I know that it's super, super late, but I really needed to work on other things. Now that things are cooling down I fought through writer's block and came to Chapter 14!

This chapter aggravated me beyond reason, but at least it's finished. It was supposed to be ready by May, but my computer had some issues and I had to send it for repairs, but at least my memory's safe, otherwise this would've been out in like August.

Gilly boy had a really interesting take on the plot, but things will be revealed in due time, guaranteed.

Chapter 14

Eye for an Eye and Tooth for a Tooth

Within the forest clearing of Fuzzy Lumpkin's abandoned residency sat the two ruffs as they tried to figure out the meaning of the ominous symbol.

"A cult?"

Sitting on the front porch of the hidden cabin at 6 AM, just minutes after they finally finished repairing the wreck made just 24 hours ago, Boomer laid back on the front steps with an enormous yawn, amazed by how they managed to do it without Butch. He eased his head back against the wooden floorboards and instantly relaxed himself upon seeing the foggy gray clouds, signaling a cool crisp day in Townsville.

Maybe waking up early like this isn't such a bad thing. He thought to himself, entering a blissful trance.

Rather than answer his question, Brick knelt to the ground and, with a steady precision, traced his finger across the mud coated with a thin sheet of dew from the grassy fields surrounding the lot, so he could demonstrate a clearer image of the symbol. The smooth outline of an eye facing the left side, a conflicted message for Brick as he not only tries to decipher it's message, but to do so in a way that would make sense to both his brothers.

And if things get even worse…Blossom.

Brick disregarded such a dreadful thought and turned to his dozing brother. "This drawing," he announced "is the Eye of Horus, known for its affiliations with secret societies like the Illuminati." Once Boomer's head hovered off of the floorboards, Brick returned to the drawn eye to press the info he managed to scrap from a page or two online.

"According to Egyptian legend, after King Osiris died his son Horus fought Seth for his father's heritance. Seth severed his nephew's eye into pieces, requiring the powers of Thoth to heal it. Once it was healed, Horus gave it to his father in order to resurrect him from the dead and peace returned to the nation. Because of this, the eye symbolizes restoration and the preservation of life."

"No one looked like they were saving any lives here." Boomer scoffed under his breath.

Brick paused, reexamining the cryptic image in a new light. "Whoever came here knew exactly where to find us."

"Wait," the corner of Boomer's lips sank into deep frown "but if they knew that, then… what else do they know?"

"Exactly. What if they know everything about us?" Brick confirmed with strong resolve, reassured that Boomer finally understood the issue. "They must still think we're a threat."

A silent response shifted the atmosphere as the danger of their position started to settle in beyond the rustles of the grass or the ripples slapping the coastline of the lake. To think such a setting put Boomer in ease. He eventually turned to his brother in anticipation, already loyally waiting on his orders to fix the problem.

"So when's the next time they attack?"

And as usual Brick met this with a thoughtful silence before returning in cold resolve. "We'll find out ourselves, and soon." He turned to the dirt road to hide his hesitation. "I have a feeling next time it won't just be one person coming. I'm gonna get our car back. Call Butch, get him home, lock everything and don't talk to anyone."

Before Boomer could object he was already gone, taken aback from his brother's curt demands once again. Muttering curses over how easy he was manipulated again, Boomer lifted his foot to brush the image away until his eyes fell on the drawing, feeling an odd sense of nostalgia before brushing it away and following orders.

-Buttercup-

"Didn't see you yesterday night."

By the time I reached the end of the hallway Blossom was already in the kitchen with Discovery Channel lighting up the TV screen from the loft. Underneath that lovely remote, adorned with thousands of buttons, was a mountain of books stacked to the ceiling and flooded to the brim with nothing but paperwork, signaling that they –and Blossom– weren't moving in a long, long… long time.

I felt a snarl rise from the back of my throat. For some reason far beyond me, no matter how early I wake up (which isn't often, I can guarantee that!), she's always the first one here taking up the TV with boring shows no one cares about, cooking tea no one likes, and taking the best chair so everyone gets to sit on the couch and enjoy another wonderful documentary on the history of cotton.

Blossom never sleeps in. Not even on a Sunday.

Shaking off my train of thought I tried to come up with an excuse. "I was uh, cleaning up the basement of the gym after classes." The smell of herbs leaked through the room while she stirred the pot, causing my nose to crinkle with disgust. The whole setting reminded me of what the Professor would do a couple years ago when he didn't have so much work. In a way it's like she's his alter ego or something, which is why I could never tell her about us sneaking out, otherwise my ass is staying here until the gym opens in another two hours for management classes.

"Doesn't sound like something you'd do." she replied with a sidelong glance. AKA: 'I smell bullshit'

I blew out a puff of air from my nose and refused to look back at her. After two full weeks of arguing I didn't need another fight. "Me and Jasper–"

"Jasper and I–"

"–we were cleaning up for getting in trouble alright?! Sound like something I'd do?" That idea lasted about three seconds. But a person could only go so far.

Instead of arguing back Blossom put down the spoon and gave me a look of concern. She never looked at me but I could already tell she felt hurt from what I said. "Buttercup I'm not patronizing you, I was just worried okay?" she said quietly.

You got a funny way of showin it pinky. Just then her watch rang out and flashed bright white lights. My head snapped in its direction, ready to fry the thing before Blossom turned from the pot to switch it off.

