Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 14 (Gaining an Advantage)

At the school, Jade had to wait at the cafeteria tables with patience. A virtue she did not typically have. It was important, however, since Tori managed to convince Holly to meet with her here. Ian and his mother were supposed to be here as well, and they had yet to arrive.

The area that surrounded her was filled with conversation, which was something she was thankful for. If nobody were around, she would be more concerned about meeting with Holly and the girls. Also, because she wasn't sure whether or not to trust Robbie, she had Beck keep him busy on the off chance he stumbled around the place-this was his frequent hangout spot.

She focused her gaze on a familiar cherry colored sedan pulling into the parking lot nearby and pulled her lips into a smile. "Ian and his mom are here. Finally." She leaned back in her seat and raised her hand up when she saw Ian leave the vehicle. Once he saw her, he led his mother over, though his attention was on the school that surrounded them.

"Hollywood Arts," Ian chuckled, "I still can't get over how strange this place feels." He sat down and folded his hands on the table. His mother, Julia, sat beside him. She swept her hair over her ear and closed her eyes.

"It isn't my first choice," she stated bluntly, "But I understand it's a sort of 'haven' for Victoria?" Julia's eyebrow rose and Ian's head and shoulders dropped with a loud sigh. "She seemed happier at Sherwood. At least we saw her more."

"Yeah." Ian ran his hand over the back of his neck and he leaned back slowly. "There's a reason for that, mom." He twisted partially in his seat and hung his elbow over the back of the chair. "They're not here yet?" Jade shook her head and scanned the parking lot. She was starting to worry, and had been struggling to relax. Tori did send her a text that they were fixing to leave, so she didn't know why she was so concerned.

Her worries were quenched when she saw Holly's car pulling into the lot. Ian seemed to relax as well when he saw Tori leave the passenger side of the car. "There she is," he whispered on a single breath. Jade's eyebrows slid upwards and she smiled as Ian stood up and met Tori with a long hug.

Holly passed the two of them, glancing at them for what seemed to be the longest time before she and Trina sat down at the table. "Okay Jade." Holly folded her forearms over and Jade moved her gaze into the woman's suspicious eyes. "What is this about? What are you doing that you wanted so badly to talk to me?"

"I'm sorry if it caused any trouble." She spoke of David, but didn't know how much would be safe for her to say in front of Ian and his mother. Holly's brow furrowed a bit and her fingers slid inside her hands.

"David is at work, if that's what you're wondering about. Evidently Officer Richardson called him into the office to look at something." She nearly fell from her chair in excitement. Sikowitz had tried to convince Gary to distract David somehow, so perhaps that's what happened. "David is…" Holly's eyes closed and she drew in a slow breath. "Acting strange lately."

She heard Trina scoff and turned just as the girl nudged Holly. "Did you tell her about the letter from my class? Tell her about that."

"Oh yeah. Apparently the martial arts class is requiring their students to attend this camp, otherwise they'll receive a low grade for class participation." A streak of pride pulsated from her heart and her lips slid into a slow smirk. Holly's fingers uncurled and the woman glanced at her daughter. "Strangely, David is allowing it because it involves school. Apparently my children doing well in school is important to him."

"David wants Tori and Trina to get an education? How does that even make sense?" Her nose wrinkled and she looked to Tori, who had taken a seat between Ian and his mother. "There's something more I wanted to bring up about that trip, but first-"

"As much as I want to go," Trina interrupted, "That means leaving my sister and mother behind." Holly's head moved back and the mother's concerned gaze fell onto her. Tori leaned forward, looking past Julia and Holly, and studying Trina closely.

"You need to go," she insisted. "Mom and I will be fine."

"No, you don't get it."

Holly put her hand to Trina's and the concern in her eyes turned sharp as she made eye contact with her daughter. "She's right." Trina's muscles tensed her lips clamped firmly against each other. "You're going on that trip, Trina. There's no question about it."

"It's just a grade, mom."

"It's more than a grade."

