Alex got out of her depression and was finally coming out of her room and gorging on mountains of food to make up for three day long fasting. Not only that, she was re-breaking out of her shell and making new friends among the other children. A good story with a happy ending would probably stop right there and maybe even have Nancy adopt Alex as her child. Alas, what you are reading is a bad story with a sad ending. Terrible things happen to good people all over the world, and here is no exception. Alex was about to lose her home a second time.
Nancy was inside her office doing some paperwork when a man suddenly entered without knocking. He had neatly combed hair, square glasses, a white suit, and was holding a briefcase in one hand. "Good evening, ma'am," said the man. "I'm a lawyer representing the elites of this town. They live just a few miles away from here, in case you were wondering. I'm going to be blunt with you now. The elites have made a unanimous decision to build a mall to attract more tourists, and this building is in the way. You will have to shut this place down so it can be torn down for more room." He told her all of that with no hesitation or remorse. Nancy blinked at him in surprise, then glared at him. "Sir, I do not appreciate you barging into my office and making such terrible jokes. I'll have to ask you to leave." But the man shook his head. "This is no joke," he said, then took out a piece of paper and placed it on her desk. "This is a permit written by the town council. They have given the elites permission to construct a mall, even if it means tearing down homes and businesses." Nancy stared at the permit in horror. This can't be real, she thought frantically. It has to be a fake! But the permit turned out to be flawless. After that, Nancy practically begged for the lawyer to consider another way.
"Can't they at least build the mall someplace else?," she pleaded. The man shook his head. "My clients had already reached their decision," he explained. "You have exactly one week to shut this place down and relocate the children." Nancy shook her head in disbelief and stared down at her desk, feeling the world around her shatter. "You unimaginable monster," she whispered coldly. "Ma'am, I only represent them," the man responded. "If you want someone to blame, you can always arrange an appointment with them." "I'll be sure to do that," said Nancy, gripping her desk until her knuckles were white. Suddenly, she felt the man place his hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw him looking down at her with a melancholy expression. "If it makes you feel any better, I derive no satisfaction from this," he said. "I really am sorry." Patting her on the shoulder for good measure, he then took his briefcase and left the room without another word, leaving behind a frightened and crying woman.
Throughout the entire week she was given, Nancy booked multiple appointments with the elites in hopes of getting them to change their minds. She didn't dare tell the children just yet. Instead, she told them that she was going to a simple business meeting and that if they needed anything, they could ask any of the employees that she recently hired to work in the orphanage. It only took her about an hour to travel all the way to the center of the town, where the elites held their meetings and such. They claimed it was so they could lend a helping hand to the "common people" who come to them for aid. Personally, Nancy thought it was just a shoddy excuse and their real reason was to flaunt their money and power.
She eventually found herself sitting before a group of old men and women sitting behind a long table. They were the elites, a privileged group that held immense power over this town, as well as the neighboring towns and villages. Rumor has it that Sebastian J. Smith, the owner of one of the most powerful redstone companies in the world, used to be a member of the elites, but left after having disagreements with the other members. Nancy honestly couldn't blame him.
No matter how much Nancy tried to persuade them not to go through with this, they refused to budge. After a while, she grew more and more livid until finally, she lost her temper. "You're sending CHILDREN back to the streets!," she yelled angrily. "How could you just ignore that?! How could you all be so selfish and cruel?!" The elites grew silent and glared at her, causing her to feel more like a child than an adult. Then, one of the members spoke. "Since you are clearly letting your emotions get the best of you, we will overlook this inappropriate behavior. I think this discussion is done. You can either leave of your own volition, or we can have someone escort you out." "Fine!," Nancy hissed, standing up so forcefully that her chair slid backwards, causing a grating noise as it rubbed against the floor. "But you haven't seen the last of me! I'll keep coming back until you listen to what I have to say!" "Oh, we're quivering in our boots," one of the old men droned. Nancy stomped out of the room, not caring how childish she was acting. It wasn't until she was outside that her brave demeanor vanished.
Was this how the world worked?, she thought bitterly. Was this just a dog-eat-dog world that she wasn't fully aware of until now? She would sooner die than be any part of that world. "Nancy?," said a voice. Nancy recognized it and looked up with a sad smile, glad to finally see a friendly face. "Hello, Officer Jones," she said. "What are you doing so close to the elites' meeting place?" Jones chuckled. "Nancy, please," he said. "How many times have I told you not to call me 'Officer Jones?' It makes me sound so intimidating and unapproachable, which definitely aren't the qualities you'd like to see in a police officer. Again, just call me by my first name, Reginald, or Reggie, if you'd like." "I think I'll stick with Reginald," Nancy joked.
"Well, to answer your question," Reginald said, "I was appointed to guard this place from any suspicious characters. Word's been going around about this notorious assassin that's been popping up all over the place. I think his name is Isaac or something. Some sources told me that the elites might be his next target, so I volunteered to protect them for the time being. Isaac may be hyped up as this cold-blooded killer, but I bet he'll be crying for his mother once he finds out who's in town. Me, Officer Reginald Jones! Ha!" When Nancy didn't so much as crack a smile, Reginald decided to switch gears. "Let me guess," he said softly, placing a comforting hand on Nancy's shoulder. "You just had a meeting with the elites?" Nancy nodded silently.
Reginald sighed heavily. "Yeah, I've been there," he said. "Man, those elites...I know I'm supposed to protect them, but I sometimes wonder if Isaac would be doing this town a favor." "...they're going to shut down the orphanage," Nancy whispered. Reginald stared at Nancy, his mouth wide open in shock. "...WHAT?!," he finally roared, accidentally scaring off a few bystanders. "Those...those fucking bastards! I know they did some pretty shady shit in the past, but this?! Who the hell gave them the right?!" "The town council," Nancy replied emotionlessly. "A lawyer came by and showed me a permit they wrote down. I couldn't spot a single thing that could tell me it was a fake. The elites were given permission by the council to build a mall in order to attract more tourists. The only problem is that there are some homes and businesses standing in the way...including my orphanage." She began sobbing into her hands. "What do I do, Reginald? I honestly couldn't care less about the orphanage itself, but what about the children? They're going to be living on the streets if I don't do something!"