When she saw my reaction, she casually brushed it off with a light shrug. "Don't worry. It's just an alarm."

Never knew we could do that. I glanced down at my own watch, thinking back to last night. "Speaking of yesterday, what's going on with these watches?"

"What do you mean..?" She mused before swerving back to the kitchen.

"I mean…" My eyes glazed over the walls to stay away from contact as I tried to keep my voice casual. "…something's just wrong." With all the pranks I pulled you'd think I'd be better at lying on the spot.

She focused on cutting the slices of lemon without ever looking back at me. "Care to elaborate?" Then as if figuring it out she shot an icy glare in my direction. "Were you using your powers?" she demanded.

"N-No! Or–At least I wasn't planning to!" I protested before cursing myself for never coming up with a (real) excuse. Damn guess I was worse than I thought.

"Buttercup you know how the Professor feels about that!" Blossom scolded, already setting down the knife to give her "responsibility" lecture.

"Well the least Gladys could've done is tell us about some of the freaking side effects! Blossom I couldn't even fly yesterday, what the hell's going on with these things?" But right as I was about to leave a sharp metallic odor pricked the tip of my tongue. I glowered at the hand holding the knife.

"What's that?"

Her stance shifted into a stiff position, like a deer caught in the headlights, but she recovered quick and turned back to the table. "It's nothing."

Guess we're all bad liars. Before she could move away I grabbed her wrist just in time to see a small red cut curved right around her index finger.

I blinked at the blotch of red for a second, wondering if it was worse that our powers were actually disappearing, or that she never bothered telling us. Speechless, my eyes narrowed at her for an answer.

She took in a deep sigh, refusing to match my gaze. "Buttercup, I can explain–"

"–So you're here yelling at me for trying to use my powers for just two seconds when you already knew?" I was hoping Blossom would have an explanation, something to defend herself with. She always did. But now she just stood there looking at the tiles, tightening the grip on the hem of her skirt.

"When were you gonna tell me?" I murmured, of course I'd ask, but I have a feeling she never was going to.

"When I got to the bottom of it." She snatched her wrist away and examined the watch slowly. "I was hoping that it was just a malfunction."

"Obviously it's not! We need to go to Gladys and take care of this!" I snapped shaking the watch in midair just as she grabbed it and pulled me in close.

"And say what?" She began to lower her voice. "What if she knew about this the entire time, then what?"

I focused on the tiles as a pang of guilt prickled my sides. I never told her what Gladys told me over the option of killing us.

'To them…you're nothing but a bunch of files.' Thinking back to what she said last week made me feel even worse about the situation. How could I get mad at her when I was doing the same thing?

"She said she was here to protect us." I growled through my teeth, as if I had to force the words out of my mouth.

"I doubt that." Blossom scoffed

I pressed my lips into a firm line as I pressed on to the bigger question. "Then who do we trust then?" I asked bitterly.

She stood still trying to find an answer. I thought she'd say the family, or at least each other, but this time it was different. Her hands were balled into fists and she refused to look at me, it made me realize that in a way she already knew something was up, and for a while I wondered if there was anyone in this apartment that I could actually talk to anymore.

Blossom took her handbag and gave me a stern look. "This stays between us, Bubbles won't be able to handle it."

The one thing we can actually agree on. After the soccer game Bubbles practically worshipped Gladys. If she got any of the news she'd try to deny it, or worse, tell the Professor.

Sometimes Bubbles is better off staying in her own little world. "Whatever. Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm tired of asking people for the answers. I'm gonna get them myself."

-Bubbles-

"Thanks for letting me sleep over Kim!"

"Sure thing." Kim called out from the window. "Did you tell your family?"

Not really, but honestly I don't think they really missed me, everyone seems so busy lately. "Yeah they're fine with it. See you later!"

Walking down the street (which really sucks, by the way), I thought about yesterday and realized it wasn't so bad. I didn't really mean to stay over for so long, but Kim insisted on me staying for movies after Bella and Joanne left. Once they went home I could feel weights being lifted off of my back, it felt like I could finally be myself with Kim, and before I knew it she was taking out blankets for me to sleep over with her! And it wasn't like Kim had to do all that; she said she was an only child, so company's always welcome since she can get lonely sometimes with her parents always working. In a way I could relate to that.

My first sleepover. I squealed to myself over the thought of it and skipped downtown, recapping what she said before I left.

We've gotta hang out more! Me and a friend of mine are going to the game on Saturday, and it'd be great if you went too. You could probably even perform by then!

But my good mood slipped away by the time I saw the small plaza. With the early morning looming the sun's rays didn't hit the front entrance, giving it a foreboding setting that creeped me out. I swallowed a dry lump in my throat. He had to be there by now, it's what we agreed on to make sure I was ready for the show in April.

Opening the front doors I slowly walked towards the door of the studio number we met in last time, praying that he wouldn't show up after what we said last time. I didn't mean to yell at Boomer like that, but the way he accused my sisters wasn't fair to any of us! Why would I try to hurt him after he was so nice?

I stopped at the door just one last time, wondering if it was too late to leave. Skipping one day isn't too bad right? And my apartment's only 10 minutes away. He wouldn't mind; I could make up a little excuse. The Professor caught the flu or…

I sighed to myself, standing someone up is just cruel, and no matter how much I didn't want to, I had to at least check if he's here.

