Hey Guys! First of all, I am soooooooo sorry for not updating for so long. But I do have a valid excuse for the lack of frequent updates (I hope). As I have mentioned in earlier chapters (sorry if I'm stressing this too much) my English class has been hammering me with homework. And I know what you're thinking, why don't I write over break? I actually had more homework over break than I normally do. I had to revise all of my papers to put in my portfolio for a final grade. Very stressful. Yeah, my brain's been dead for the past couple weeks as a result. But hey, I felt really bad for not updating this fanfic, so I figured I had to provide some form of reasoning as to why I haven't. I hope it proves sufficient.
Here's the disclaimer: I don't, in any way, own Kickin' it…. *sobs
This is through Kim's eyes. By the way, do you guys think I should start doing pov's or keep doing third person?
After Kim had finally decided to trust the strange group of boys, Jack, who she assumed was their leader, led them away from the president's estate. She felt very vulnerable, to say the least. Everything in the city—everything she used to know before the plague, had changed drastically. It had been so long since she had walked the streets. And those many hours spent staring out the window, wondering what it would be like to finally be outside the walls of the estate did nothing to prepare her for reality. Almost every building was vacant. Some were just skeletons, their iron frames standing lifeless above the were no lights. The streets were empty except for the five of them and a few stray animals wandering around. It was eerily quiet, no, quiet wasn't the right word. Silent. That was it. One wouldn't even have to strain their ears to hear a pin drop. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears. What happened here? She wondered.
"Where is everyone?" Kim asked, curiously. The government officials had always told her and the fellow servants that almost all of the children had jobs. If the children did, indeed, have jobs, the streets should be bustling with people. Or at least, they shouldn't be vacant.
"Dead." Jack said bluntly. "Or hiding. Or in prison."
"Prison?" Kim asked timidly. It seemed a bit harsh for a group of children. Then again, the Black Dragons were far from innocent. But they were the ones putting the children in prison. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that the Black Dragons were really the ones who belonged in a cage. To think, for so many years, she thought they were these heroes, protecting everyone in the city. She even had a crush on their leader, Frank, when she was younger. The thought made bile rise in her throat, now, and shivers run down her spine. Jack didn't elaborate what prison was, exactly, though Kim suspected she didn't want to know. Instead, he tightened his jaw, and kept walking. He looked suddenly tense, as if trying to push away some foul memory. Kim knew the feeling. Everyone did. But somehow, she also knew this was different. The way he walked, how he was trying so hard to keep his bottom lip from trembling. The knotted scar that started on his neck and disappeared behind the collar of his leather jacket. Who are you, Jack? Kim brushed the thought away. She didn't even know his last name. He was a complete stranger. So why does she feel like this? How can he draw her so easily? Why is his mystery so luring?
"Only a few kids were lucky enough to get good jobs. Some can't get jobs at all for various reasons. All of the others work in factories. Capitalism has returned in full force." Jack frowned. He hadn't so much as looked at her since he allegedly saved her life. She still wasn't quite sure he actually did. There weren't any Black Dragons in sight when she woke. And the fight should have woken her. Kim was normally a light sleeper. In fact, she was surprised she slept so well on the concrete. Not to mention the plummeting night temperatures. Her body should have woken her up naturally. But it didn't. Jack had to shake her awake. Why? Drugged. The answer made her chest tighten. No. It couldn't be. She told herself. Still, she couldn't get rid of the sinking feeling in her stomach. Now that Kim thought about it, she didn't remember falling asleep. She didn't remember much at all except for walking a few steps out of the president's estate. It was easier than she thought, almost too easy. The president's estate was locked for a reason. So no one could get in, or out. So how did she get out? Did they know she had left? She shook her head, trying to clear it. Kim had to distract herself.
"So why aren't you working?" The words spilled from her mouth before she could stop herself. Finally, Jack spun around. Finally, his gaze met hers. His eyes were hazel, hidden behind his brown mop of hair—hard, and watchful. His expression was guarded. The gentle hand, soft voice, were long gone. Jack's lip curled into a bitter grin.
"I'm not working," he started, then sighed, "Because the government wants me dead." He turned around before Kim could manage to ask any more questions. It didn't stop them from again swirling in her mind. Why, why, why? It seemed to be all she could think about . She felt like a little child again. She knew nothing of this world. She didn't belong here. She belonged in the president's estate—with Grace, with the tight uniforms, the old men and women, the soft lighting, the soft pillows. A wave of loneliness washed over her. She left her friends, her home, and for what? She didn't even know herself. Yet she would never go back. They would hardly welcome her back with open arms. She did run away, after all. Or at least, she thought she did. The more she thought about it, the more unsure she got about the whole thing. Kim was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice that the group had stopped in front of her and bumped into Jack. He smelled like wood smoke. She caught a glimpse of a silver chain around his neck and subconsciously fingered for her locket as she stepped away.
"Sorry," she mumbled. Jack turned towards her a second time, his expression kinder than it was before. Kim waited for him to say something, but he didn't. He just stood there, watching her, as if he were striving to memorize every bit an piece of her being. Normally Kim would be disconcerted by a stranger staring at her for so long, but she didn't really notice since she was doing the same. She tried to look inside of him, to see who this boy truly was. He trapped her in his eyes. Kim wondered if she was doing the same.
Jerry cleared his throat, and Kim forced herself to look away. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, and hoped the cold disguised her embarrassment. Kim didn't know she could feel this way, at least, not towards a complete stranger. But no matter how many times she told herself, she couldn't stop herself from stealing another glance at him, thinking about him, wanting to talk to him, but holding her tongue for fear that she'll shut him up instead.
