyes were wide as she turned her face towards Blossom then. She was shocked to see Blossom's fingers gently lay on top of her resting hand on the table.
Blossom's eyes locked with Robin's as she kept her hand gently rested on top of hers. She leaned forward a little more and whispered softly, "I love you, Robin."
Robin turned over her hand on the table, and laced her fingers with Blossom's. "I love you, too, Blossom," she returned in a quiet whisper.
As the black stretch limousine circled around the neighborhood for the hundredth time, Ace's patience with the stubborn redhead was beginning to wear thin. It had seemed like they'd been driving throughout the city for hours, and while the driver claimed the reason for the long trip was that he kept getting lost, Ace had a sneaking suspicion as time went on that he wasn't going to be let out of that car until he agreed to help the bratty little villain with the plan she kept yammering on about.
"Yo Man, I said it was a left up there!" Ace shouted at Alfred through the glass divider.
Princess unfurled yet another blue print and forced Ace to take it in his hands, "You see, Daddy's the one who built the Villains Ward," Princess continued to explain as she tapped the oversized poster paper that held the architectural designs to the prison, "So, we would definitely have an upper hand when it comes to strategizing your escape."
"My escape?"
"Well, duh," Princess replied, "As soon as the guards figure out what's going on, they're gonna be all over you! But don't worry- I have several routes of escape already planned out!" She reached for one of the dozens of purple colored binders she had spread throughout the back of the limo, and next forced that into Ace's hands.
Ace opened the binder reluctantly and found about a hundred laminated pages of maps, lengthy worded instructions, and diagrams. He thumbed through the pages quickly, not really reading any of it.
"All you have to do is memorize all of them, that way you know every way possible to get out! When the time comes, you just pick whichever route works depending on wherever they start shooting!"
Ace massaged his temple for a moment and sighed heavily. "Shooting?"
"Well, duh. The guards are all armed in the Villains Ward."
Ace shut the binder closed and turned to Princess, "Why the hell do you wanna release the villains from the Villains Ward, anyways?"
"Ew, no," Princess wore a look of disgust. "You don't have to worry about the rest of those losers. Who cares about them? I just need the monkey." Princess paused, "And you know, while you're there if you want to bust your old friends out then you can!" she added with a smile as she fluttered her eyelashes. She then paused again before adding more seriously, "But that's some planning you have to do on your own time. I do not have time for all of that!"
Ace shook his head, as he laughed a little. The whole thing seemed so ridiculous, he couldn't help it. "What do you need Mojo for?"
Princess's dark eyes narrowed for a moment on Ace as he chuckled. She did not appreciate his laughter. As much as it pained her, she forced herself to smile, "Well, that would be part two of my plan, which doesn't involve you frankly."
Ace raised an eyebrow. "So you want me to risk my life and my freedom, and you won't even tell me what for?" Ace shook his head, "Sorry, Princess, but it doesn't seem worth it to me." He handed the purple binder in his hands back to Princess, "Look, can you just take me home now? My band was supposed to have a show tonight at the beach pier, and I must be crazy fucking late by now. They're probably already there without me by this point."
Princess took the binder back from Ace, and bit her tongue for a moment. It was difficult for her not to just start yelling at Ace right then, but she was still trying to persuade him. If she blew up then, he would definitely not agree to help her. So she forced herself to smile again, "Alfred, let's take Ace to the pier," she called out.
"Right away, Miss," Alfred responded as the limousine made a sudden sharp U-turn.
Princess folded her hands on her lap as she turned back to Ace. "Ace," she began again with a sweet voice, as she began a new tactic. "I didn't know you were in a band! Wow, that must be so cool!"
"Yeah, and it'd be cool if I didn't miss our first gig in months, ya know."
Princess spoke up again to Alfred, "Alfred?"
"Right away, Miss," Alfred answered again as he stepped on the gas, ignoring the road's speed limit.
Princess smiled at Ace as she fluttered her lashes innocently once more, "See?" she gave Ace a small pat on his knee, "We're on the same team, Ace. I'll get you to your show."
Ace found himself gripping his seat nervously with his fingernails, as the limo sped along the road, screeching as it made another sharp turn onto Ocean Coast Highway. As Ace braced himself for the wild turn, he was surprised to see how composed Princess seemed to be despite the dangerous road maneuvers her driver made.
In less than three minutes, they had reached the beach parking lot, only the limo never stopped. It tore through a private access gate and headed straight onto the wooden pier itself. Alfred honked the vehicle's horn as they came upon groups of beach goers, warning them to get out of the limousine's path. As they finally slowed to a stop, Ace could see the stage where his band performed just beneath the roller coaster attraction on the pier.
Ace opened the rear door for himself before Alfred could successfully reach it. He stepped out of the limo and lowered his shades as his eyes fell on the stage. At first, he was confused as to who the masked bass player was on stage, but as he watched them aggressively bang their head to the music, matching Tyler's wild energy, he realized it was Buttercup. He laughed a little, "Hey, whaddya know? The kid ain't bad."
"Nino! You're here!" Sophia shouted as she immediately ran towards him.