"It's gotta be bribery," Reginald growled. "The elites must have bribed someone in the council to go through with this!" Nancy didn't respond. She didn't deny it either. "Alright, that's it," said Reginald, storming towards the building where the meeting was taking place. "Reginald, wait!," cried Nancy, grabbing his arm. "What are you going to do?" "I'm going to give those prudes a piece of my mind, that's what I'm going to do!," Reginald retorted. "Reginald, don't do this," Nancy pleaded. "You don't know how much influence those people have over others' livelihoods. They could ruin you! Please, don't do anything that you'll regret."
Reginald huffed angrily, but did what he was told. "It's not right," he said. "I know it's not right," Nancy said sadly. "But...what can we do?" Reginald crossed his arms and stared up at the sky in contemplation. "What kind of world do we live in," he said, "where people would do these sorts of things and other people would just let them?" He turned to face Nancy. "Look, if there's anything, and I mean ANYTHING that I could do for you…" He took out a card and gave it to Nancy. "...go to the address on this card. That's where I live."
"Thank you, Reginald," said Nancy, accepting the card gratefully. "I'll be sure to do that." The two embraced each other before finally parting ways. As Reginald walked away, Nancy looked back at the building she had just left, her face slowly turning into a determined scowl. If those elites thought she was just going to roll over and admit defeat, they had another thing coming. After searching around town, she found a hotel to stay in, which was only a few blocks away from the elites' building. She stayed there for five whole days, and during her stay, she scheduled more and more appointments with the elites. The first one was immediately rejected, so Nancy kept registering, hoping that she could annoy them into admitting defeat. But all the other appointments got rejected as well, leaving Nancy more and more desperate.
On the night of the fifth day, when it became clear that the elites were never going to allow Nancy another meeting with them, she decided to head to the address on Reginald's card, hoping that he would have an answer to her problem. What that answer was, she had no idea, but she hoped that Reginald would know. On that night, Nancy arrived at Reginald's house and knocked on the door. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very bad time for the police officer, because on that same night, he was experiencing one of the worst migraines he had ever had. Reginald had no idea what the cause of the migraine was, but all he knew was that it was not going away anytime soon. In fact, it only seemed to be getting worse.
Reginald was lying in bed when he heard Nancy knock on the door. The sound was heavily amplified by his migraine, causing him to wince in pain. "I'm coming," he groaned, slowly getting up from his bed while trying to fight through the pain. However, he didn't even have the strength to leave his bedroom. After taking just a few steps, Reginald suddenly collapsed onto the floor in an unconscious state. Even more strangely, he vanished into thin air. And in the future, he'd end up in Sky City as Captain Reginald, one of Isa's most trusted guards…
After knocking for the seventh time, Nancy waited anxiously, but nobody came to answer the door. I guess he's not home, she thought sadly. There went her last chance to do any good. Nancy went all the way back to the hotel, packed up her belongings, and returned to the orphanage with her head hung low. The children were ecstatic upon her arrival, especially Alex, but immediately noticed her sadness and tried cheering her up, even though they themselves had no idea what was going on. Such precious little angels, Nancy thought gloomily, trying hard not to cry. They don't deserve this. Usually, Nancy liked to think that there was nothing you couldn't accomplish if you just set your mind to it. Now, she wasn't so sure.
The very next day brought its own boatload of trouble. It was the moment she had been dreading ever since this whole thing started. Nancy called everyone to the dining room and told them she had an important announcement to make. As she looked around at the children surrounding her, their eyes bright and curious, she felt her heart break into two. How could those people do this? It was nothing short of monstrous. Nancy took a deep breath and tried to remain strong for the children. "Children," she said softly, her voice slightly hitching. "I have terrible news." She paused for a moment. "The orphanage...is being closed down."
As expected, all the children gasped and whispered amongst each other nervously. Nancy wished she could calm them down and tell them it was alright...but how could she possibly give them false hope? Nancy started off by explaining to the children what had been going on in the past week, why she had left for that "business trip", and what a closed orphanage meant for them. "I'll be blunt, the situation is...dire. I tried everything I could to convince them not to go through with this, but their hands are tied. Children...this will be the last time we see each other." At first, silence reigned throughout the common room. Then, a single sniffle was heard, and that was enough to open the floodgates. Every child in the room began crying and whimpering. A few of them got up from their chairs and ran towards her, desperately clinging onto her dress. In all that chaos, she noticed that Alex was the most quiet out of all of them, though her eyes were shiny with tears and she was shaking her head in denial.
The children had finally stopped crying, though they were still sniffling and wiping their eyes. "I'm so sorry to drop this on all of you," Nancy apologized tearfully. "I tried my best, but it wasn't enough. They're going to go through with this, whether we like it or not." "But this is our home," a little girl with black hair and blue overalls whimpered. "Where will we go?" A deep pit settled inside Nancy's stomach. This orphanage was her only source of income. Without it, she couldn't even provide for herself, let alone a dozen children. "...I don't know," she whispered, feeling just as lost as the girl. "I don't know…" After that, the children silently went back to their bedrooms, though they would find it very hard to sleep tonight. After all, this was going to be their last night with a roof over their heads. Nancy walked back to her office, knowing it was going to be the last time. But when she got there, she was shocked to see someone already there. It wasn't one of the children, but a man she had met before. It was the lawyer.
"Good evening, ma'am," said the lawyer, even though this was really as far from a good evening as you could get. "I hope you don't mind that I let myself in." "I don't mind at all," Nancy lied through gritted teeth. She plopped down at her desk, took out a bottle of bourbon, and poured herself a glass. Drinking was not something that she usually did, but she really needed something to drown out her depression. She took a sip and began to cough violently from the incredibly strong flavor. She hadn't drank alcohol in a very long time. "Bourbon, eh?," the lawyer said, eyeing the bottle curiously. "Mind pouring me a glass? I'm pretty parched right now." Right now, Nancy just wanted to tell him that he could take that bottle and stick it up to where the sun doesn't shine. However, she was far too exhausted for that. Instead, she complied and poured the man a drink, then slid the glass across the table. "If you don't mind, I'd like you to leave after finishing your drink," she said tiredly. "I'm just not in the mood for you right now."