"I hate to interrupt your staring contest, Jackie boy, but I'd like to get out of this cold, if you don't mind." Jack glared at him, but said nothing. They had arrived at an old building a block or so from the president's estate. She could still see it looming in the distance. Jack took a clip from his pocket and fumbled with the lock for a few moments until it clicked. He put a hand on the doorknob, and the door swung open. The building was empty aside from a few dusty articles of furniture that looked like they hadn't been used in years. Jack walked in, followed by Kim, then Eddie, Milton, and Jerry. Jerry closed the door behind the group, shutting out the wind. Light streamed through the windows high above the small group, catching on the dust particles floating freely throughout the room. Kim let her backpack drop to the floor and stretched her tired shoulders. They hadn't been walking for very long, but she could already feel the soreness settling into her muscles. Sleeping on the concrete didn't really help, either.
Jack faced the three boys and Kim. Now he held himself like a leader. She thought it suited him well—being a leader. He seemed so sure of himself.
"We'll stay here until nightfall. Then we'll head back to the president's estate." Jack pulled out some sort of memory stick and a piece of paper. Kim hoped she didn't look as confused as she felt. She knew it had something to do with the president's estate. That must have been why they were at the president's estate. And they picked her up along the way. She was baggage. An inconvenience. But it didn't make her any less curious.
"What are we doing, going back to the President's estate?" Kim asked. Jerry, Milton, and Eddie glared at her. Then she remembered. Baggage.
"We are going to the President's estate." Jack started again, "You are going to stay here, safe. I can't have you killed. Not after I only saved your life this morning." A small smile crept across Jack's face. "Not that I wouldn't enjoy saving you again. You make a good Damsel in Distress." Kim glared at him. She was hardly a damsel in distress. One of the butlers in the president's estate who hadn't been killed by the plague used to teach combat skills. She was a skilled swordsman, marksman, and martial artist. She was not skilled at sitting back and letting someone protect her. Not when she could easily protect herself.
"Regardless of whether I'm going, I still want to know why you are. If I'm going to trust you guys, I at least need to know what you're doing." The boys shared anxious glances. Kim could read their expressions. They didn't trust her as much as she didn't trust them. At least it seemed Jack was more curious than wary. Even so, he seemed uneasy to tell Kim whatever the four boys had been planning. Whatever it was, it must be important. She felt a bit nosy all the same. Jack sighed, and gave one more glance before he opened his mouth and began to tell Kim of their plans to rob the vault in the president's estate. How tonight was a perfect time to execute the burglary because of the Holiday Ball. She understood, now. The memory stick turned out to be a multi-purpose decoder that could break any lock and bug any security system. He also had a very detailed map of the president's estate. Each boy wore a special bracelet that disguised their infrared readings. It looked as if it could only have been drawn by someone who had lived in the estate themselves, or was very knowledgeable about the president's happenings. When she asked what exactly they were going to steal, he answered vaguely.
"Anything we can get our hands on." He said. "It's all worth a fortune in the Black Market. Any information that the government doesn't want us to know is valuable. Who knows. We might find a weakness, some way to breach the system—get these kids a better life." Kim knew what the boys were trying to do would be a serious crime, but she couldn't shake the feeling that they were the ones doing the right thing. In just a few hours, she had slowly lost her faith in the government. For years she thought they were striving to do the right thing. She thought they were doing their best to improve the lives of the children in the city. Now she knew she was wrong.
Still, Kim also knew they probably couldn't pull a stunt like this off. She had experienced first hand the intense security measures of the estate. She had to get past them (or at least, she thought she did) to run away. They probably couldn't even get in, much less steal from the most protected place in the city. She couldn't help a harsh laugh from bubbling up and escaping through her lips.
"What?" Eddie asked incredulously.
"You're never going to get in." Kim said. Jack seemed offended.
"And why would you say that?" Jerry questioned. He sounded angry, and he wasn't trying to hide it. "What do you know about the president's estate?"
"I used to work there, first of all," Kim snapped at him.
"So why are you here, now, if you used to work there? No kid in their right mind would give up a job like that—unless you got kicked out." Milton asked, less venom in his voice than Jerry's.
"I guess I'm not in my right mind, then." Kim began, "I ran away—which means, I know exactly where every camera is and exactly when the guards make their rounds. I know everything that any outside source can't dream of finding out. I also know that no one—no matter how much they have planned can get in without someone on the inside."
"Then why don't you help us?" Jack asked, "Since you are—well, were, on the inside. We've gone too far to turn back now."
"I thought you didn't want me killed." Kim replied flatly.
"I don't want me killed either. And you can think of it as returning a favor." Jack raised an eyebrow, and held out his hand "What do you say?"
Kim took, his hand, and nodded, though all that filled her mind was the sparks she felt when she touched him. She might have chosen differently if they were absent.
A/N Voilà! Another chapter done. I hope you all enjoyed it! I certainly enjoyed writing this one. And as you may have guessed, the real action is coming very soon. Things are about to start happening, baaaaby! Any predictions? Want to be let in on a few secrets? Suggestions? Review with your thoughts! PM me!
Also, a quick question. Do you guys want me to put Donna Tobin in this? I have a good idea the role she will play (you can also PM me for info on that) but I'm not sure if I really want to add her.
And I hope I was able to add romantic tension between Jack and Kim. Kick will come, just you wait!