As the young girl leapt for him, Ace caught her in his arms, and gave her a tight embrace, "Hey, Soph! Whatcha doin' here? You guys started the show without me?" he laughed a little.
Sophia bounced excitedly, "Yeah, look!" she pointed happily at the stage to a masked Buttercup, stage-left.
"I saw!" Ace grinned as he took Sophia's hand in his, and began to walk with her towards the stage.
Princess stepped out from the limo and onto the pier. She watched as Ace began to dance with the little girl that had greeted him. She wondered who the green child was, but imagined she must've been Ace's kid. As Ace spun the short little girl around in the air while they danced in time to the music of the band, Princess's brown eyes next fell on the stage.
The music the band played was loud, and she could hardly understand the shouting the guitarist was spitting into the microphone. It was hardly the type of music she would choose to listen to herself, but still wanting to win Ace over, Princess forced herself to walk closer to the stage, near where Ace and Sophia danced.
Princess stood to the left of the stage with her arms crossed, as she continued to watch Ace and Sophia. She flinched a little as the speaker on the corner of the stage boomed loudly in her ear. She stepped away and looked up as she watched the guitarist bounce across the stage. He fell against the bassist in an alien mask who also bounced about in place. When the two collided, the guitarist ricocheted off the bassist with such force, he was knocked clear across the stage.
Princess's eyes widened as she stared at the masked bassist in awe. They were clearly very strong.
Tyler hopped back onto his feet, unscathed and unaffected, and played on until the end of the song. As the final notes rang out, he grasped the microphone at the center stage once more and shouted: "Thanks everyone! Goodnight!"
Ace and Sophia were pretty much the only members of the audience and they cheered and whistled as they clapped for the band. Princess reluctantly clapped as well.
"Wow," Princess said as she slowly clapped, "That was... something." She watched as the band members began to descend the stage steps.
"Fea, you son of a bitch, you rocked that shit!" Tyler offered Buttercup a high-five and Buttercup slapped her hand against his with such force, the man winced a little, "Yo, easy there, Man!"
Buttercup's laughter was muffled by the plastic mask as she apologized, "Sorry, Dude! Guess I'm just pretty pumped up now."
Princess noticed how the guitarist seemed to baby his hand a little after their high-five and she looked at the bassist again in amazement. "Hey, you're pretty strong, aren't you?"
Buttercup glanced at Princess, noticing her for the first time then. She shoved her hands in her pockets as she walked past her with the rest of the band and answered simply, "Yeah, I guess."
"Well, well, well," Tyler began as they reached Ace, "Look who finally decided to show!"
"Save it, Ty," Ace laughed. "You're the chump whose usually late to everything, not me." Ace turned to Buttercup and grinned, "Nice job, Kid. You sounded good up there. And," he snapped his fingers as he pointed at her, "I like the look, Dude."
"Thanks, Man," Buttercup laughed again.
As Princess watched the group interact with one another, the wheels inside her head began to turn. Her brown eyes were focused intently on the strong-armed teenager in the mask. She wondered how someone so skinny could be so freakishly strong. They didn't appear to have much of any muscle mass at all, yet there was no denying how easily they managed to fling their bandmate across the stage earlier. Who the hell was this person? Princess had been determined to win Ace over to her side to use him as the lackey for her next plot, but after witnessing what she saw in his mysterious friend, she was beginning to wonder if maybe this brute was a better choice for the mission.
"Come on, guys," Betty spoke, "The crew here said we had to clear the stage by seven, so let's get the truck loaded."
"Hell yeah, let's get back to the pad and get our smoke on!" Tyler pumped his fist in the air. "You in, Fea?" he asked Buttercup.
"Hell yeah!" Buttercup answered.
Buttercup began to follow after everybody, but Princess stepped in her path. "Feya, is it?" she smiled as she stood in her way, "I'm Princess."
Buttercup stood with her hands still in her pockets, "Yeah, I know who you are." She paused, "And Fea's not my name. Just a nickname, I guess."
"It's pretty!"
"It's Spanish for 'ugly.'"
"Oh," Princess was caught off guard by this. "So, they call you Ugly? Is that why you're wearing the mask? Because you're ugly?"
Buttercup couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."
Princess stared at the strange stranger for a moment. She shook off her confusion, before continuing, "Well, anyways, I was trying to offer your buddy Ace a rather rewarding job opportunity, but he doesn't seem interested. Perhaps you would be?"
Buttercup stared at her for a moment, but before she could reply, Ace came up behind her and grasped her by the shoulders. "Come on, Kid," Ace said as he began to guide Buttercup away from Princess. "You don't wanna get caught up in that mess. Trust me."
"Excuse me?!" Princess shouted, offended entirely. She began to march angrily after them, but stopped in her tracks when she heard a loud banging noise come from the roller coaster attraction just behind them.
Princess, Ace and Buttercup all turned around at once, and looked up towards the roller coaster's loop where the coaster cars had stopped. The train of cars was halted in the middle of the loop, causing all the riders on board to be suspended upside down.
"Uh oh," Ace lowered his shades as he stared up at the trapped riders, "I don't think that's supposed to happen."
