Just leave him alone to die in here.
Stupid InvisiBilly. Stupid… Scarah.
Jackson frowned, regretful of that thought.
Scarah wasn't stupid… she was just trying to help.
It was InvisiBilly's dumb idea, and he was the one that abandoned him. At the same time he choose his ghoul over him, and Jackson couldn't really blame him.
Well he could, but it made it more excusable.
Jackson held his head leaning up against the cabinet in whatever class this was. Ge-ogre-phy? There was a map on the wall. That could mean anything. It was science hall, so probably not.
Migraine cutting into his brain from another experiment gone wrong. He put his head down hoping it'd go away, at least the classroom was dark but.
Music trigger...
Whining as he tried to turn his music down as much as he could just getting uncomfortable as he teetered on the edge of transforming again.
Then again…
Pulling out a sharpie, and scribbling on his hand.
you deal with it
He had to last time after all…
Letting out a breath as he grabbed Holt's headphones and tossed them a couple of feet away.
"Ah!" he stiffened up, it for some reason not coming immediately. Like a sore muscle refusing to flex after straining itself. Getting hotter and hotter like he was resisting, only he wasn't. He welcomed the change. Even if it felt like he was on fire.
Wait, no he was. On the rare occasion seeing his body actually in flame before he blacked out.
Holt woke up with his face to the ground. Squinting at a killer headache hitting his brain like a train. Feeling…
Sore…
All over. Pushing himself up and trying to shrug off the full body ache.
His neck felt naked and he spotted his red headphones on the floor still buzzing with music that he shut off with a frown. Ticked off at Jackson for tossing his property.
What happened. Unless Jackson got really hammered somehow… in the middle of the school day. Wait.
Dark classroom, quiet school. He quickly double checked the time on his iCoffin, losing less time than he thought, though with this headache it would have been more of a relief if it was like 5 or 6 instead of lunch period.
He gave up on the perpetual question of where he was or why he was there, noting his hand was mildly sticky with ink again.
Seeing Jackson's message and squinting at it.
What did Jackson do?!
Whatever it was, was his responsibility, sliding the headphones back up his ears and starting the music at low volume, it pounding into his head like a knife. He slowly started to raise the volume bearing it through to try and get to transform.
As the prickling sensation started, he was overwhelmed with nausea and chills. Wincing he pulled the headphones back down, shaking, feeling sick.
Something telling him he maybe didn't want to transform right now… or possibly couldn't.
Forcing it maybe wasn't the most comfortable thing to do at the moment….
The last thing he remembered was Frankie wanting to talk to Jackson, then.
He felt like there was something more, only getting a sharp white flash and another intense pain in his head.
Sitting up slowly, body shivering again.
Ok… Frankie wanting to talk to Jackson then…
Preferring not to recall whatever came next because it was just making his headache worse.
Turning off the music again.
Putting his hand on the cabinet behind him. Easing himself slowly up, another white flash and he was sitting again. It was like he could barely see straight. Crawling over to the desks he grabbed one and slowly pushed himself up onto it. Head heavy with vertigo.
Still not sure why exactly.
Theorizing maybe they were sick again. Or… after effects from the experiment.
Whenever he thought too hard about it though it just made him sicker. Trying to remember just making pain shoot through his brain.
So he tried not to think about it.
He had rolled with stranger situations.
Either way, that dork was going to be in for some serious payback for making him go through this.
Making it to the door, the hallway thankfully empty.
Taking a breath. Had to buck up.
InvisiBilly was nearly to the door when it opened, a tired looking Jackson stumbling out. Well. He knew better now, it wasn't actually Jackson. Which he still had trouble wrapping his head around. Because when he looked at him, the word Holt, did not come to mind. Though he had his glasses off.
That's what Frankie must have been picking up on.
Well now he felt bad for asking her to look out for suspicious behavior. He wondered if there was a way to retract his earlier investigations.
Getting closer to Holt he made a face. The brief glimpse during Scarah's accidental summoning hadn't given him enough time to notice that… he was covered in blood.
Well not really covered more like, all over his shirt. Dark brownish stains all over his yellow shirt. He wondered where his sweater vest went.
"Oh my ghoul, what happened to you?" InvisiBilly asked loudly.
Holt grabbed a locker turning to face him startled.
InvisiBilly blinked. "Oh." appearing and adjusting his beanie.
"What do you mean?" Holt asked using Jackson's voice still, putting on glasses hanging from a shirt pocket, hurriedly.