And sure enough he was there by the studio's windows in navy blue sweats, stretching his legs for rehearsal. He didn't notice me from the door with his headphones in, so I used that moment to prep myself for the awkward conversation that was bound to happen.

"Uh, hey." He snapped his head around to see me standing by the doorway and his face went blank for an instant before putting up a wry smile.

"Um, hey. Great job, I see you got rid of the leotard; now you're a step closer to dancing with the team!" He still a wide grin, but it was different. It's wasn't the one from the café, the one that lit up his eyes and made everything vivid and clear. It was tense, forced on like he was trying to reassure someone. It was like he knew that and was trying even harder to hide it, making it the whole situation all the more forced. I really didn't know how to respond to him.

After an awkward silence he stood up and brushed his pants nervously "Well let's not stand around! I've got some dancing exercises we can start out with."

"Did you guys ever find that burglar?" Usually I'm not the type to be blunt, but from the looks of it the whole situation was making our relationship worse, so I really didn't have a choice.

He looked down uneasily and shoved his hand up against his hair in frustration. That was probably the last thing he wanted to talk about. "Uh… no. In fact, we've been having some issues with that."

I let out a small sigh in relief. At least he wasn't accusing us again, so maybe it might not be so bad. "Can I help?"

He smiled at me again, this time more sympathetic than tense. "Nah, what matters now is making you a part of the dance team."

"Are you sure this is okay?" I furrowed my brows in confusion. After everything that's happened, working on practice should be the last thing on his mind.

He shrugged off my worries carelessly. "Oh yeah. We'll be fine Bubbles, we're not five!" For the first time I returned the grin he sent, and it looked like his spread even wider in response. It still didn't look natural, but I'm just glad to know that my friend is back.

"Let's get started with some footwork." He started showing me some basic moves from only the feet and started out the music to the rhythm. After a while, he let me go on my own and saw what I was doing.

"Hm…alright so your legs look a little stiff. You gotta break out of the ballet stance if you want to really dance hip hop."

I sent him a blank stare. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"You grew up thinking ballet was the best type of dance. And in some places it is, but here it's about moving with the rhythm. You can't put ballet in rap, just like you can't put hip hop in a classic. Try again, this time follow what I'm doing."

Waiting for the right time to start, he set himself up on the balls of his feet and started to twist them in sync.

"Just twist and lift, don't stop twisting, and keep alternating your feet with the rhythm. The trick is to keep practicing the simple moves. Keep it clean not too much, and when you get it add a trick here and there. See you got it down."

I looked down at my worn dance shoes to hide my disappointment. "Doesn't feel like much."

"But that's the beginning, so focus on your footwork, and when you come back I wanna see you add a different style to it, even if it's small it's still a start."

I giggled despite my regret. "Now I'm getting homework?"

"You said you wanted to be ready right?" Boomer clasped his hands together in a loud smack and grabbed his bags. "Practice officially over! Call someone to take you home."

I sent him a dubious look. "Wait, that's it? You didn't even teach me a simple choreography."

He cocked an eyebrow and smirked at me. "Choreography? You can't handle that yet; maybe next time." He turned back to his watch impatiently before floating out as I tried to catch up to him from the halls.

"But the show's in 3 months. I have to be ready to dance with the team now!" I argued just as his hand latched onto the doorknob to leave. After a little moment he turned back to me with the first natural smile he's had all day.

"Bella didn't pick you because of how good you are. She picked you because you're different." As Boomer walked towards me I suddenly realized how tall he was. His sweater was thrown back against his shoulder, leaving a white tank top hanging against his tanned broad chest. He didn't have nearly as much muscle as his other two brothers, but they were still there, giving him a toned figure that matched just right with his midnight blue eyes.

And in that moment his face was just inches from mine as his fingers brushed up against my chin to look at him in the eye. Before I knew it the blood started flooding my cheeks and a bone-chilling sweat ran down my spine in a panic. I tried focusing on those deep ocean blue eyes to make it look like I was fine, but he had this bright smirk that lit up his appearance, as though he glowed from just smiling, like that Saturday at the café.

"Instead of trying to be everyone else's image of perfect why don't you just make up your own?" he whispered softly. I didn't know how to respond to that; I couldn't respond to that! But before I could even open my mouth his warm touch vanished and he swerved back to the front doors in a quick stride all in one step.

"C'mon! I'll walk you out." The moments after that were a blur, as if I was waking up from a dream. From there I tried letting out air I didn't know I was holding in this whole time, and trying to keep my face indifferent so that he could see the dejection I felt inside.

The back of the complex that held the dance studio we practiced in was secluded and quiet, with the steps we sat on leading up to the back doors. After that there was another awkward silence, mostly from me trying to keep my head straight. Boomer didn't seem to mind the silence, in fact it looked like he was already preoccupied with something else on his mind, something that really concerned him. I told him he could leave, but he wants to make sure that I'm not by myself this time and refused to leave until Gladys got here.

Maybe the situation was worse than he let on. I guess the least I could do is try to distract him until Gladys got here and took me home.

"So how are you brothers?" I asked before realizing my mistake. Just like that blood rushed to my cheeks and I wished I could take back those words, thinking back to what happened the last time I saw him.

