Still don't own anything

Chapter 7

They were all gathered around the little table Crissy had set up in her office. Despite everything Crissy did to prevent it, Jace needed to be there, he was important no matter how hard she wanted him not to be. Marshall sat close, like a trained puppy waiting for Crissy's eyes to land on him in approval. Nikki was next to the door, a stubborn look in the way she set her mouth. Jean almost trembled as she sat between Nikki and Jace, she knew something, but Crissy knew something about her and that was what kept Jean sitting right there at that table. As for Crissy, Jace saw the way sat, ready to move and attack. Crissy was on edge to say the least, and Nervous people were always ready to defend themselves.

"So, as of right now, the people we believe could have hired the kid was Aerik Jack, Athene Jack, Will Baker, or Dwight Baer," Crissy told them all.

"That Will Baker dude, he's nuts I guess. He has beef with Ace," said Marshall.

"Will Baker can barely feed himself," Jean told them, rubbing her hand with a thumb.

"Well, that Dwight guy looked pretty mad at Jace the other day."

"Athene," Nikki spoke out. "She would want something like this done, to get back at me, and at Jace. Aerik told me Dwight is screwing her, and Dwight wants to get back at Ace for whatever went down between them. Athene would put it all together or maybe have Dwight hire a guy because she can't have a normal conversation with people."

Jace was already shaking his head. "Athene would have more of a problem with Nikki and you and I, Crissy." He leaned back in his chair. "Aerik Jack isn't that innocent, sorry to ruin your dream Nik'. He was probably the guy who went out to do the hiring; he's a little more protective of his sister than need be isn't he?"

Nikki nodded slowly. "He's been fighting with Dwight this whole time. Aerik's getting mad over Athene getting ready to take off. That would also reason why Athene would lead this, she's the one taking off, she'll be out of King Caine's reach."

"This could be difficult." Crissy scowled at the table. "The kid that attacked me just said he was hired to stab the casino owner. Was he really after me?"

"What if he was after both of us?" Jace threw out there. "What does your little nark have to say?"

"Jean, did you find anything?" Crissy's harsh glare found her way to Jean. "Well don't make me do the talking."

Jean sat up straighter. "I found out who did it, he's hiding in some little place out towards clifftop. His name is Riley, he's freaking out that Jace or Dwight or Marhsall will be coming after him."

"That would make sense since those three have been the ones to dish out casino business." Crissy pulled at her lip as she turned a glance on Jace. "But it could also mean that Dwight would be mad for him not following through, because it's pretty well known Dwight isn't even with us anymore."

"Did you find out if Riley said who hired him?" Nikki asked.

"Just 'some guy' is what's being said." Jean looked at the table.

"An example." Jace slapped his hand on the table. "We can narrow it down to the Jacks or Dwight. Dish it out to all three and show everyone else not to mess with the casino."

"No, Aerik wasn't involved in this, I swear he wasn't." Nikki almost jumped up as she shot a glare at Jace and begged Crissy.

"It would work," mumbled Marshall."

"It wouldn't be good to punish innocent people." Jean's eyes shot around frantically.

All eyes were on Crissy, even Jace's, but Jace knew what she would do. The risk was too high to go unaccounted for in Crissy's mind. She thought for just a moment before nodding. "I hate to say it but Ace is right. Nikki, I can't risk Aerik being involved, he's with us or against us. Athene and Dwight go down hard, Aerik will be seen too but some mercy can be granted. The trick is to get them out of their house without too much shooting."

~x~X~x~

Will sat on the edge of the bed. He watched as Kris came and went from the fields and Jean went away and returned. All of it from the little crack in the door way. They were just so happy, so sweet so perfect. Even when Jean came back and her face was frowning. They were still the happy little couple. Kris took her hand and hugged her and kissed her softly.

Will kicked the door shut when they kissed.

He didn't get it, how could they be so happy when the world was stuck and screwed up. People were starving and in the dark and they were kissing. People dying, getting sick and hurt and no one was there taking care of them. His own personal world was dead.