…Did he not know?
Thinking back, he was invisible any time Holt had appeared in that room. And he knew Jackson and him had terrible communication skills with eachother.
This seemed like the kind of news Jackson would make sure he knew though.
Unless he was deliberately hiding it from him for some reason?
"I know you go to a monster school but you probably shouldn't be walking around with a shirt covered in blood. I mean you're vampire bait already." InvisiBilly explained, pointing it out. Reminded him of ketchup and mustard.
Holt looked down at himself, "Oh dude, gross."
That was totally Holt's voice, how did he not notice this whole thing sooner?
They were awful at this.
InvisiBilly faded as soon as Holt wasn't looking. It was always a conscious effort to stay visible so unless he was holding someone's attention he would just fade back to natural.
Right now Holt was looking in his bag for something.
Muttering something about how he would never understand how their clothing worked.
Then pulled out a sweater vest that looked similar to the one Jackson always wore but different, less colorful, just black and white checkerboard. Squinting at it surprised like it was in his bag. Then pulling it on to cover up his Home Ick mess.
Forcing a smile to InvisiBilly. Which was also a sign. Jackson didn't smile as much as Holt did.
"Also odd question. Can I talk to Holt?" InvisiBilly asked sort of slowly. Wanting to get the go ahead from Jackson to tell Holt all he knew about their current state.
After all, Jackson didn't say anything to Holt for some reason, so maybe he was witholding information?
"Nope." he responded kind of fast.
InvisiBilly wondered if something else was up. "Ok maybe I'll see you later?"
"Sure." Holt began walking before he stumbled and doubled over suddenly hissing and holding his head.
InvisiBilly made sure he was visible before bolting over to help. "Geez are you ok?"
Holt pushed him away. "Fine."
InvisiBilly rolled his eyes force helping him up before Holt shoved him again.
"Just a headache. It's nothing." he seemed eager to get rid of InvisiBilly. Though they never really had been friends. He kind of knew him. Knew Jackson a bit more.
Holt wasn't always around though, and was so bright and loud. InvisiBilly prefered to disappear on most scenes. Rather, couldn't help but. Even if he wanted to get the attention of the DJ at a party or something, as soon as the spotlight was on him he'd fade.
Also this was his fault. Again.
Helping him get drugs and now he'd gone and screwed up their brains or something.
Holt stared at him squinting like he was unsure if it was his vision or InvisiBilly's translucent bad habits. The invisible boy tried to solidify for Mr. Hyde's sake.
"If you let me talk to Holt you wouldn't have to deal with this migraine?" he suggested trying again.
Holt actually laughed, in a very unJacksonlike way "I guess he had the same idea…"
InvisiBilly actually gave that one some thought "I would think it was the music. That's gotta agitate something like that?"
Holt blinked with a slightly masked face of realisation "Naw, that makes too much sense."
Though acted like he didn't know why he had a headache.
How much did he remember anyway, what all the Scarah screw up. Hopefully it was just a migraine.
"Hey Hol-...ey moleey, it's really close to passing period." InvisiBilly started, biting his lip as he realised what he'd just slipped. It probably wasn't a secret. He was just spending so much mental energy thinking of this guy as Holt it kinda just.
"What did you say?"
A little too much knowing in that voice. "Haa." he punched Holt's arm "Sorry, uh almost called you Holt there. I know how much you hate it when I get you guys mixed up."
Holt didn't look convinced.
InvisiBilly opened his mouth to explain, feeling too bad to lie any longer.
"I know you're actually Holt…" he hurriedly squeaked out.
InvisiBilly's guilt increased as his friend almost fell over, going to support him.
"I said let go." he nearly growled "I don't need any fainting couch, yo."
Holt voice. He didn't seem to care as much as Jackson did.
"News hit you that hard?" InvisiBilly cracked.
"I keep getting white flashes. Know why?" at least he was connecting that something important happened when he was out.
InvisiBilly clenched his jaw and swallowed. "Scarah figured out the whole… situation. Well I mean we both did, she just confirmed it. You two are really really awful actors you know?"
"We aren't all related to drama teachers." then cringed. InvisiBilly supporting him as the bell rang like a jackhammer to his brain.
Holding on and disappearing as Holt struggled to shake him. "Where's your next class?"
"Mad Science."
InvisiBilly started pushing him in that direction, no one emerging from the classrooms, lunch traffic starting to trickle into adjoining halls.