He puffed a tuft of hair from his eyes and shrugged. "Not so great, but we'll pull through. We always do."

Second time's the charm… After a moment passed I tried pulling up a safer topic. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you guys here of all places? Townsville; the place where you guys almost died twice."

"Because it's like hiding in plain sight; go where no one would think to look. Or at least that's what Brick said."

"So you guys just stayed in Townsville for all your lives?"

"Nope, we moved everywhere. Florida, New York, we even went to a couple places in the Midwest, but eventually we stayed in a small towns separated from each other nearby here before finally moving back to this place. It was really easy once Brick learned how to teleport."

He didn't bring up why they were separated, so I strayed off that subject. "What other powers did you guys learn?"

"Well Brick's powers are complicated, mind powers and stuff, y'know? He's kinda like a fortune teller, like detecting your aura or something like that. He knows when people are lying, when they're scared, angry, etc. If we keep developing like he says, he might be able to read people's mind, or even control them."

My eyes widened at their own will. "Whoa…" Blossom never got close to powers like that.

"I know, scary right? Butch was a really late bloomer. Didn't come up until two years ago. He controls space."

"Like Blossom?"

"Better; Butch can lift a whole bunch of stuff without moving an inch, but what makes his powers so scary is that he can change the gravitational pull on objects." He pointed towards the street light nearby the dumpster. "Take that light post over there. With his powers, everything within a 50 mile radius can get attracted to that thing instantly, and pressure's automatically increased on whatever he wants it to be placed on."

So he's the strongest. Buttercup flashed in my mind briefly. What would happen if she was a late bloomer too? I thought about this for a moment before looking up.

"So what can you do? I bet it's pretty cool like your older brothers!"

"Doubt it." He rolled his eyes and scoffed bitterly. "I have more of the 'convenient powers', like multiplying or morphing into whatever I want. Nothing major, but it helps a lot with keeping our aliases."

"Your powers are still growing, maybe you'll get something better."

"I don't think so. I used to throw real fits over how cool everyone else's powers are and here I am, but I got over being the baby. Not like I can change it." He mused over his problem with a smirk "In fact I'm starting to like it; I don't get as much work."

A car horn blared from the front of the complex "That must be Gladys." I took my bags in a rush so he could focus on what he's been worrying about. "Thanks for tutoring me. I really appreciate it."

Just then my legs got tangled and I lost balance. Right before I hit the floor a gust of wind blew against my back and lifted my feet off the ground. Before I could regain control two firm arms held me in place as a pair of wide midnight blue eyes stared back at me in shock.

"Whoa! You okay?"

Okay? Heck, I couldn't even breathe! It took me so long to recover from the last surprise and now this happens.

"Y-Yeah! Fine! See you tomorrow!" I tried to keep my head low and flew out of his arms to spare myself from anymore humiliation. Once I got into the car I sank into the cushions of the backseat, hoping they'd take me away from this place and back to a time when things made sense.

-Buttercup-

Eagle Fitness is the last place I wanna be right now, but I owed Jasper her stupid bebe gun, so might as well get it over with now before I had to come with Gladys. The second I stepped through the doors Mr. Lee was already there training another athlete when he noticed the door close.

I blew out a frustrated sigh at my rotten luck. Just keep it short and simple. "Hey look. I just came back for something."

"You mean this." He held up the bebe gun with a triumphant grin "Your friend here was looking for the same thing."

As if on cue Jasper came from the basement with her signature scowl, but for once it was focused more on her teacher than me. "We're NOT friends, sensei."

"Oh! But you're not enemies." Before I could argue he grabbed hold of both our shoulders and brought us into a tight bear hug, gripping tighter with each word. "'Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant'." When he finally let our arms breathe he sent us a satisfied grin at his accomplishment. "Socrates would be proud"

"I bet." I grumbled underneath his firm grip. Suddenly he released us from his arms and turned back to his trainee as if he was already done with us.

"Forget your session for today, consider it a reward for working together last night."

"Wait, you're not mad?" I asked, unable to hide the surprised look on my face

"Why would I be? I succeeded in getting you to start a conversation without being hostile. By recognizing each other as human beings, hostilities will wear down with time. But for now, the lesson's learned. So enjoy your Sunday."

I felt a relieved sigh escape my lips as Mr. Lee went back to training his other students. Jasper looked back in the teacher's direction with a raised brow. "This guy's weird."

And that's a bad thing? "Who cares? We're free!" Right as we started to walk out of the gym my stomach let out a deep growl. "Good thing too. I'm starving!" But when I reached down into my cargoes the only thing that came out was a crumpled five dollar bill on the verge of wearing into a thin blanket of dust.

"Great! Let's go down to Jackie's Sports Bar." I cringed at the sound of Jasper's voice coming from the front doors and glanced back in her direction to send her a cold scowl. I barely have enough for myself, I don't have time to worry about feeding someone else!

"And why would I go with you?"

But instead of giving the snarky reply I expected, she gave me a dubious look and jabbed her thumb in the direction of the sign posted in front of the restaurant across from us.

Save money with our Two-for-Ten deal! Two meals, Ten Dollars, Great Food!