The lawyer calmly took the glass, brought it to his lips, and poured the entire thing down his throat. Nancy couldn't help but be impressed by that. Then, the lawyer wiped his mouth and placed the empty glass back down. "Are you sure you want me to leave so soon?," he asked. "Before I've even delivered the good news?" Nancy scoffed. "What good news could possibly make up for what happened?," she asked. "The orphanage is going to be torn down for a mall, the children will have nowhere to go, and I'll lose my job. If you know something that could make up for all of THAT, then by all means, tell me." She downed her entire glass of bourbon and began pouring herself another one. "If not, then go away and never come back."
The lawyer sighed and gently pried the glass from Nancy's hand. "Listen, I'm not the bad guy here," he said. "I don't agree with the elites either, as a matter of fact. And the thought of orphans being kicked onto the streets doesn't really sit well with me. I didn't have to come back tonight, you know. I just want to lend a helping hand." "...you...want to help me?," asked Nancy, still unsure on what to think. "But...you're a lawyer." She winced upon hearing those words come out of her mouth. What kind of accusation was that? The bourbon must have soaked into her brain already. The man chuckled. "Ma'am, despite the stereotype, not all lawyers are pure evil. ...Well, most of them are. But not me. I have a child of my own, you know. I can sympathize with your situation." "But how can you possibly help me?," asked Nancy. "I tried going to the elites myself, but they wouldn't listen to a word I say. Why would they listen to you?"
"They won't," said the lawyer. "I may represent them, but I can't order them around any more than you could. As far as I'm concerned, your orphanage is a lost cause. That mall is going to be built whether you like it or not." Nancy's head and shoulders drooped. "So it's hopeless?," she asked. However, the lawyer shook his head. "Not entirely hopeless," he said. "Tell me something first. Are you upset right now because you're about to lose your job?" Nancy shook her head. "Right now, my job means nothing to me," she said firmly. "All I care about is the children. I don't care if I even see them again. I just want them to be safe."
The lawyer nodded in approval. "Good," he said, "because before I came here, I hired someone to come here in the morning and take the children to another orphanage not too far from this one. They'll be safe there." Nancy gaped at the man, who raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Of course, I can always tell him not to come if you're not okay with that…" "No!," cried Nancy. "I-I mean, yes! That's great! It's perfect!" She felt like she could kiss him right now, but had enough self-restraint not to do so. Finally, the children had another place to stay! She honestly didn't care one jot about losing her job or the orphanage. She could always look for another job. The children were all that mattered. "Thank you," she whispered, hugging the man tightly. "Thank you." "Don't thank me yet," he said. "Wait until our plan actually works." "...what's your name?," asked Nancy. "...Edgar," the man replied. "My name is Edgar."
The next day, it was time for Nancy and the children to leave this place forever. A small carriage rode towards the front of the building. Pulling the carriage was a man riding on top of a horse. The man had a scruffy beard, a fat belly, and seemed to spit every five seconds. Nancy couldn't help but cringe at the sight of that man. This is who that lawyer hired?, she thought. "Come on, lady!," the man yelled. "I haven't got all day!" "In a minute," said Nancy, annoyed by the man's impatience. "Please wait." The man snorted and spit into the grass.
Pretty soon, Nancy came out of the orphanage with the children right at her heels, holding hands with each other while staring at the carriage with fear and apprehension. "It's alright, children," Nancy said soothingly, noticing their fear. "Just because the orphanage is gone doesn't mean you're all homeless now. This man will take you somewhere safe and sound. It's another orphanage not too far from this one. Do everything he says and don't get in trouble, alright?" The children nodded shakily, then crowded around her and formed a giant hug. Nancy eagerly returned it. "Stay safe, all of you," she whispered. "I'll miss you all."
The children quietly entered the carriage, one by one, until it was slightly cramped. Only one child remained behind. One with short blond hair and blue eyes.
"It's not fair!," cried Alex, still hugging Nancy. Tears were dripping down her face, which she quickly tried to hide by burying her face in her caretaker's dress. "This is our home! Why do they want to take it from us?" Nancy sighed and comfortingly rubbed Alex's small back. "Some people are just like that," she said sadly. "They don't often consider other people's feelings about the matter. They just want to make...well, money." "I hate them!," Alex declared. "I hate them, I hate them, I hate them!" "Shhh," Nancy whispered soothingly.
"Ahem!," the man cleared his throat rudely. "Hurry up, will ya? I got stuff to do!" "Alright, keep your hair on!," Nancy snapped. Seriously, what was his problem?
"I don't wanna go!," Alex protested. "Please don't make me!" Nancy felt like sobbing again, but she had to stay strong. For them. "Alex, do you remember that little game we used to play together?" Alex looked up at her in sad confusion. Nancy held out two of her fingers to form cute little bunny ears. "If you chase two rabbits~," she sang. Alex sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes, then formed bunny ears of her own. "You will not catch either one~," she sang back, smiling sadly. "Just remember that little saying every time you feel sad or lonely," said Nancy. "No matter how far apart we are, I'll always love you, Alex."
Alex smiled brightly, hugging Nancy tighter. "I love you too, Nancy," she said. "Now run along and join the other children," said Nancy. "I'll try to keep in contact with you and the others as much as I can, alright?" Alex nodded sadly and went into the carriage with the other orphans. The man slammed the door shut behind her, then climbed onto his horse. "Yah!," he yelled, snapping the reins. The horse and its rider ran off, pulling the carriage along with them. Nancy finally let the tears flow from her face. She was going to miss them dearly.