What the hell were they so happy for?

He looked out the door, they whispering in the corner of the living room, cuddled up all close together and cozy. He shut the door again and fell to his knees. He needed out. He wanted to poof right now. Not tomorrow, not years from now. Right now!

He slammed his hand on the floor board near the closet. It leaped up.

Will knew this was Jean's old room from what they told him, but he couldn't guess why she would need a space to hide stuff. When he moved the board he saw the old shoe box.

Inside the shoe box was bottles and little plastic tubes.

Realization hit Will in the chest like a shotgun blast. Kris used to get away from the world.

Will cupped his hand over one side of the paint can and used the other to push the spray top.

Will took a deep breath and let the numbness take over.

~x~X~x~

"All three of them are going to be punished?" Kris asked again as he had one dirty arm wrapped around Jean's shoulder. "Why did you even bother going?"

Jean's face crumbled as she leaned into Kris. At first, this was supposed to be a way to help him, but as the days passed, it seemed like he was the one helping her. "Crissy knows…stuff about me."

"Like what?"

"Things from before we moved in together. It doesn't matter really, but she calls and I go." Jean's nails pulled in tighter to Kris's arm. "What am I supposed to do? I can't sit back and let them all get hurt. If I go get Riley, they'll turn on him too. I'm afraid they might really hurt Dwight and the girl. Aerik will get out easy because of Nikki."

"They'll have a hard time hurting Athene, she's a freak." Kris's mind was going fast, trying to think of something to help Jean. She was so mad at herself for helping them. So sad that crissy was bullying her into this. He had to do something for her.

"I'll go warn them," he told her and kissed her cheek. "I'll be back soon."

"No!" Jean grabbed a hold of him. "What if Crissy finds out?"

He smiled. "I've had plenty of time sneaking around. I won't be seen."

Kris took another kiss from Jean and thought to go and tell Will where he was going but decided he would be fine with Jean. He slipped his way across backyards and alley ways. He cut across the freeway and in no time, without a single soul seeing him.

The Jack house was hard to find, mostly because it was a lot farther away than he expected. He was slightly startled to see the house. Most people hid in their houses if they weren't in public places, the Jack house looked like a compound.

The first person he saw was Athene. She was scowling and had her auburn hair twisted up as she was heading back to her house.

"Athene!" he hissed.

The tall girl turned and glared at him. "What do you want Kristos Meth?"

"Most people call me Kris now, I'm cleaned up." Kris came closer and glanced up to make sure no one was looking. "Listen, troubles coming this way, my girl, Jean hangs with Crissy and Nikki. Crissy is coming for you and Aerik and Dwight. I don't know what's going on, but be ready, stay close to your house at night and don't go unarmed. I don't think Crissy will want to go during the day unless she has a good card in her hand."

"Why should I trust you?" Athene demanded, confusion etched across her face.

Kris shook his head. "I'm just trying to help. Take it with what you want, but just remember I tried to help you. Be safe, I have to go." Kris started to walk away before a thought crossed his mind. "If you go back into town with your brother, would you go to Will Baker's house and bury his brother Demi, he died, Will said. I can't do it alone, and wouldn't know where to do it. But I just thought, since you and Aerik got pretty close to the little guy…"

"Demi's gone?" Athene's face went white. "I'll take care of it."

Kris turned to leave."Thank you, Will took it really hard, and I'm seeing to him, so you know."

"Wait," she called. "Thanks, Kris." Athene shook his hand and retreated into the garage of her house.

~x~X~x~

Athene rushed into her garage and found Dwight eating cabbage. "Come on, grab a shovel."

"What's going on?" Dwight jumped to his feet and did as he was told, already following Athen to the door.

"A friend of ours, his little brother died, and needs to be buried." Athene's face crumbled as crying threatened to break free.

