Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 3 (Sister's Keeper)

Jade cursed her luck upon entering the athlete's hallway. It was as though she were a glutton for punishment, since the stench of the lilac perfume was now dwarfed by the rancid cloud of sweat that entered her nostrils.

The more she walked, the more she could hear the sounds of grunting, yelling, and mental clacking against metal. She peered into the weight room and her nose crinkled as the mist of sweat rushed against her like a tornado-paralyzing her.

"Excuse me?" She stuttered. Several of the men and women working out were wearing muscle shirts and knee length shorts, and their clothing was drenched in sweat. She asked for attention again when on one responded, and once more, she was ignored.

"You're one of those singers, aren't you?" She looked to her right and saw a boy her age setting on a workout bench. His white t-shirt hung loosely from his neck, and folded into his red jogging pants. "They don't pay attention to anyone that doesn't belong in this hall. It's more of a 'we'll treat you how you treat us' type of thing."

She turned towards him and eyed this man closely. His straw-colored hair was parted down the middle and it swept down over his forehead while bending towards his dark eyes. "Names Mick, what are you here for?"

"How are they treated?" She already knew part of the answer. Most singers and actors didn't count athleticism as a talent, and therefore thought themselves better than the athletes. So anyone that was an athlete was ridiculed, mocked, and made to feel like they did not belong at the school. "Ignored, mostly?"

"Yep." Mick grabbed the white towel around his neck and swept it off his shoulders. "Can't say I blame them." He stood up and extended his hand. She studied it closely and withheld her anxious whimper when she saw the glossy coating around his hand that shimmered in the sunlight. "Go ahead, shake my hand. You're here for information, right?"

"Sort of." She took a deep breath and gripped his hand firmly. A sudden cringe shot through her body as the feel of cold sweat engulfed her. Mick's lip turned to a smirk and she pulled her hand back, giving it a shake. "I'm Jade. I was just looking for the martial arts room. I'm looking for Trina."

"Vega? She's not training in the martial arts room right now, she's out on the track field." Mick stepped outside and pointed down the hall. "Take a right, keep going, and the door outside will be right in front of you."

"Thanks." She ran her hand on her pants and turned away as the man laughed.

"Bathroom's first door on the left, by the way. You can wash your hands there." She hurried off, shaking her head when she heard the man mutter something about singers.

The outside air was fresh and crisp, and it allowed her to take a full breath to cleanse her lungs of the pollution inside. Beyond the plains of freshly cut grass and the grey, paved path, was a large wire fence around a black track court.

Trina was at the starting line, in a gym outfit that Jade had never seen this girl in before. She bore a tight-fitting purple tank and black jogging pants with a single red stripe going down the sides. Her thick brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail that bounced with each stretch that the girl performed.

She stood beside the bleachers and watched the intensity of the stretches. Trina was currently doing a split and was bending forward over her right leg, then stretching her arms out to grab her foot.

After several seconds, Trina switched legs. Then she stood and stretched her arms out above her head as though performing some sort of dance.

Jade approached her, and when she was within three feet behind Trina, she saw the girl's muscles tense. She raised her hand and started to call out, but was interrupted by a sudden flash of movement. Her body sailed through the air her shock kept her from feeling when she crashed into the patch of grass nearby.

"Don't touch me!"

"Trina, it's just me! Jade!" Her eyes flew open and she put her hands before her face. Trina was frozen above her, clenching Jade's shirt with her left hand and holding her right fist back, ready to strike. Trina's nostrils flared open, her eyes were wide, and her chest was heaving with a frenzied pant. "What the hell, Trina?"

"Do not come up behind me." Trina's grip loosened, but her muscles remained tense. Her voice came out strong and harsh, much like her actions. Jade finally felt the pain in her body, but she pushed it aside enough to force herself back to her feet. "What do you want, Jade?"

"I only wanted to talk." Jade watched the woman walk to the bleachers and grab a bottle of water that was beside a neatly folded towel. She had never before seen Trina react in this manner, but it was to be noted that she hadn't taken much time to get to know or understand the girl. "I'm sorry if I startled you, Trina. Why so sensitive about someone coming up behind you?"

"Why would anybody be sensitive about that, Jade? You can't defend your backside as well as you can defend your front." There was a casual air and aura of nonchalance to Trina's voice, and while she spoke in soft tones, they came out louder than the sound of a jackhammer striking concrete.

There was something more to it, but Jade knew better than to pry. It wasn't information that Trina would be revealing anytime soon. "Well anyway, I was just talking to Tori." Trina popped up the bite on the top of the bottle and brought it up above her head. She tilted her head back and let the water gush out like a stream into her mouth.

She admired the sun glinting off the clear liquid drink and caught herself drifting into a hypnotic state. Trina pulled down the bottle and her eyelids fell halfway. "Right. I wanted to mention something about her, by the way…" Jade frowned as Trina approached her. There was a dominant severity in her eyes and her shoulders were broad.

This was not the same girl she was used to seeing. Of course, she knew everyone had layers that made up the person that they were, but she never thought about how far those layers went for someone like Trina.

A lump swelled in her throat as Trina appeared to stand above her. The woman's left hand clung to her left hip and her forehead tensed in the middle while her nose crinkled like crumpling paper.

"Say what you want about me. Dis me, treat me like shit and kick me around if you want, I can handle that." Jade straightened her back and braced herself for an impending onslaught of anger. "You can call me a diva, you can call me a talentless, worthless hack, and you can even say I'm a crazy obsessed whore constantly begging for attention-and I'll let it roll off my shoulders."