Suddenly, a piece of paper twirled through the air before landing at Nancy's feet. She bent down and picked up the slip of paper, curious as to what it said and where it came from. It must have fallen out of that man's pocket, she deduced. Her eyes scanned the paper. Then, her legs grew weak and her face went pale. "No...NO!," she cried, dropping the paper and running after the carriage. But it was going too fast, and after about a minute, the carriage could no longer be seen. Nancy dropped to her knees and began sobbing uncontrollably.
"Nancy?," said a familiar voice. A pair of hands grabbed her under the armpits and hoisted her back to her feet. "What's going on? What happened before I came?" Nancy turned to face Edgar with tears streaming down her face. "T-that man," she stuttered. "That man you hired...he...h-he…" "For god's sake, Nancy, spit it out," said Edgar, tightly gripping her by the shoulders. Nancy picked up the piece of paper and held it up to Edgar's face.
MY TO-DO LIST:
1. Wake up, eat breakfast, get the mail
2. Shop for food and tools
3. Eat lunch, hang out with the guys
4. Pick up orphans and dump them in the woods
As Edgar read over the entire list, his eyes widened upon seeing that last item. "Where did you get that?," he asked. "It fell out of that man's pocket while he drove away," said Nancy, looking like she was about to pass out at any moment. "Edgar, is he really going to…?" "It's possible," said Edgar, a grave look on his face. "You don't know what kind of people are out there. It was a mistake for me to hire a complete stranger. We need to find him, fast." Nancy's eyes widened when a realization struck her. "Officer Jones could help us!," she exclaimed. "He's this town's police officer! He'll help us get the children back!" Edgar raised an eyebrow at what Nancy just said. "Nancy, haven't you heard the news?," he asked. "Officer Jones went missing yesterday. He never showed up for work this morning and the entire police force has been sending out search parties for him." "He's...gone?," said Nancy, feeling dizzy. With everything that was going on, it felt like she was trapped in some kind of crazy conspiracy.
"Couldn't...couldn't we just get the other cops to help us?," she asked desperately. "Or at least SOME form of authority?" "I'm afraid it's not that simple," said Edgar, shaking his head. "Not only is the police force too focused on Jones' disappearance to help you, but they just flat out wouldn't believe you." "That's ridiculous," growled Nancy, who couldn't help but feel insulted by what he said. "They're the police! Their job is to help the civilians!"
"No, you don't understand," Edgar explained. "Think about it. You're the former owner of an orphanage that will soon be torn down for a mall, you're going to lose your job, and you've already lost the children. People will think your call for help is just going to be a desperate attempt to get your orphanage back. In fact, I believe that the elites have already bribed most of the police force not to listen to a word you say." "Would they actually do that?," asked Nancy, feeling depressed all over again. Edgar shrugged. "With the short amount of time that I've spent with them, I wouldn't exactly put it past them." Nancy shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts. "Well, we still have to do something!," she declared. "Even if we have to do it by ourselves!" She slowly wilted. "Unless...you'd rather not get involved in this?"
Edgar sighed, then reached into his pocket and took out a photo. "Take a look at this, Nancy," he said, holding it out to her. Nancy gingerly reached out and grabbed the photo, bringing it closer to her face. The photo was of a small toddler with curly black hair, tiny buck teeth, and comically big square glasses resting on his nose. The toddler was playing with cubes and giggling at the camera. "He's adorable," Nancy whispered. "He's my son," said Edgar, taking the photo and placing it back into his pocket. "His name is Radar. He's a big fan of the Order of the Stone, you know. He wants to be their intern someday. I love my son more than anything, even my own career. The point is, I have a particularly soft spot for children. If there's any chance for me to save YOUR children, well...then I guess I'm stuck with you now."
Nancy couldn't help but feel touched by how willing the man was to help her. And to think that her initial thoughts of him were...less than pleasant. "T-thank you," she said. "You don't know how much it means to me that you're…" She trailed off. "We should go straight to the nearest police station," Edgar said in order to avoid the awkwardness. "That's our best bet in finding that man." "What?," Nancy asked in confusion. "But you just said that the police can't help us." "I'm not saying that we should get help from them directly," said Edgar. "But we can look through their files. It's almost certain that whoever took your children must have a criminal track record. Once we find that file, we find the culprit." "Didn't he tell you his name when you hired him?," asked Nancy. "He preferred to remain anonymous," Edgar explained. "We should hurry along now. We need to find that man before he leaves the children in the woods, or we'll never be able to get them back." They quickly headed towards the police station.
Once they got there, they were greeted by numerous people either sitting in chairs or leaning against the walls, waiting for their turn. A single cop was sitting at the front desk. He had bags under his eyes, a permanent scowl, and just looked fed up with life. Nancy and Edgar headed straight to the front desk, earning them plenty of glares from the people who were still waiting. The cop saw them coming and sighed. "Sir, ma'am, you'll have to wait in the lobby like everybody else," he said, his voice completely bored and monotonous.
"Sir, please," Nancy pleaded. "This is an emergency." "That's what they all say," the cop droned on. "Listen, lady, do you have any idea how many people tried telling me that one? You're not the first person who tried to fool me with that, and you won't be the last. Now go back and wait in the lobby like everybody else. Your turn will come up shortly."
Nancy wanted nothing more than to reach over the desk and slap some sense into that cop. While he was concerned about adhering to the police station's rules, the children were in god-knows-where and experiencing god-knows-what. She also knew that by "shortly," the cop probably meant a few hours, which was a few hours too long. She was about to say so when Edgar spoke up. "I don't think you understand the full scope of the situation, sir," he said. "We need to look through the files on everyone in this town. We believe we have met the person responsible for Officer Jones' disappearance." That definitely caught the cop's attention. "You don't say…," he said, observing them closely. "How do I know you're not just saying that? The news of his disappearance has become widespread. You could just be using that as an excuse to get access to our files." "Sir, do you want him found or not?," asked Edgar.