In that moment of weakness, Dwight went to reach for her, but stopped and pulled back before he touched her. Athene noticed it, she wanted him to. She almost wanted to throw herself into him and let him hold her that way she had seen so many other people. The way Aerik held Nikki. Or any of the other couple developing in the FAYZ. She did, but she couldn't. That was what everyone was expecting out of them, and she wasn't going to give them that. She was afraid, too. What if Aerik was right and Dwight only wanted one thing out of her. She knew that before the FAYZ a lot of kids made fun of her, calling her fat and everything else, but after, she thought maybe she had a chance still. What if Dwight was just looking for a way to get out of town, he said it must have been Jace that put those things in his bag, but that could have made it worse. What if Dwight didn't want to do anything with her? The rejection would sting too much.

The big problem was not that though, and Athene hated herself for thinking of that instead of the bigger pain in her chest. The little boy Demi had died. He was so young, so fragile. If Will had accepted their help and let them take Demi up to their house, maybe the boy would be alive.

But what if-ing would get you nowhere and she opened the Baker house preparing for the stink of death.

"Upstairs?" Dwight asked and she nodded. He hadn't said a word the whole way, Athene wasn't sure if that was good or bad yet.

She opened the door to Demi's room, expecting the worse. Inside the little racecar bed, there was a body. Small and frail, with a little white rabbit, Max, chewing on the sheets.

Then there was movement. Just the slightest ragged breath.

"Oh my god," Athene dropped to her knees next to Demi and put an ear to his chest while pressing two fingers to his neck. "He's alive. If he was that sick, it wasn't the killing flu, or he would be dead by now. He must be half starved and dehydrated and…get the rabbit in the crate, let's take him with us. We'll send word to Will that we'll get him better and send him home."

"Take him with us out of town?" Dwight asked as he lowered the rabbit into the little plastic crate.

"Of course," Athene grinned. "He's alive!" She went to scoop him up but Dwight stopped her.

"Let me." Dwight had made a sling to tie the crate on his back. He lifted Demi up off the bed as Athene tucked the blanket around him. "I'll carry him for you." He smiled down at her.

"Let's go."

Together the three of them rushed back to the Jack house. Almost at a run, they got there in no time. They put Demi on a cot in the garage with them and went to get some water and food for the boy. Dwight managed to get some water into the boy while Athene mashed cooked cabbaged and made it into a thin broth to get into him.

When the boy's breathing cleared and he seemed to be sleeping restfully instead of on the edge of death, Athene stood and decided that it was time to tell her brother about Kris's warning.

She left Dwight with Demi and slipped into the house, calling for Aerik. He was sitting on the couch, reading an old comic book. He acted like he was ignoring her but she knew he would pay attention to what she said.

"Aerik, Kris came to talk to me today." Athene told him the whole story about what Kris told her. Every detail except for the part about Demi. That wasn't the important part anyway.

"You're sinking that low now? And you never even apologized for using your scales on me." Aerik dropped the comic in his lap. "Nice touch adding how 'Jean' hangs out with Crissy and Nikki. Like you said, I'm sick of all this. Kristos Meth is a little huffing druggie creep, probably just want to mug you himself."

"Aerik that's not half of it."

"I don't care unless you're here to apologize." He picked his comic up. "And I thought you should stay out of my house."

"This is our house remember I live here too."

His dark eyes peered over the top of the dog eared pages. "You and your little friend with benefits out there threw me out of the garage remember. So unless you're here to apologize, get out of my house."

Athene felt like Aerik and punched her in the stomach. She shook her head and left, back to the garage. Dwight was still there, leaning over Demi, caring for the boy because she cared for the boy, not because he had any real connections to him. Again she wanted to grab him and let him hold her as she cried.

She didn't though. She sat on her bed she made against a work bench and wrapped her arms around herself. She thought she would always have her brother, if no one else. She couldn't bring herself to reach out for someone else to help her hold it together. She was doomed to be alone, so she might as well get over it.