Jade's heartbeat flickered and her eyebrows started to rise as Trina's glare slanted and she poked her chest with her thumb. "I don't care what you say about me. There's nothing you can say or do to hurt me, but I am Tori's big sister and I'll ask that you remember that."

"Okay?"

"That means I will protect her, and I will take care of her. Whether she knows it or not, I am the one watching." Jade took a step back and watched Trina's arms gracefully glide upwards and fold over her chest. "If anybody hurts her, treats her badly, makes her cry or upsets her…they answer to me."

She would take Trina's statement into consideration. Primarily due to the context of it sounding as a promise, not a threat. "I understand." She wanted to get defensive and tell Trina off, but given that she still had questions for the woman, she bit her tongue. "I'm not used to seeing this side of you."

"Because I don't show it. Who cares? Let people see the diva that's out for attention. I won't stop people from making their own judgments-I define myself, they don't define me."

"Right, well, I just wanted to ask something…" Jade took a seat on the metal bench and crossed her legs. "Tori mentioned that you and your dad don't have the best of relationships…" Trina's brow furrowed and her torso swayed to the right.

"That matters to you, why?" Jade's lips parted and Trina brought her hand up to stare down at her nails. "I don't, by the way. What's it to you? That man isn't worth talking about."

"I know, I-"

"And why the hell are you suddenly so interested in my family?"

She had to pause there. It was difficult to explain to someone when she wasn't even sure herself. Was the fact that she was drawn to the unknown even a valid enough point?

"I can't actually explain. I just…I don't know."

"Then do yourself a favor and butt out." Trina's words were like a punch to the gut, flooring her in an instant. Trina dropped her arms and narrowed her eyes. "That man doesn't exactly take kindly to strong-minded women challenging him." Trina's muscles tensed and her lips twisted into a scowl. "That's your last warning."

Trina walked past her, swaying her clenched fists like curtains breezing in the wind. Jade twisted partially and called out to the woman, causing Trina to stop in her tracks. "What's wrong with your father?" Trina turned her gaze skywards and threw out a virulent scoff.

"What's wrong with my father? I don't know, it depends who you're talking about. The man in my dreams, or the man in my nightmares." Jade drew in a sharp breath and watched Trina move to the starting line.

Trina spread her legs apart and bent forward, touching her fingertips to the pavement. She threw her head back and her ponytail sailed the air, landing firmly in the middle of her shoulder blades.

"I've nothing more to say, Jade. You may as well go."

"I just want to find the truth."

"Truth? The truth?" Trina laughed once and looked ahead of her. "You couldn't handle it…"

In the blink of an eye, Trina was gone. Jade was amazed by the girl's speed, but she didn't stick around to watch Trina race around the track. Chances were very likely Trina wanted her gone.

Whatever it was eating away at this girl, Jade had to know. She wasn't going to give up. She liked seeing the harder, stronger and more dominant force in Trina as opposed to the girl she pretended to be in front of the friends or out in public.

"I wonder why she hides her serious nature so much. It's like she's afraid to show it or something." She left the fenced in area with haste and started down the path. Focusing on Mr. Vega brought a burning sensation to her chest and left a foul taste in her mouth.

"What are you doing?" Tori's voice startled her and caused her to flinch. She looked to the right and saw the girl standing with her back straight and pressed against an oak tree. Tori's left knee was bent and her foot was against the tree, her arms were crossed, and her brown hair had fallen before her narrow and anxious gaze. "Why are you bothering my sister?"

"I just had a few questions-"

"It isn't your place." Tori pushed herself from the tree and swept her bangs over her head. Her brown eyes looked like mud with the glaze of water forming at her eyelids. "Leave Trina alone, Jade. She hasn't done anything to you."

"But I wasn't-"

"And you don't know our family. You don't know what's going on, so quit asking questions. There is absolutely nothing going on…" Tori flipped her hair over her right shoulder and looked at the track.

Tori's lower lip was pouted and her concerned eyes seemed to focus on her sister. Her body grew very still and her muscles tensed. This was the second time Tori said nothing was going on, but Jade knew the girl was simply trying to deflect her.

Even now, it was clear Tori was trying to protect the elder sister. Jade wasn't sure what it was she was protecting Trina from, but there was a clear need to keep her sister from harm.

Whatever haunted this family terrified her to the point she questioned taking the women and running. "If there's something going on, Tori…"

"Trina was hurt once because of me, I'm not letting her be hurt again." Tori closed her lips together and shot a glare at Jade. "So stop snooping around things that you don't know, because the more you do…" Tori's voice trailed off and ended with a tremble. "I don't mind you being friends, but nothing more. You're going to cause something terrible to happen-Dad doesn't like people asking a lot of questions about him."

"Tori?"

"No. Just cut it out, because you can't do anything." Tori's voice started to rise, and each word beat against Jade's heart like a sledgehammer. "You can't do a damn thing, so leave our family alone."

"I'm not doing anything to Trina, Tori!"

"I know that!" Jade's body jerked back and she stammered as Tori approached her. "Do you think I don't know that? As far as you're concerned, there's nothing going on, so leave well enough alone. Please."

Jade held her breath and watched as Tori walked towards the track field. She released her breath and started for the school building. "Okay…" These girls thought they were responsible for one another, and this concerned Jade greatly. However, any further investigation was going to have to be done without Trina and Tori actually noticing, otherwise they would very likely shoot her down for whatever fears were on their minds.

So what are you thinking? There's a lot to consider here, both girls appear to live in a state of terror but there's still much we don't know. Do bear in mind that there's a lot to their emotional and mental states, don't assume one to be unaware of something if they act like something doesn't exist. Case in point: Tori knows everything that is wrong with her family, but she's not going to tell somebody she just met.