The cop bit his bottom lip, deeply contemplating on what to do. Finally, he stood up from his chair. "Follow me," he said. He led them into a large room filled with numerous chests, each one filled with stacks of different files. "Good luck finding what you're looking for in THIS mess," he said. "Also, you better not tell my superior about this or he'll have my ass." Without another word, he left the room to attend to the other people waiting in the lobby.
"...he was pleasant," Nancy said sarcastically. "Also, I'm impressed, Edgar. You're a lot more persuasive than I thought you were." "That's a required skill in my profession," said Edgar, smirking. "Now let's get to work. We already know what he looks like, so be on the lookout for his mugshot." The two of them immediately began searching through all the files, which turned out to be...well, as difficult as they expected. Since there were literally thousands of people living in the town, and as a result, thousands of files to sift through, finding the right one based on their memory of the man's appearance was almost impossible.
After about an hour of searching, Nancy was almost ready to give up. "This is hopeless," she sighed. "There's thousands of files in this room. We'll never find the right one." "I found it," said Edgar, holding out the file. "What?!," cried Nancy, grabbing the file from his hand and holding it close to her face. Sure enough, the photo on the file was identical to the man that Nancy remembered seeing drive that carriage. "But...how?!," she said in disbelief. "How were you able to find one single file among thousands of others?!" Edgar just shrugged.
Nancy sighed. "Well, at least we have the file now," she said. "Let's see what it says." After looking through the file, Nancy and Edgar finally had a grasp on what kind of character that man was. His real name was Anton Wilson. Apparently, he was convicted of arson as a child but was bailed out by his father, who ended up disowning him after some time. He was also under suspicion for breaking and entering, though he was never really convicted since the arson incident. A few police reports said that he had gone to a lawless place with no rules, where people could do whatever they wanted without fear of the consequences. It was also a place that was famous for its explosions and its ruler, Magnus the Rogue. The man who planned on abandoning the children in the woods was currently living in Boom Town.
"...Perhaps I should've delved a little deeper into his past before hiring him on the spot," said Edgar. Nancy facepalmed and sighed heavily. "Yes, I think you should have," she said. "But it's in the past. All that matters now is for us to get to Boom Town and find Anton before it's too late." Edgar nodded in agreement. "Hopefully, we'll get to him in time before he abandons the children, or we'll never find them again," he said. The two quickly ran out of the police station while taking the file with them. The cop at the front desk saw the file in Edgar's hand as they ran past him, but he was too exhausted to call them out. Nancy and Edgar traveled all the way to Boom Town through a rather expensive minecart system. It took them hours to get there, and during that time, Nancy grew more and more anxious for the children.
Boom Town, as they expected, was a nightmare. The place was filled with griefers running around and screaming randomly. They were throwing eggs and TNT at each other, which explained the numerous explosions that were going off around them. In the center of it all was a tall, imposing tower of obsidian, likely where their king, Magnus, resided in.
"This place is utter chaos," Nancy gasped, staring at the ruined town in shock. "Be very careful," said Edgar. "Griefers are known for their unpredictability." He took out Anton's file and read over it again. "It says here that Anton is very well known in Boom Town," he said. "The other griefers call him 'El Martillo' because of his profession as an undefeated boxer. They say that a single punch from him feels like being hit in the gut with a sledgehammer." "Alright, that's interesting to know," Nancy said impatiently. "But where is he right now?"
"He should be right...there," said Edgar, pointing at a nearby building. There was a crowd of people inside yelling and screaming their lungs out. They could also hear punching noises coming from inside the building. It wasn't difficult to piece together that there was a boxing match going on in there, and that one of the fighters had to be Anton Wilson.
Nancy and Edgar glanced at each other nervously, then slowly walked towards the building and went into it. There was a crowd of griefers cheering and booing at the same time, throwing gold ingots into the air, which fell back down and knocked some of the griefers unconscious. Edgar pulled Nancy out of the way just in time for a gold ingot to fall right where she had just stood. "That's him, alright," he said, pointing at two fighters punching each other inside a boxing ring in the middle of the crowd. Sure enough, Nancy immediately recognized one of the fighters as Anton Wilson, the man whose picture was on the file as well as the man who took the children away in his carriage. She knew that scruffy beard and fat belly.
And right now, Anton was absolutely dominating his opponent. He was relentlessly throwing punch after punch, not giving his opponent any time to recover. Each punch caused what sounded like a broken bone in the other man's body. Finally, Anton reared back his fist and landed a devastating blow at his opponent's temple. The other man was instantly knocked to the ground, a pool of blood forming around his head. He did not get back up.
"Did...did he just…?" Nancy felt like she was going to throw up. Meanwhile, half of the crowd cheered while the other half booed. They didn't see this as the tragic death of one of their own kin. Instead, they just saw the whole thing as a game. "Yeah!," Anton roared, flexing his large muscles, which contrasted harshly with his bulging belly. "That's what I'm talking about! Tell me, who am I?!" "El Martillo!," the crowd answered. "El Martillo! El Martillo!"
Anton soaked up the attention like a sponge. "Yeah, El Martillo! The Hammer! I'm the best fighter the world has ever seen, even better than all YOU bozos!" Most of the crowd started booing at him. "Oh, shut the hell up, all of you!," Anton yelled. "Why don't you get in the ring and say it to my face?! I'll fight anyone, anytime!" That was enough to shut them up, though they still glared at him silently. Anton grinned and began egging them on. "C'mon, what are you, a bunch of pussies? None of you wanna go head to head with El Martillo in the ring?"
"I will!," Nancy declared, raising her hand. She wasn't sure what got into her, but she wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug smile off Anton's face. Edgar quickly pulled her arm down roughly. "What are you doing?!," he hissed. "You're going to get us killed!" However, it was already too late. "Well, look what we have here!," he crowed. "A prissy old lady and her little boyfriend! You both wanna get beaten into the dirt like that last guy?" He began to laugh loudly, causing most of the crowd to do the same. Nancy narrowed her eyes in anger.