I looked back down at my feeble dollar bill. Jasper was already walking across the street as though I already made my decision while I glared at her back. I'd much rather walk the next hour back home, but as my stomach roared alive for the second time, I realized that logically I'd have to cook the food, make double the serving for everyone else, and then clean up the mess if I wanted to spare my ears from yelling.

I let out a defeated groan. There's no help arguing with hunger.

20 minutes later…

"You like guacamole on your fries? Gross!"

"You never even tried it!" Jasper insisted trying to hold back the grin dangerously threatening to breakthrough her serious expression "Whenever you have plain food you can eat it with anything. The only thing fries have is salt."

She was about to grab another fistful of fries to dip in our giant bucket of guacamole when she caught me grinning at her.

"What's so funny?"

"Twelve hours ago if someone told me I'd be arguing about guacamole fries in a sports bar with you, I'd tell them they need to get off whatever the hell they're smoking."

She smirked in response, clearly thinking the same thing. "I would've kicked your ass anyway."

I raised my eyebrows. "Wanna bet?"

We sat there for a moment just eyeing each other over the threat before bursting into another round of giggles. Jasper was the first one to speak.

"You know, for a gremlin you sure have a lot of balls to be saying that to me."

"Do you even know my name?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, but 'gremlin' suits you."

I leaned forward against the table, trying not to look offended. "And where the hell do you come up with that logic?"

"Your short on temper, height, and your face turns green whenever you're mad."

"You're lying!"

"I'm not! Your face is glow-in-the-dark, neon-green when you're pissed." She met my gaze with a smirk before reaching for her fries "So I could care less what your real name is."

"Stupid." I snickered just as I laid eyes on the screen "Is that Princess?" Jasper followed my direction before rolling her eyes back to her food.

"Fire-Crotch and her munchkins are having some big presentation for her new brand perfume." Then just as the music was coming on from the widescreen TV, she cracked a grin from ear to ear mimicking Princess from the screen, clad in chalk powder and gaudy red lips, as she held a vial her perfume.

'With the great price of 1-o'-1.93, you'll be a spritz away from becoming a princess like ME!'

I shook my head and snickered with satisfaction. "She's insane if she thinks people are gonna buy that."

Jasper, returning back to her normal expression, looked at me incredulously. "You never seen the commercials? They've been running them for two weeks and it's driving me crazy!"

"I can see that." I replied looking back at the TV. "She looks like a hooker."

"People would pay for that thing?" After a slight chuckle she leaned in close with a glint of interest in her eyes. "Isn't it about time you got back at her for getting you in trouble last week?"

I closed the space between us with a cocked eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was just thinking we should go and… 'congratulate' her on a hard day's work don't you think?"

After all the crap I just got in trouble for, Princess is the last thing I'm worried about. "She'd kill us!"

"Princess can't kill anything that isn't already dead." She snorted with a smug grin

"Because she has men hired to do the job for her." I added evenly.

"Oh c'mon this is her big debut!" she protested gesturing back towards the commercial. I'm starting to think she wants this way more than I do.

"Yeah, hers. And she'd have us in jail before we get within a mile of the place."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know Princess!"

"It hasn't even been a month since you came here!" Pressing one leg against the table, she pushed herself back against the chair with arms crossed and another evil smirk tugging at her lips in curiosity "What could you know about Princess that makes any of this different?"

She robbed banks and wrecked cities as a hobby, tried killing us every time she got a new toy, abused our friends and now she's stealing money from the people like a sleezy con artist. Need I go on? I guess she took my silence as my agreement and grabbed her bag to leave, taking one last glance at the advertisement before turning back to me.

She raised her eyebrows in expectation, the smirk from before still present and pulling the lips into a crooked grin, pushing me to go one last time. "Well I don't know about you, but I feel like being a princess today."

After a minute I realized that she wasn't going anywhere without me. Puffing the hair out of my face I flung the old crumpled bill on the table next to hers and grabbed my Duffel bag admitting defeat. At this point I was bound to get into trouble, but the look on Princess's face when she sees us would be worth it.

"Five minutes."

-Brick-

"Brent!" When I turned I half expected to see Cole walking out the front door, but instead there was Mr. Spencer, jogging in full strides towards me in dark trousers and a white collared t shirt. Thinking back to Cole's signature baggy attire lined with sweats and tees, the differences between the two were clear as day.

In fact, his military background could be seen in his stance and his tanned complexion, clashing against Cole's pale skin and slumped posture. His head was shaved from just coming off duty making his forehead seem larger and put more emphasis on the black slanted eyes, but just by talking with him he appeared a lot friendlier than his demeanor. But he's no different than the rest of them.

"Nice seeing you here!" Mr. Spencer exclaimed breathlessly. From the beads of sweat lining his brow he must've been doing some yard work, which was weird considering his clothes. I forced up a smile and held out my hand.

"It's great meeting you sir."

"Yeah, Cole doesn't bring out friends often, so I never get to really meet anyone from his school." Mr. Spencer shrugged this off with a bashful grin, barely veiling the hurt beyond his eyes.

"Don't worry about it." I said with a sudden shift of my stance, desperate to leave the place. "Just came to pick up my car."

"Oh, it's in the garage! Here, I'll pick it up for you." Despite my protests he was already stepping towards the garage to get it. It wasn't until I saw the sparks from the darker corner of the garage that I knew Cole was there.

