Hello. I know that it has been around six months since the last update. A lot has happened. first I didn't work on the story that much for a while. Then I got back to it. Then I lost the thumb drive that had a fully typed up chapter three on it before I backed it up or got it on my account. So... yeah.

I will admit. What I got here is different from what I originally had done, but still sticks with the idea of it. This one is theme number 83: Red

And to make up for the long waiting you were all so kind to go through, here's an added treat. I will also be posting up chapter four along with this. And that's not all. I plan on working and posting up a completed chapter five within the next forty-eight hours of these two postings. Of course, I will still make it a good chapter.

Now enough of that. Go on and read what you've been waiting for!

3: The Red-headed Girl

As soon as the final bell rang out, all the kids in Ms. Hannah's Algebra class bounced out of their seat and headed for the door. The most enthusiast of them was a wild red-headed tenth grader, who had to make a quick stop at here locker. Once there, she threw her math book into it and grabbed her after school gear before slamming the locker door shut.

Algebra… no. Math in general just wasn't her strong point. This was bad for her since her mother had high educational expectations. Any test or quizzes that were B-'s or below didn't fly with that woman.

She bounded down the hallways and out the main entrance of the school. Occasionally, she was acknowledged be a few people, that were kind of friends, who called out, "See you later, Merida." Merida left the school grounds in a hurry, which was normal for her on a Thursday. Thursdays, every week, meant the Walter High Archery Club meets. A brief history of the club, it was started the year before Merida started going to WHS, but when she did, she instantly joined. To this date, she had never missed a single meet.

However, the club had some changes made this year. Instead of being at the school, the school had given them funding for them to hold their meets at an indoor shooting range about five and a half blocks down from the school. With another three blocks over it was about a fifteen minute walk; ten if she ran. Because of this, the actual meets didn't go for as long as before. They could only reserve a few spaces for an hour.

Merida gladly walked out of the school grounds, heading straight for the shooting range. Thinking that she'd get there quicker by taking the back alleys as a shortcut, she made a turn about a block and a half down. This wasn't a path she took all the time. Mostly during the colder parts of the season and today was colder than yesterday, it felt like; and that day felt colder than the day before. Then again one wouldn't be surprised for it was the beginning of an early winter. It had snowed a couple days back, but hadn't anymore since. There were still hints of it here and there, but what was on the street had melted days ago. In all honesty, Merida didn't like the cold that much. Somedays it was bearable. Today, and like yesterday, was not that day. It made her shiver like from a witch's cold spell. The sooner she got to the indoor shooting range, the sooner she could feel her fingers.

She made it through the alley and crossed the street to another one that would lead to the back of the range. She only made it someway in for she saw something that made her stop. A loud bang could be heard from further in the alley. Best guess it was coming from the near by dumpster. Merida approached it with cation. When she got up next to it, she could here someone talking inside of it. They sounded pretty hopeless. Were they stuck in there?

Jack felt awful, but then anyone would after a beating like that. After Jack had left Mr. North's toy store, he went to go check on a friend of his. His friend was just a kid in elementary school, but he was a pretty cool and smart kid. He waited outside the school perimeters till the release bell rang. However, he wasn't the only one. Some high schoolers where also there. Mean ones by the looks of it. They started ganging up on the kids and Jack wasn't about to stand for it.

In the end, Jack- with the help of his high-tech staff- set all four of them to the hospital or a clinic with frostbite on their faces. He made sure that it was only minor cases. He thought that was the last time he would see them. The universe just loves to prove him wrong.

They had been looking for him since that week and it was today that they had found him. They had gone to the hospital, but the nurses and doctors didn't believe them when they said it was inflected on them by some white-headed teen. Neither did the police. Some luck in Jack's favor. Except, as a result, the beat him up. Jack could have fought back this time, but he had his staff hidden out of reach. Not sure if that was good or bad, but if he had it and they took it, that would be bad. So there wasn't much that he could do beside take the beating.

When they were done, they tossed him into a near by dumpster. Being inside it, was dark, smelly, and not at all good. Even if he wasn't sore with bruises, cuts, and bumps, he was still not strong enough to push up the lid. This was when he started to freak out.

"Oh crap! Crap! Crap!"

Since one arm washing doing it, he tried both. Bad idea. He hissed in pain from applying pressure to it. He was sure he didn't have anything as serious as broken bones so maybe that arm got bruised pretty bad. At the moment, he couldn't tell how bad he was. If Jack could stand he would, for it would make it easier to open with one arm, but that was hard with the slippery bottom hidden under the coating of loss trash. "Of all places, it had to be a dumpster." Was this it? What else could he do? Call for help? It was worth a shot? "Someone help!" He felt like he was kidding himself. Like anyone was going to hear him.

I don't believe it. I'm going to die homeless in a dumpster.

Then, as though some miracle had just been granted on him once again, a knock from outside resonated inside. "Hello?"

Wait? Someone actually heard me? "Is someone out there? Please help!"

The lid of the dumpster was opened. Jack took the chance to get out of there. Though he freaked out whoever had just freed him, he was thankful for the fresh cold air and freedom. After tumbling onto the ground, he got right back up. He then spotted his savor. He was surprised a bit.

It was a teenage girl that might have been the same age as him. She had blue eyes like him, only they made her wild red long hair stand out at a level the could be equal with his. The freckle face made her looks complete and she looked cute.

"Are you alright?" she asked in an Irish accent with uncertainty and a questioning face.

"Yeah! Fine! At least I'm a lot better now that I'm out of there. Thank you."

Merida freaked as the mysterious person came tumbling out of the dumpster. Even more, it appeared to be a whited haired teen. He quickly stood up, brushing of any dirt or grim. She asked him if he was alright cause he didn't seem so. One eye was swollen and bruised. His bottom lip was busted open and covered in dry blood. Taking in everything else about him, it was hard to say if he was homeless or just got mugged.

He said he was fine, but if only he know how bad he looked. He went behind the dumpster now, reaching back there and pulling something out. It looked like some shepherd's crook. Okay, weird.

"Well, if I were you, I'd go home or to a hospital."

"Yeah, I guess. Well, Thanks again. Your a life saver." And with that he walked past her and out of the alley.