"You may be a grown man," she growled, "but still a child on the inside. And I know exactly how to deal with children." At first, there was only silence in the room. Anton narrowed his eyes at the woman who dared to talk back to him like that. Edgar's face was in his hands in abject mortification. Everyone else was gaping at her in either shock or amusement. Finally, Anton reared his head back and let out a mocking laugh. The entire crowd followed suit, either out of fear or genuine amusement. "You think you can take me on?," asked Anton, wiping a tear from his eye due to laughing so hard. "I'll admit, you've got more balls than anyone else in this room. I can respect that. So I'll give you one more chance to leave. Take your little boyfriend and get out of here while you still can. I won't waste any more of my time with you."
Nancy rolled her eyes. "First of all, Edgar is NOT my boyfriend." She could've sworn she heard Edgar let out a sigh of relief and whisper, "Thank god" to himself, and wasn't sure whether or not she should take offense to that. "And second of all, I am not going anywhere. Not until you tell me where you've taken the children!" "Children?," Anton snorted. "What the hell are you talking about, lady?" He squinted his eyes at her. "Wait a minute...I recognize you! You're that old lady who was taking too long when I was going to pick up those orphans." He grinned nonchalantly. "Relax, those brats are in good hands. I already told you I'd send them to another orphanage, didn't I?" "That's a lie, and you know it," Nancy retorted, taking out Anton's to-do list and holding it up in the air. "Recognize this?" Anton stared at the list in shock, then quickly patted himself down before realizing that the list wasn't on him. He glared at her.
"You sneaky little thief!," he growled, not knowing that Nancy just happened upon that list by chance. "Well, I'm more than willing to teach you what happens to thieves here in Boom Town! Come up here and face me! If you beat me, I'll tell you where the children are! Or are you scared?" Nancy was nonplussed by that insult. She'd heard five year olds spout out much more inappropriate things in her career. She was about to accept the challenge when Edgar suddenly grabbed her arm roughly. "Nancy, this is insane!," he whispered harshly, his normally calm exterior beginning to crack. "You've just seen that man crack someone's skull! You don't stand a chance against him!" Nancy gently took Edgar's wrist and removed his grip from her arm. "Trust me," she said. Not an ounce of nervousness or fear could be heard in her voice.
Then, she walked through the crowd and entered the boxing ring. Anton was sitting on a stool in the corner of the ring with a towel around his shoulders. A lean and skinny boy was also at the corner, holding a bucket of water that Anton was casually sipping from. The boy looked to be about ten or eleven years old. He wore oversized clothes and had a red mohawk. The boy was grinning eagerly. "Knock her dead, dad!," he said excitedly. "Give her the ol' one-two!" Anton wiped his mouth and smirked. "Oh, I plan on it, Ghost." He stood up and moved his neck around, making cracking sounds. "Watch and learn, son. I'll quiz you on this later."
As Edgar watched the spectacle, he overheard two griefers talking to each other. "What do you think's gonna happen?," one of them asked. The other one chuckled. "El Martillo's gonna eat her alive, that's what. Heh, she's got a hot ass, at least." Edgar felt his hands clenched into fists. The worst part was that he couldn't bring himself to disagree with them.
...on the part that she'd lose, not the latter! Damn it, why's he getting a nosebleed now?
As Anton and Nancy walked towards each other in the ring, Anton noticed that Nancy was not showing any signs of fear. That's strange. She DID just see him crack his opponent's skull with his bare fists, right? "You're looking pretty cocky right now," he said. "Let me make something clear first. I'm not gonna hold back just because you're a woman. I could've killed you when we first met, but I didn't 'cause I didn't need any more charges set against me than necessary. But we're in Boom Town now. And in Boom Town...there are no rules." He rolled his eyes. "Except no eye poking, which is a stupid rule, by the way. Makes no sense."
Instead of responding, Nancy shifted into a combat stance, which surprised everyone else in the room. She didn't appear to be the fighting type, to say the least. "Not gonna say anything, huh?," Anton teased. "Yeah, I have that effect on people. It's okay to be intimidated. I'll just make this quick for y-" Before he could finish his sentence, Nancy rushed towards him and punched him right in the nose, making him stagger back in pain.
There was nothing but silence everywhere. The entire crowd, including Edgar and Ghost, was gobsmacked by what they saw. Not only did they just witness Anton's opponent landing the first punch, which almost never happened, but it was actually powerful enough to break his nose and make blood gush out of his nostrils. Anton slowly wiped his nose and stared at the blood on his hand, as though he was unsure on what to make of it. It was finally Ghost who broke the silence. "Come on, dad!," he yelled. "Break every bone in her body!"
That was enough to snap Anton out of his trance. He glared at Nancy with hatred. "You just made the biggest mistake of your life, bitch," he growled. Instead of responding, Nancy held out her hand and made a "come on" gesture. Anton roared in fury and ran towards her, throwing a flurry of punches in her direction. Surprisingly, Nancy was able to dodge most of them and throw a second punch at Anton, but this time, he was ready for it and blocked the punch with his forearm. Anton retaliated by grabbing Nancy's outstretched arm and flinging her from side to side like a rag doll. Fortunately, Nancy was able to catch her footing and twist her arm out of Anton's grip. Then, she began kicking at Anton's feet, forcing him back.
By now, the crowd had snapped out of their trance and began to cheer. Edgar could only stare at Nancy in shock, obviously wondering why she wasn't dead yet. Unfortunately for Nancy, the tables were quickly turned. Once Anton was cornered into the side of the ring, he suddenly grabbed Nancy's arms and tossed her into the ropes while spinning around her. With Nancy now trapped at the sidelines, Anton began throwing a wild flurry of punches at her, and this time, she was unable to dodge. All she could do was protect herself with her forearms.
Finally, Anton saw an opportunity to land a solid hit on her, and he quickly took it. He reared his arm downwards and landed an uppercut on Nancy's elbow, forcing her arm to move up. With the side of her face now exposed, Anton reared back his other fist and punched Nancy in the face as hard as he could. It turned out that Anton was not called "El Martillo" for nothing. The blow was enough to send Nancy flying through the ropes, snapping them in the process, before landing on some unfortunate griefers that thankfully broke her fall.