He used the car as an excuse to talk to him. I thought about all the things Cole used to say about him and compared it to the man in front of me, but I couldn't find a lot of similarities. I almost felt sorry for him.

"There we go, good as new!" The car pulled into the driveway as though it just came from the dealer's shop a year and a half ago. I did a poor job of hiding the excitement in my face. The pure thought of walking to school made my heart stop every time.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it!"

Mr. Spencer's face fell just slightly from its delight. "Wait, don't you wanna stay for lunch?"

I'd rather not. "I'm really busy today, but maybe next time!" I lied.

"Alright. See you then." The disappointment in his face never faded when I left the driveway, his hands still rummaging through that old towel, with a smile that looked more painful the farther I got from the house, as if spending time alone with his son was the worst Hell he could be sentenced to.

Cole never left the garage.

The mark of the eye print was still etched onto the side of the jeep as I drove from the suburbs and into downtown Townsville. Looking at the time I knew Butch had to be home if Boomer followed orders. Since getting a signal in the forest was a blink away from being impossible, I dialed up the house while I still had connection.

On the other end there was a groan followed by a low growl. ::What?::

"Are you home?"

::Some damn emergency. I'm the only one here!::

"Sounds difficult. I'll talk to you later." I snapped the phone shut and threw it in the back.

You had ONE job! Seething in anger, I rammed my fist into the steering wheel. Is it really that hard to stay in one place for him?

But before I ran of a slew of curses something caught the corner of my eye.

Standing in front of the Townsville Library were a pair of pearl white legs, with one leg tapping over the other at an impatient pace. The hem of her skirt fluttered against the rhythm. Following those legs were a pair of crossed arms hidden behind a cascade of copper hair.

So the genius isn't as smart as she thinks she is. I smirked to myself before honking the horn to get her attention, only to be faced with a cold scowl. Would it kill her to smile once in a while?

"The Library's closed on Sundays genius." I called out. The scowl deepened by the time I got out of the car.

"What do you want Brick?" she spat and lifted an irritated hand before I could answer, as if she already knew the answer. "Look I don't have time for this. Why don't you go see your stupid brothers and leave me alone."

In fact that was the exact thing I was about to do, it was the only thing I wanted to do than be here with the over-pretentious bitch. But I flashed back to the intruder, the gun filled with Antidote X, Butch's face carved up from the Jeep. Then there's the symbol; it could mean so much, but with that comes the ambiguity of that idea as well.

I groaned aloud at the whole mess. If there was another ambush on our house, then the Trans Ray would be on it's way to Him, and there's no telling what he's do to us once he broke out. So even if it hurts my pride a bit, I had to get them on my side, starting with the ring leader.

But she can't know that; not yet. "There's nothing in the world that I'd love more," I mused with sudden ease. "but we have to get rid of something first."

She shot her eyebrows up in response "We? I'm sorry but I don't think your domestic security issues involve me. Now if you'll excuse me…"

"It is if they know who you really are." She stopped right as she got to the curb of the sidewalk. Frozen, like the world would suddenly make more sense if she just took a minute to think about it.

Jesus Christ I thought bitterly. She acts like she's still five! And where does it get her? To being a conceited snob who thinks that life is just another puzzle she's taken care of, never thinking about the rarest chance, the worst scenario.

"Always gotta be the victim." I mocked to hide my disgust. God, can someone just slap her? She isn't that big hero everyone loves, and standing on a high horse won't change that.

Eventually she responded with that smug expression again. Ten years doesn't change a thing, not like I expected it from someone like her, always used to her praises of her wit, never once thinking that there's someone better, quicker, God forbid the thought.

"You're lying." she declared with a cocky grin.

"And why would I do that?" I countered.

"To get our help." She responded evenly

I held back a few snickers, plucking the thin ribbon to toss against the muddy brown contacts in her eyes, but all I saw was a sudden pink.

"The last person I need help from is the girl in a pink bow." I scoffed before narrowing my eyes for a closer look. It wasn't really pink, but deeper than the ones I saw ten years ago, like a softer tint of rose. "Got some balls going out without your fancy contacts."

Blossom took in a sharp intake of breath and rushed to the reflection of the window to see if it was true. I gotta admit though, watching her look at herself in horror is the best fun I've had all day. The prim and poised puff going through a mental breakdown? Why hadn't I thought of this before?

Seeming to have recovered, the pink puff faced my direction with a new layer of ice added to her stony glare.

"First of all the ribbon's RED. And secondly why are you here then?"

"You want to move on right? Forget your past?" I sauntered a bit closer to see a clear image of her reaction. I wanted to make sure she knew she wasn't the hero anymore. "Cooperate and you will."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "And how do you know I'm in danger?"

"How do you know you're safe?" The comment hit a weak spot. And for a few blessed moments she was quiet, the only response came from a set of rosetinted eyes, smoldering with rage. It wasn't before long she snatched her bag off the floor and left, but for now that was victory enough for me. Planting the seed for now would be the best that I could do.

Heroes? I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.

There are no heroes in this world. Never were, never will be.

-Buttercup-

"Y'know… I think she handled it well."

After sitting inside of a jail cell for nearly two hours, I was way too tired to bother arguing, or even saying I told you so. The only thing on my mind right now was what sort of excuse I'd have to use this time to get myself out of this crap.