The passengers of the ride began to cry out for help. Some of them groaned from the severe whiplash they had endured as the roller coaster came to a sudden, unexpected stop. After several moments, there was another loud clicking noise heard, and suddenly the over-the-shoulder restraints that kept the riders safely in their seats gave way. As the padded restraints unlocked and flew upward, it wasn't long before the riders began to fall.
When Buttercup saw this, an instinct inside her kicked in, and she was gone before anyone else could see it.
Princess turned around then, and saw that the masked stranger had vanished while she was distracted by the coaster accident. "Where the hell did Feya go?"
Blossom walked alongside Robin on the beach pier. They had just left the diner and were on their way back towards the beach parking lot when they heard the loud bang come from the ocean side roller coaster. They looked up with surprise as they witnessed the train stop mid-loop. Next horror swept their faces as they next saw the safety latches fail.
Blossom took off with a flash of pink light and immediately sprung into action. She reached the first rider just before he could hit the pavement below. Blossom caught the man and sat him gently on the floor with such speed, the man had no idea what happened.
A crowd of onlookers gathered fast around the roller coaster as they watched quick flashes of pink and green dart about the air, rescuing the falling riders in quick succession.
Buttercup snatched two younger riders at once by their shirt collars, and lowered them onto the ground below. As they reached the ground, the younger of the two siblings she rescued began to cry as she seemed repulsed by Buttercup's scarred hand that grasped her shirt and she pulled away as soon as she could.
Blossom touched down next, carrying a woman to safety with her.
Blossom and Buttercup blinked at each other, "What are you doing here?" they demanded of one another at the same time.
"What am I doing here?" Buttercup repeated, "You said you were at the library today. That's clear on the other side of town!"
Blossom's face flushed for a moment but she quickly shook it off. Before she could say anything both she and Buttercup heard more cries for help from above. They looked up and saw that two more riders still dangled helplessly from the roller coaster.
"Never mind that!" snapped Blossom, "Come on!"
The two shot off once more. Blossom flew towards the rider on the right, and Buttercup took the rider on the left.
The teenager that Blossom flew towards lost his grasp of the metal bar he had been clinging to, but the pink Powerpuff was right underneath him to catch him instantly. He landed in her arms and she swiftly carried him to the safety of the ground below.
Buttercup reached the man who dangled from the rear car of the roller coaster. He held onto the safety headrest with one hand as he kicked his feet desperately and cried out for help. "Calm down, Man," Buttercup shouted as she approached him, "I got you-"
"NO!" the rider shouted and swatted at Buttercup with his free hand. "Not you! I'll wait for your sister instead!"
Buttercup stared at him for a moment in disbelief, but that shock quickly turned to anger, "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" she yelled at the man, "You're about to drop to your death, idiot!"
She watched the man flail around helplessly for a moment before she rolled her eyes and plucked him from the roller coaster.
"I said 'NO!'" the man shouted again again as Buttercup held him by both arms. He wildly kicked his dangling legs as she carried him through the air.
Buttercup's patience came to an abrupt end in that moment. "Fine!" she snapped. "Have it your way then!" Still some eighty feet off the ground, she let him go.
Blossom stood on the ground as she looked up and saw the falling, screaming man. Her pink eyes widened as she gasped and darted for him. Blossom caught him just in time, sparing him from what would have been a brutal impact. "Sir, are you OK?" she asked him as she sat him on the ground.
"Your sister just tried to kill me!" he shouted angrily.
The large crowd of onlookers that surrounded them instantly erupted into loud booing and jeers aimed towards the green Powerpuff who still hovered in the air above them. Blossom blinked in astonishment at the crowd for several moments, before she looked up to Buttercup who glared angrily back at the rowdy people below. She watched as Buttercup gritted her teeth and showed the crowd her middle finger, causing them to boo even louder at her. She shot the citizens one last scowl before she took off with a flash of green light.
Blossom flew off after her, and followed her into the evening sky. As they rose higher into the atmosphere, Blossom called after her, "Buttercup! Wait!"
Buttercup halted in the sky and turned to face her sister. "What?!" she snapped at her.
Blossom shook her head with wide pink eyes, still somewhat in disbelief as to the events that just happened. "What happened back there, Buttercup? Did you seriously drop that guy on purpose?"
"So what if I did, huh?!" Buttercup snarled. "Fucking jerk had it coming anyway!"
"Buttercup!"
"Well, he did!"
Blossom began to shake her head again, "Buttercup, there's nothing that man could've done that was bad enough for you to endanger his life like that!"
Buttercup glared at her, "Can't you wait till we get home for you to start your 'How Buttercup fucked up this time' lecture?!"
Blossom stared back at Buttercup. It had been a while since she last saw her that angry. The skinny teen's entire body shook with rage as she hovered in the sky and she scowled at Blossom with a burning hatred in her eyes. Blossom could not believe just how fast her sibling seemed to snap. One moment she was saving lives, just like her, and the next...
Blossom swallowed hard before she slowly floated towards her sibling. She frowned as she spoke softly, "Come on, Buttercup. Let's go home."