"Dude why are you-"
"I don't want you to fall over or something idiot." InvisiBilly let go though at his request. Hovering undetected. Though Holt started to slow down looking at the classrooms.
InvisiBilly rolled his eyes again and kept giving him shoulder shoves in the right direction. "The one we stole chemicals from."
"That was mostly you and the dweeb."
Silence as they arrived at said class, tried the door, then waited by the adjacent locker.
"I knew someone would catch us sooner or later." Holt looked around at the mostly empty hallway, no time to try and grab whatever it was Jackson still needed. "I mean I'm awesome at all this, but Jackson can't even do my voice right, dude."
"I don't think you could have hidden from Scarah either."
"Guess we'll never get to know. Did she brain blast us or something?"
Wow he really didn't remember…
"She tried to see if she could fix you."
Holt stiffened up "Oh. Haha guess it didn't work?" he hissed rubbing his head again, looking anxiously at the louder and louder hallway. InvisiBilly wondered if he ever wanted to be the quiet one.
"She got a headache from it too if it's any consolation."
"Any news on when it'll go away?"
InvisiBilly shook his head until he realised no one could see him. "No."
Holt grinned in his general direction tugging at his bowtie and switching to a dramatically Jackson voice "And what do you think about the new look~?"
"Oh yeah really suits you, I always thought you should take styling tips from Jackson."
"Shut up." he grumbled shoving at air as InvisiBilly slid out of the way. "Don't you have your own class to get to?"
"They won't notice I'm tardy." looking at Holt. Really taking a moment to look at him. His posture was even different. He fidgeted and looked around at things more. Wasn't complaining either. Jackson would have been whining the whole time. Gave InvisiBilly weird thoughts about Holt being actual MPD, if Jackson never transformed physically and just mentally.
"I kind of have a free pass on the whole attendance thing since they screw up so much." he continued.
Holt was looking around at how the halls were getting more students, switching back to his Jackson impression for the sake of safety "You guys aren't telling anyone neither right?" he confirmed "After last Halloween I'm not taking any more chances with that sort of thing if I can help it."
"No, Scarah knows I'd probably get in trouble too for helping you two." InvisiBilly started "So you have some insurance. If someone else figures it out though, don't drag me into this…" Which reminded him.
"I think Frankie's suspicious too."
"Yeah she thinks I have a concussion."
"Well not too far off." Almost time to go InvisiBilly chimed in a couple of last thoughts "Have you been holding up ok like this?"
Holt clenched his jaw suddenly looking more pissed than anything. He was usually so loud and cheerful, InvisiBilly could forget he could get really hot headed.
"It's not me and I don't like it." he just answered curtly, scratching as his long sleeves like he was in a straight jacket.
InvisiBilly swallowed "K well… gonna go to class." he excused himself "Don't pass out in class or anything stupid."
Holt grimaced at InvisiBilly "Cool. See ya. Or not. Or whatever…"
He took that as his cue to leave his dual natured friend alone, and make his usual hallway dodge to class. Forcing visibility best he could for the moment.
That dude had issues.
Jackson seemed more flustered by this.
He thought about angry Holt staring at his reflection the other day and how often he'd been observing them, rethinking some of all this with the new information.
Though he supposed it could have been similar to rubbing baby powder on himself when he was a kid to try and see what he really looked like uninvisible.
Sometimes he just needed to see himself for real to remind himself he existed.
Drifting to their seat he put his head down immediately. Head hurting too much to care or listen to anything important as the classroom set up.
Until.
"Jackson. Jackson. Jackson."
A super heated hand ruffling his bangs and pulling his head up teasingly.
"Where were you during lunch?"
Holt shrugged, usually down to wreak havoc with Heath but right now his voice was like a knife to his brain.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
Holt opted for sarcasm "Well cous'. Don't know if you've noticed but there are big blocks of my life. Where I have no idea what went on." he smiled.
Heath looked nearly dumbfounded like he legitimately forgot "Right."
Holt took the opportunity to put his head back down.
"Are you ok?" Heath asked "You look. Kind of hung over." The sound in his voice suggested he was half joking but was also concerned with that being a possibility. "And if you are I want to know why I wasn't invited to the party."
"Large chunks. No memory of." he muffley replied.
"So is that a: yes, you are hung over, then?" Heath asked "Or a: no of course not, out of the question"
"Pretty sure it's not that." he tilted his head to smile at his fire elemental family. Then smooshed a hand though Heath's own hair jerking it away as he caught fire by surprise. Having messed it up in revenge.