"Aw, yeah!," Anton cheered, flexing his muscles. "That's how it's done!" "Way to go, dad!," Ghost cheered, pumping his fist in the air. "I knew you could beat her up!" Edgar shoved his way through the crowd until he reached Nancy, whose face was entirely bruised on the left side. "Nancy, are you alright?!," he cried. The only thing that came out of Nancy's mouth were unintelligible noises. Her eyes were glazed over. She was in no condition to fight.
"Damn it, this was not supposed to happen," Edgar groaned. "We were only supposed to talk to him, not fight him! What in the world were you thinking, Nancy?!" Nancy gazed up at him blearily. "I need...to find...the children…," she whispered hoarsely. "Well this has gone on for too long!," said Edgar. "I'm throwing in the towel. We're getting out of Boom Town immediately." "No," Nancy croaked, grabbing Edgar's sleeve. "I can...do this...I can...beat him…"
"If you keep this up, you'll die!," Edgar argued. "Face it, this is not a battle you can win! You're going to lose!" Nancy shakily got back to her feet, still dizzy from Anton's punch. She pushed Edgar out of the way and slowly got back into the boxing ring. Needless to say, Anton was taken aback by her determination. "What the hell are you doing?," he asked. "You lost! I beat you!" Nancy held up her fists and gave Anton a determined glare. "Another round," she said. Everyone in the room was shocked into silence. They just saw her receive a punch from the undefeated boxing champion of Boom Town, yet she was still willing to continue fighting. Anton laughed mockingly, even though he was starting to grow uncertain on the inside. "Well who am I to refuse a lady's request?," he asked. "If it's another round you want, then it's another round you'll get! Come on!" "She doesn't want another round!," Edgar hollered over the crowd's cheers. "She doesn't know what she's talking about!" "Aw, shut up, nerd!," a nearby griefer snapped at him, shoving him backwards. "We wanna watch them fight!"
The two combatants got into their combat stances again. Anton tried throwing a fake punch in order to scare Nancy into surrendering, but Nancy wasn't fooled. Instead, she spun around and performed a devastating roundhouse kick, her foot connecting with Anton's face. Anton staggered back in pain, his face now just as bruised as Nancy's. "Dad, are you okay?!," cried Ghost. "I'm fine, son!," Anton growled. "Just need to put this bitch in her place!"
Contrary to what he said, Anton was not fine at all. That roundhouse kick was more powerful than he had expected, almost rivalling one of his punches. The side of his face was screaming in pain and he felt slightly dizzy from the blow to his temple. But he wasn't going to admit defeat so soon. He ran towards Nancy and tried to overwhelm her with a combo of punches, but she was able to dodge every single one of them, despite suffering a massive headache from that earlier blow. Nancy ducked under one of Anton's punches and began hitting him in the ribs. Anton fought through the pain and picked up Nancy with both of his arms, then slammed her onto the floor. Her screams of pain filled the entire building.
"NO!," Edgar roared, jumping into the boxing ring. Anton turned to face his new opponent with a cocky smile. "You're the guy who hired me to pick up those kids," he said. "I didn't think a lawyer of all people would care about others besides themselves." Edgar ran towards Anton with a loud yell, throwing his caution to the wind. But unlike Nancy, the lawyer didn't have any secret combat skills, which made him an easy match for Anton. Anton smirked and grabbed the front of Edgar's suit, then tossed him back like he was handling a small child. Edgar ended up crashing into the corner of the boxing ring, and was quickly restrained by Ghost, who turned out to be very strong for his age. "You mess with my dad, you mess with me!," said Ghost, keeping Edgar in a hold that was nearly impossible to escape from.
Knowing that the little nuisance was now being dealt with, Anton turned his attention back to Nancy, who was lying on the floor while groaning in pain. "Aw, what's the matter, lady?," he asked in a mocking tone. "You were so eager to kick my ass earlier. Come on, this can't be all you've got. Get up and fight me!" Nancy gritted her teeth and tried to get up, but collapsed from the effort, too injured to do anything. Anton laughed and faced the crowd, gesturing to Nancy. "You see that?," he said. "That's what happens to people who mess with El Martillo in the ring! You mess with me, you get the hammer!" The crowd began to chant, "El Martillo! El Martillo! El Martillo!" over and over again, while also booing and mocking Nancy.
As Anton glanced at Edgar, who was struggling to free himself from Ghost's grip, a nasty idea formed in his head. "You know what I hate the most?," he asked, addressing the crowd. "When newcomers arrive at our town and turn their noses up at us, like we're beneath them! Don't you hate that as much as I do?" The crowd cheered and nodded in assent. "Well I for one am sick and tired of their fucking arrogance!," Anton continued, goading them on. "I say we teach them why nobody messes with the people of Boom Town!" He pointed at Edgar. "Starting with him! Son, you know what to do!" Ghost grinned and tossed Edgar out of the ring, landing amidst the crowd of angry griefers. "Here's some fresh meat for all of you! Go crazy!"
The griefers crowded around Edgar, cutting off any chance for him to escape, and cracked their knuckles in anticipation. Anton chuckled and turned back to Nancy, who was still laying on the ground in pain. He smirked and walked over to her, then bent down and grabbed her by the hair, roughly pulling her head up so he could look her in the eye. "You never stood a chance against me, bitch," he whispered into her ear. "But since you gave me a good workout, I'll tell you where those brats are." Nancy's eyes slightly widened. Anton grinned. Oh, he was going to enjoy this. "I already dumped them in the woods," he whispered, feeling a sense of glee upon seeing Nancy's face contort into an expression of horror. "Not only that, it was a location that I totally picked at random, so even I don't know where they are right now. How does it feel to realize that you came all this way for nothing?" He let go of her hair, causing her to faceplant to the ground. Anton stood up and casually stretched his arms to work out the kinks in his muscles. "It's a shame too. Those kids were so young, but hey, people die all over the world. I just hope the mobs that come out at night give them a quick death."