"Did you call you sister?"

"Yup." right after I had to cover my ass for staying out late last night. "You?"

"Baser's supposed to give me a ride." After another long silence she started picking at her red locks while I tried not to blow up at her. Sure I was pissed, and yeah I was holding part of the blame on her since she convinced me to do it, but after fighting for so long it doesn't like it's worth it, after all we're just starting to get along. So might as well have fun with it.

"The way you took down those security guards was priceless." I snickered, thinking back to the debut, the flushed guards and Princess's shrieks of anger. Sitting with a couple of potheads for a couple hours didn't seem like a huge cost.

"How'd you learn to fight like that?"

"Experience." She grinned with elated pride "How'd you do that spin kick again?"

"Practice, maybe when you're on my level I might just show you."

"Try getting on mine first." Her smile faded once she glanced at the door. "Looks like you could use a good excuse, I see your sister coming this way."

I turned around to see Blossom, with all her charm and grace, paying the cop my bail while sending daggers in my direction every moment the cop had his back turned just to show how pissed she was.

"Ah, crap. Gladys is gonna kill me." I groaned. I was actually starting to dread getting out of jail thanks to Blossy.

"Thought you only had two sisters." Jasper said.

"I do. She's kinda like my… guardian. Someone you put up with but want nothing to do with."

"Been there." She took out a small picture of her and two adults. From first glance it almost looked like a nice family, but a second look told you otherwise.

Jasper had her arms naturally crossed in a defiant stance as she stood with two adults I've never seen before. The man was smiling, but his whole demeanor seemed tough and rigid as he planted both hands on her shoulders as what most call protective. The woman had light brown hair with a small smile, not as hostile, but actually tight lipped and fragile. Jasper held a dark shadow over her face on the sunny patio, refusing to fake her happiness for two minutes. The picture said everything you needed to know about the family.

I squinted my eyes in thought. "Your parents?"

She let out a light chuckle. "Foster parents, makes you wish you were back sharing sheets with nose picking toddlers in shit diapers." Her nose scrunched up "Reminds me of why I never went back."

I looked back at the photo thinking of what it must've been like living there, but before I could ask her more about it the bars let out a loud clang! as the gate swung open. The officer gave us a wary look before motioning to Blossom.

"Ms. Underhill, you're free to go."

Before I left I sent a teasing grin in Jasper's direction. "Tell your boyfriend I said hi."

"Wait– Mitch?" she choked as her skin turned into pasty white pallor. "Please tell me you're joking!"

I blinked at her. "Wait, you guys aren't going out?"

"No! What made you think that?"

I shrugged, thinking back to the first time I saw Mitch, his arms wrapped snuggly around her shoulders. It looked like it was obvious.

"I dunno, it's just that you guys are always together and stuff."

After a thoughtful silence she leaned back against the grease stained cement, searching the ceiling for the right words. "Mitch and I have … a unique friendship. Later."

-Blossom-

We took the shortest route possible home so that we could make it there before the Professor, all the while walking in silence. I bit my tongue to keep myself from endangering our name, but with every glance over at my sister, fingers crossed around the back of her head with a look of

"Typical." I muttered. "Just when I thought you couldn't get any lower!"

From the corner of my eye Buttercup's face hardened, but remained focused on the sidewalk like a scolded child. It went on like that the rest of the way home, my yelling over her ignorance. It wasn't until I reached for the backdoor of our lobby that I heard her voice again.

"Blossom…" I turned to face her for the first time all evening and saw something I wasn't prepared for. Rather than in stone hard fists, her hands seemed endlessly buried into the pits of the cargo pockets, lime green eyes, never once looking in my direction, darting in the direction of the stone that her toes kept fumbling with, all the while looking conflicted as to whether or not she should even dare bother to ask.

My eyebrows furrowed from both deep suspicion and profound curiosity to what transformed my sister into someone so apologetic.

"…could you keep this between us?" Then in a flash I realized why I was so mad to begin with.

"Why should I? Buttercup you were in jail! I'm surprised I even got you out without the Professor!"

"And it won't happen again!" Then she locked eyes with mine, her lime green eyes vibrant and pleading for mercy. "Look I'm already in trouble for everything else, just please keep this one thing secret. Please!"

I changed the subject quick to avoid her begging. "What were you doing at Princess's debut anyway? You hate perfume!"

She gave me the apologetic smile of a child who knew what they did was wrong but did it anyway. "I… felt like being a princess…?"

Are you kidding me? "Buttercup the last time you wore a dress was at your sixth birthday! When are you going to learn that you can't have things your way?"

With nothing left to say I faced the door frame, stubbornly debating with myself on what to do. Despite the fact that I knew it'd happen again, that losing my authority would make it worse, that Buttercup's head was too thick to learn from her mistakes, I already knew what my decision was.

I strode into the lobby with my jaw clenched. "If you do something this SENSELESS again, I won't even bother bailing you out! AND I'll call the Professor to get you out the next time you want to do something so incredibly STUPID–"

I couldn't even finish my feeble threat before I felt someone tackle me to the floor, knocking the wind out of my breath. Just as I was taking in a sliver of air I was lifted off my feet by two thin arms snaked around my chest shaking me from left to right in a suffocating bear hug. "Thank you SO much Blossom! You won't regret this!"