Heath whined and went to smooth it back, while Holt noted a particular scent in the room.
Looking up around reflexively, but no Frankie.
Settling on a table with class supplies, a lot of animals in jars and such. Different source of formaldehyde. Disappoint.
Leaning back on his arms as he watched Heath burn snowflake shapes into the table. Mr. Hack starting class or something.
Maybe he couldn't black out to Jackson at the moment but he could check-out a different way. Willingly getting comfortable on Jackson's cotton sleeves and putting his head down until he needed to actually do something.
"Jackson. Jackson. Jackson"
What a persistent headache.
Wait no it was just his cousin.
He turned to look at Heath who was looking worriedly at the other students getting up and crowding the table of jars he was looking at before.
"Should we be getting stuff?"
"You tell me" Holt yawned, sticking Jackson's glasses back on habitually.
"Aw man you're supposed to be the one paying attention why do you think I sit next to you?"
"Because you're my cousin and you love me."
"Because if I fail this class, dad's gonna hose me down or something…" Then suddenly got up following all the other students to get supplies for the lab they were doing.
Returning with several jars of dead animals and plopping down a fresher looking dead frog on their desk, along with a small binder on the lab they were doing.
This school sure had a steady supply of dead animals…
"Oh I almost forgot" he ran up, glancing at other students, coming back again with a car battery, jumper cables, a box of something else, sewing supplies maybe, and a couple of bolts.
Holt caught a bolt before it rolled off the table.
"Wait." he looked at the other kids setting up. Some frantically looking through the complicated process in the binder. Taking in the smell of formaldehyde going off in the classroom as other kids opened their jars.
"This is a Frankie lab."
"What?" Heath was scratching his head at a section of the binder explaining simple electricity resistance.
He smiled, the smell sort of soothing his migraine instead of agitating it. Just needed that perfume Frankie used to cover it up…
"Heath you don't get it. I can actually do this." he grinned excitedly. Of all the things. All the stupid Jackson things he'd been expected to do lately. Freakin' finally.
Obsessing over a dead girl finally had some benefits. Well there was their Sunday date... that was a benefit so far. He really couldn't get over this smell in the room though, it was making him think of her too much.
But not in a bad way.
Getting back to work.
He wasn't sure how the frog was killed but half of it's head was squished in and missing an eye, a couple of it's legs seemed twisted oddly like they were broken. And who knew what other damage it was kind of dented.
His headache made him twitch. Reminding himself to punch the nerd later or something.
He looked back at his class subject.
Briefly wondering if it was possible to give it laser vision.
Ghoulia would know.
But she looked busy with Cleo; her Princess making faces at various dead animals presented to her, trying to find one to suit her refined tastes.
"Jackson it's leg's all messed up"
"Sweet! We can probably give talons or something." Holt turned back to the lab, snapping back into reality with a grin trying not to think too hard about his killer headache that kept crawing back.
"Oh!" Heath fumbled through the body parts excitedly, pulling out a clawed paw from some unknown beast before it spontaneously combusted in his hand.
Ashes spilled on the table.
Holt tapped the table in rapid succession, while Heath guiltily looked for a different replacement part.
Holt grabbed a scalpel and started cutting into the messed up leg, tired of waiting around.
"Hey shouldn't we like figure out what we're replacing it with before you cut it?" Heath set down a dead rat watching his cousin saw away at the thing.
Holt shrugged popping off the bad piece and tossing it behind him. Followed by a squeal and a thumping noise.
He peeked to see a pink vampire getting fanned by a decidedly concerned looking steam-powered bronze classmate.
He slowly turned back to his lab, nonchalant.
Grabbing a tentacle out of Heath's hand and lining it up to the frog starting to sew it up. Heath gave him this weird squint. Either squicked out, or concerned over his obsession for stitched up green girls.
"What?"
"Nothing." Heath started flipping through the lab binder again. Then pursed his lips "Didn't know you were such a girl, Mrs. Seamstress"
"You were the one watching Next Top Monster the other night."
"It was the finale and Clawd watches it too, shut up."
Holt kicked Heath's leg.
Heath kicked lightly back.
Then Holt sliced open the dead frog's belly.
Heath surprisingly flamed up, almost grabbing Holt's wrist "Woahh! What are you doing? Aren't we supposed to be fixing it?"