"W-why?," Nancy whispered. "Uh, because I can't be bothered?," said Anton. "Because I've got better things to do than waste my time transporting some orphans that nobody wants? Take your pick. Anyway, what are you gonna do now?" "...I think…," said Nancy, slowly getting back up. She raised her fists once again. "...I think I'll ask for another round."
For the third or fourth time, the entire room grew silent. The griefers who were about to pummel Edgar into a pulp stopped what they were doing and stared at Nancy, the woman who took two consecutive beatings from the boxing champion of Boom Town and still got back up. Even Anton and Ghost were lost for words. Anton tried laughing it off, though he was starting to get nervous. None of his opponents had ever lasted this long before. "Ha ha ha! Wow, you're just begging for me to kill you right now. Did that last punch rattle your brains or something? You wanna go a third round with ME?" Nancy gave Anton a piercing glare that made his heart stop. "I will beat your sorry ass into the dirt, you rotten little CHILD MURDERER," she growled.
Anton's face turned red with fury. He ran towards Nancy with a roar, ready to tear her to pieces with his bare hands. In one fluid motion, Nancy dodged to the side, grabbed Anton's arm, wrenched it behind his back, and kicked the back of his legs. Using his free hand, Anton reached behind him and grabbed Nancy's throat in an effort to choke her. It worked. Nancy let go of Anton's arm and began clawing at his hand to free herself from his suffocating grip. Anton grinned and continued squeezing her throat tighter. When it became clear that Nancy was not going to overpower him, she reached out and stabbed her thumbs into Anton's eyes.
Anton screamed and let go, allowing Nancy to kick him right in the stomach, sending him flying back. Anton's eyes were now bloodshot and tears were streaming from them. He could no longer see anything more than two feet away, which was the advantage that Nancy needed. As Nancy began attacking with a flurry of her own punches, the crowd watched her in awe, not caring that she had just broken their one rule of eye poking. Anton, sensing that he was being attacked, tried dodging and punching back, but his impaired vision made him miss every time. Finally, Nancy reared back her fist and punched Anton directly in his throat.
Anton's eyes practically bulged out of his skull. His face turned purple as he gasped for breath. Then, he lost his footing and collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving up and down rapidly. He was now severely injured and possibly had his throat permanently damaged, but he'll live. Nancy stared at Anton lying on the floor, taking in deep breaths of air.
Suddenly, the entire room was filled with shouts and cheers. Instead of "El Martillo" like before, they began chanting, "Nancy! Nancy! Nancy!" repeatedly. Ghost jumped over the ropes and ran over to his unconscious father, checking his vital signs. He sent a fierce glare at Nancy before dragging Anton out of the ring. Nancy suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and exhaustion wash over her. Edgar entered the ring just as Nancy collapsed to the ground and stood over her in concern. "Nancy, are you alright?," he asked. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
However, Nancy was unable to give an answer before exhaustion took over and she blacked out, the muffled cheers from the crowd echoing in her ears.
When she came to, she found herself lying in a cot on the ground. She groaned tiredly and slowly sat up, observing her surroundings. It wasn't long before she realized that she was still in the same building where the boxing match took place, but this time, the room was completely empty. She looked to her left and saw a pitcher of water and a loaf of bread sitting next to her. Thirst and hunger overtook her and she began devouring the bread before washing it down with the water. Once she was finished, she finally noticed the note lying next to her on the ground. She picked it up and began to read it. "Dear Nancy, this is Edgar…"
Nancy's eyes widened in realization. She forgot about Edgar! "Edgar?," she croaked out, her throat feeling like sandpaper. She cleared her throat. "Edgar?!" But there was no response. Nancy began to feel a sense of dread. Did the griefers do something to him while she was unconscious? Where could he have gone? She continued reading the note.
"If you're reading this, then you've been unconscious for more than a day. The griefers allowed you to rest and get your strength back in peace. You've given them quite the show yesterday - and given me quite the heart attack - and as a result, you've gained their respect. Also, be on the lookout for any people in Boom Town who want you to write them autographs. I heard even Magnus was impressed and wanted to meet you personally." Nancy blinked in surprise. So everyone in Boom Town, including the king, knew about her now? She wasn't sure what to think of that. "As for the children...I've already heard what happened. I'm deeply sorry that we came here for nothing. Just know that none of it is your fault. I will not have you blaming yourself for something you had no control over." Nancy felt tears welling up in her eyes. If Anton really had dumped the children in the woods like he said he did, then finding them now would be impossible, especially after a whole day of them wandering around aimlessly.
"And as for where I am, well...I've already left Boom Town." Nancy gasped at what she read. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't stay by your side forever. I was supposed to meet with another client in Redstonia two days ago. She was kind enough to allow me some leeway, but I can't hold the meeting off anymore. I'm sorry, Nancy, but I might not be coming back." Nancy stopped reading for a moment and covered her face with her hands. It was astonishing how fast she warmed up to the lawyer. At first, she just wanted him to leave her alone and never come back, but now, she really misses him. I guess it goes to show that one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, she thought, then continued reading. "I was never good at being sentimental, so I'll just be blunt. You are an idiot. An amazing and beautiful idiot, but still an idiot. If I were here right now, I'd probably shake you and scream about what an idiot you are to challenge Anton to a fight. That will be all. Sincerely, Edgar Fitzgerald. P.S. If we ever meet again, could you teach me some of those moves you demonstrated in the ring? And perhaps you would like to meet my son, Radar? He'd be thrilled to meet the woman who saved his father's life."
Nancy wiped her eyes and sighed. Nowadays, it seemed like everybody was leaving her. First James, then the children, then Reginald, and now Edgar. In that moment, she felt just like Alex right after her friends, Aiden, Maya, and Gill were adopted instead of her. That poor girl… What could she be going through right now, lost in the woods, cold, hungry, and scared? And the other children…? Still, Nancy refused to give up. Once she leaves Boom Town, she is going to find the children and bring them back, no matter how long it takes, no matter how "impossible" it sounds, no matter how difficult it will be. She will find them...