I was then unceremoniously dropped into a bundled heap on the floor as she ran to the elevator without a second glance at my crumpled body, hair twisted in a wrecked heap across the dusty doormat, knowing I already was regretting my choice.

Meanwhile…

Despite intense focus on the road, the heat radiating from Ty's gaze could give a clear picture on how upset he was. Jasper on the other hand kept her focus on the window, already upset over Mitch standing her up and now the thought of dealing with Ty seemed to be daunting.

Eventually, he was the first to speak. "Jaz, what the hell happened?" he groaned wearily.

"That's the same question I ask whenever you're wasted, but you don't hear me bitching about it." Jasper snapped. She picked up Ty's dark aura the minute he came in Mitch's stead. Since then the drive home suffered through an eerie silence.

"But thanks for bailing me out." She added in a muted tone. Jasper was well aware of the predicament Ty was put in through picking her up, and even though she wanted to curse Mitch down to the pits of the worst Hell imaginable, the fault was hers regardless.

Ty's scowl only deepened. "Yeah, too bad I had to clock-out early thanks to you!"

Jasper sent the driver a cold look as a response. "Oh I'm sorry, let's recap all the times I had to clock-out early cause of any of you. All I'm asking for is this one favor, and that's because Mitch is probably too shit faced to even answer his damn phone, alright? So piss off!"

The older brother ran his fingers through a flow of dreads, realizing his mistake. "Sorry, things have just been getting a little stressful lately." She rolled her eyes, wondering when was the last time Ty had any problems in his life. It's not to say he was spoiled, but compared to her and Mitch, the two brothers got it pretty good, considering they have people who care about them. Unfortunately, no one's guaranteed such a blessing.

"We all got stress, Ty." Jasper looked around the car for a distraction and noticed that it was worn down and contained the faint scent of car grease, but was pretty tidy and kept stains down to a minimum considering its age.

"It's about time you got a car, and a decent one at that." She teased in an attempt to change the subject.

"Not mine. Mr. Harris let me borrow it until 6:30, so I'm taking you home and getting this back to him before I lose my job."

"Wait!" Jasper grasped Ty's wrist instinctively in alarm. "I have to be someplace else."

The driver simply groaned in response at her protest. "Jasper, I can't drive you around the entire city."

"I'm not asking you to do that." She responded flatly "Just drop me off at this complex and I know someone who'll take me home."

As they drove on, the redhead looked out of her window anxiously trying to see if anyone recognized her. When there was no chance of that happening, she turned back to Ty for another conversation.

"How'd you lower bail?" she asked with a hint of curiosity.

He shrugged it off casually. "I have my ways."

"What'd you tell them?"

"You weren't worth keeping since you're dead broke."

Jasper narrowed her eyes by the hurtful comment. "I'm not broke!"

"You sure dress like it." Ty replied with a small grin until seeing her expression. He tried cheering her up by tousling her hair as though she were a lovable dog. "At least you're free!"

"Sure doesn't feel like it." She huffed through her ruffled bangs before noticing the road. "Stop here!"

Ty slammed the brakes to a screeching halt and parked the car on the curb. As Jasper grabbed her things, he took in the house with a grimace. The brick walls of the abandoned complex all seemed to match in the color of soot and grime from years of neglect, turning it into a dull slimy gray rather than the blooming red seen just two blocks ago, almost mirroring the charcoal-burned streets soaked with the stench of alcohol and sewer wastes below. Even though the broken glass was thankfully brushed to the gutters, the sidewalks in turn were entangled with weeds and garbage as an eerie smog oozed from two other alleyways, either from drug use, fires, or some other vile option he didn't even bother question. It looked like one of the places you might find a street dealer in.

"Uuuh, Jasper…?" She spun her head back with naïve curiosity as he stayed glued on the dreadful picture before him. "Are you sure you're okay here?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Before Ty could recover from his innate shock she leaped out of the truck with a guilty glance. "And look I'll pay you back every cent of that money."

"Don't worry about it, I just wanted to see what it felt like being on the other side of the nagging." Truth is he actually did want the money back until he dropped her off there. "It's pretty fun, you should get in trouble more often."

"Ass." She snickered "I'll see you tomorrow."

Ty watched as she climbed up the fire escape until she was out of his line of sight, wondering if whether or not he should really leave her, but some part of him knew no matter what Jasper always took care of herself, and nothing would change even if he offered his help.

It's like she tries to prove something we've already known since day one. Ty let out a small sigh in frustration. Some things would never change in a person, even if they wanted to.

'Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant' –Socrates–

Of course there's always work to do in the real world, so there's no guarantees on the timing of the updates. I recently got a critique from another writing site that had some really useful –and quite humbling– advice. So if anyone has anything that they want to comment about writing wise, or just comment on any growth, it be very appreciated. So follow/favorite and I'll have the next chapter posted ASAP.

These are the sites I used for research when it came to the 'Horus Theory' Brick came up with at the beginning of the chapter. I always get this weird feeling when I don't cite the source of my research, so if anyone wants a little briefing on the Horus theory and how it may reflect on the story, it's all here!

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.edu/1826559/Egyptian_Religious_Calendar-CDXIII_Great_Year_of_Ra_Wp-renepet

moon_phases_

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Don't forget to review, I love hearing feedback on the story!