"I am" Probably. "It's insides are messed up too, like look."
Heath looked into the frog insides, looked like guts. "I don't see anything wrong with the insides."
"Well I had to check right?" he looked at it too. Not sure what frog insides were supposed to look like. "Seems good." Ignoring his previous statement.
"Ok Dr. Jekyll" Heath held up air quotes.
"Oh ew, don't call me that." Holt quipped back making a face at the name that just rang his mom. Stitching it back up. Even if something was wrong not like he'd know. Then flipped it over. "This frog doesn't have any ears."
"Frogs don't have ears, genius."
"What. No. They do. I'm the smart one. I mean... " did Crossfade have ears? He couldn't remember.
"How else would it hear?"
"Woah I guess that's a good point. I wonder how it lost them?"
"We should give it new ears then. Like bats are good at hearing stuff right? We'll give it super hearing." he pulled a bat head out of a jar and snipped off it's ears quickly adding them to their creation. Then with an after thought pried it's fangs out. Jamming them into his frog's mouth. One fell out, but he decided it looked better that way.
"Yeah see we're pretty much almost done." Holt declared holding up their lab. Then cutting the other leg off with scissors.
"There was nothing wrong with that leg, dude." Heath pointed at the newly amputated part.
"Oh. Right." he began sewing it back on. Then tried to change the subject "We should name this little dude."
"Oh! Uh… Heath Jr.!" Heath excitely suggested.
"What! No. Holt Jr." he sort of automatically responded
Heath opened his mouth. Then closed it squinting again. "Uh. Dude. Why Holt Jr.? Exactly?"
"Oh."Holt paused trying to think of something Jackson would say "It's… ugly like him."
Heath got quiet "Holt has the same face at you…"
"Are you calling me ugly?"
"No just that he's just you but blue. And you know. Cooler."
Glad to know his cousin always had his back.
Noticing something else wrong, it's middle eye kind of squished and blackish. He began to pry it out with the scalpel "Do we have any spare eyes?"
Heath went through their dead selection. Then looked at the far away but cleared out desk that used to have spare parts. "Oh!" he started digging in his bag excitedly. Pulling out a bag of sugar eyeballs. Popping one in his mouth before passing one to Holt.
"That'll work." it was like the right size too. Just not really frog eye colors. A bit out of place but no one had to notice, as he squeezed it in, stitching parts of it for extra security.
"How do we put the bolts in?" Heath asked completely ignoring their assigned binder at this point.
Holt grabbed the bolts. Then gouged a couple of holes in it's neck and crammed them in. "Done." he declared.
"I don't think that's gonna work…"
Holt looked mildly offended "Whaaat. Of course it will." As he spoke a bolt fell off and rolled into his lap.
He picked it up and looked at equipment. Seeing two nuts he had ignored. Replacing his jammed in bolts with those, that he secured with more thread. Then screwing the bolts in. Proud he'd actually figured that out without assistance.
"Now for the fun part" he winked, dragging over the car battery, hooking up the jumper cables.
"Maybe I should do that." Heath suggested dragging it away from him, at least more sure he was fireproof.
"What no it's Holt. Jr." Holt suggested "So it's mine."
Heath made that weird face again.
Holt stared back not making any more excuses. "I get right side." he grabbed a cable clip while Heath hurriedly grabbed the other. Both clipping it on.
There was a buzzing crackle as sparks shot from their frog. Both letting go as they were pushed off their seats by a sudden charge. Then climbed back onto their chairs looking at their smoking dead frog.
Heath's hair was standing on end, Holt guessed his was doing similar, but he didn't fix it, thinking it was a nice change for Jackson.
"Aw you screwed it up…" Heath pouted at their inanimate sizzling frog.
"What. No. Come on Holt Jr.!" Holt grabbed the desk pressing his thumb into the frog's chest, vaguely remembering where he saw the heart after the dissection. Thumping it several times.
"Dude it's not gonna-" then stopped talking. Leaving his mouth hanging open as the tentacle spasmed, then all the limbs started flailing at the air.
"It's alive!" Holt exclaimed, fist pumping the air. Then high fiving Heath "Woo!" A couple other students looked at their commotion. Holt grinning as he plopped it on it's belly. Not even caring about his subsiding headache at this point.
The frog could barely stand, and the tentacle seemed to have stopped moving. He was pretty sure he was the first one done too. It made a weird groaning noise without opening it's mouth but it's eyes very very slowly blinked.
"Are we the first ones to finish?" Holt asked Heath wanting to beat everyone at this.
Heath looked over at Cleo and Ghoulia somewhat close. Seeing a rabbit still not moving on their desk. "Cleo's looks dead but I think they're taking the extra time to bedazzle it or something."
"Sweet! Do we get extra points for winning?"
"It wasn't a... " Heath paused looking up "You know maybe…?"
Holt smiled picking up Holt Jr. and trotting up to Mr. Hack, Heath trailing behind.
Nearly slamming it on the teacher's desk. "Done."
Mr. Hack turned from grading something to look at the frog that was in the process of making crawling motions but not actually going anywhere.
Then picked it up slowly looking it over, raising an eyebrow at the tentacle leg. Then trying to close the eyelid on the sugar eye unsuccessfully. Holt could smell Heath smoking nervously.
A pressured silence before.
"Good work Mr. Jekyll."
"I helped too" Heath piped up grabbing Holt's shoulder.
"And… Mr. Burns." he seemed obligated to add. Making a check mark by both of their names. "I look forward to your lab report on how you managed so much faster than the rest of your classmates." he growled almost sarcastically like he was incredibly suspicious.
Lab report?
Sounded like something Jackson could deal with.
"Do we get extra points for being fastest?" Heath smiled excitedly flaming up that they passed, clenching his fists close to his chest.
Mr. Hack gave a withering stare that suggested they didn't.
"Either way you managed to make it move. So I guess you pass even after yesterday."
Sweet.
"Oh disgusting!" a girlish loud voice brought back his migraine, and Holt actually flinched. Turning to see Cleo with a legitimately bedazzled rabbit in her arms. Well it's ears were at least, with a matching "diamond" on it's cheek as it nibbled at Cleo's wrappings. Her experiment moving slower than a naturally alive creature, but not as slowly at theirs.
"Oh whatever Cleo!" Heath scooped up Holt Jr. protectively "You're just jealous because we finished first!"
As with any strong emotion of Heath's, his hands choose that moment to catch fire. Heath looking horrified as their new pet made a disturbing noise before crisping to the floor.
Ghoulia raised a finger and groaned. While Heath saddened wiped his hands off looking at the ashes on the ground "Yeah you're right it probably wasn't gonna last long anyway…"
"Aw man…"
Holt chimed in, actually kind of proud of his work. So much for Crossfade getting a brother. Mourning interrupted by Cleo.
"I hope you're better at DJing than mad science." she scoffed landing their rabbit over to Mr. Hack for inspection.
Holt cracked his knuckles, upset he sometimes had to answer to his best paying client.
"Wouldn't know." he mumbled putting his Jackson mask back on.
Cleo dramatically flipped her hair "Just get him there. You know what I mean." Then looking him over like there was something wrong with his outfit. He was wearing a different sweater vest, but Holt hurriedly smoothed down his electrified hair incase she was being suspicious. "Come on Ghoulia."
She strut back to her desk. As Ghoulia looked him up and down too, then slowly turned to follow with a suspicious glint.
Holt frowned, headache sliding back with bad emotions. Before Heath interrupted nearly pushing him over, suddenly putting all his weight on Holt's side. "Duuude she is totally angry we finished first way to go."
"Yeah something like that." Holt grinned back as they made their way back to clean up.
"Sorry about Holt Jr. ..." Heath apologised rubbing his neck guiltily.
Holt punched his cousin's shoulder "Mom wouldn't have let me keep him anyway." Eyes sliding to the Mad Science cabinets remembering something? Did Jackson tell him to get more chemicals or… One of those vague actions he felt like he was supposed to do. Glancing at Mr. Hack who seemed to have his hands full.
Nonchalantly putting the jars back before getting close enough to see the cabinets with new padlocks.
His heart unintentionally beat slightly faster. He had to ask Jackson if they still needed stuff to fix them. Hard to forget their problem. Mind less on the solution and more on covering their tracks though. If there were new locks that meant Mr. Hack had noticed something missing at least. Blinking trying to remember if there were always locks.
…
Had he actually ever seen the cabinets?
"Jackson wanna ask if we can leave early?" Heath asked excitedly, slapping a hand on his shoulder breaking him out of his brain issues.
"Totally!"
Making a mental note to try to figure out any way he could push Jackson to finish this faster.
Head still mildly ringing he was glad his headache was getting better, as he followed their cousin back to the front.