Trina pulled away and crossed her arms. Her voice rose and her eyes narrowed. "I have to be here." Jade brought her hand up and perched her chin on her knuckles, watching in silence and waiting for the opportunity to bring up the vacation that Ian's family was going to invite Tori on. "For you and for Tori. I refuse to leave you behind with that…"

She stopped suddenly and her eyes flew towards Julia. Ian's mother had been silent the entire time, but Jade noticed a growing concern. Julia's hands were folded in her lap, her lips were pursed, and she had two long lines that appeared on her forehead.

"If I can say something?" Julia spoke simply, but quietly, as if she didn't know whether to interrupt the conversation or not. "Ian and I wanted to invite Tori on our vacation. We would be gone for some time, so we wanted to discuss the matter with you, Holly." Holly's lips parted and the tension on Trina's face seemed to vanish. Tori's hand moved up over her mouth and she turned to Ian, shocked by the invitation. "Is there anything that I should be concerned with?"

"No," Holly whispered, "No there isn't." Jade's eyebrows danced up and she looked away from the group to see if anyone at the other tables might have been overhearing. Fortunately nobody seemed to be paying any mind, and while she didn't think it would matter, she couldn't be entirely certain that David wouldn't have someone around.

As Holly spoke, each word came out slow and with a brief pause between them. "Let me get this straight." The mother leaned upright and her eyes drifted towards her youngest child. "You're going on vacation, and you want Tori to go along with you?"

"Yes."

"What is this trip?"

"It's a cross country expedition thing," Ian answered, "We're leaving in a week and we'd probably be gone for a few months. We'd be studying stuff related to biology, geology, chemistry…Mom's friend would be along as well, she's an animal specialist." He smiled knowingly at Tori, and Jade watched as excitement grew in the girl's eyes. "We'd love to have you."

Julia kept her focus on Holly. Jade was impressed the woman wasn't pressing the family on what they seemed to be arguing about just a few moments ago. "We have an arrangement set up with the schools." Julia brought her hand up to her chest and took a deep breath. "I'm on the school board and a member of the PTA myself, I have Sherwood on board, and I can get Hollywood Arts on board to give both Tori and Ian credit for their studies."

"I appreciate that," Holly answered. The woman smiled at Julia, then looked over to Tori. "Tori, would you go with them?" The question sounded more like one of a statement to Jade, an order from mother to daughter. Tori hugged Ian's neck, then nodded at her mom. "As long as Ian's parents are there, I am okay with this."

Julia brought her hand up to her chest and looked on with concern. "What about your husband?" Holly's next words came through clenched teeth, but her lips remained in the form of a smile. Feigned, most likely.

"I'm sure my husband will be just fine with it." When she put emphasis on the word 'husband', Jade wasn't sure which man Holly spoke of. Gary would be okay with it, but David might have difficulty accepting it. "David understands education comes first, and this is a great opportunity for Tori to not only span out and explore, but to get some important education out of the way."

"Of course."

"I will talk to him, but Tori will be allowed to go on this trip."

As she looked beyond Holly, Jade saw Mr. Sikowitz walking with Jason beside him. Her heart stopped for a moment and a nervous feeling struck her when she made eye contact with her mentor and his nephew.

"Um…" She cleared her throat and looked at Trina, frantically trying to figure out what she could say. "Now what I wanted to say about the martial arts thing, Trina…" Trina turned her head slowly and kept her eyes narrow. "I might have spoken to the guy in charge of all the camp counselors."

Trina straightened herself and folded her forearms on the table. "What about?"

"Well. The camp counselors leave in about a week to train for a couple months before camp." Trina's eyebrow rose and Jade watched Sikowitz and Jason begin their approach. "I was trying to convince him to take you in as a counselor, so you'd be leaving to the campsite as well."

"You did what?"

"That's a good idea," Holly announced with a firmness in her tone. Trina rolled her eyes and shot a look at her mother. Holly's voice lowered and she reaffirmed her position in a tone that she didn't want Julia to hear. "I don't want you and Tori staying in that house with that demon, if you don't have to."

"Fine." Trina brought her arms up to her chest and shrugged. "So what's the big deal?"

"He wants you to prove yourself," Jade replied hastily, "He doesn't know if you're ready or not." She needed to agitate Trina just a little, to make her want to go up against Jason and show him that she could do the job.

"Prove myself? He doesn't think I can do it?" Jason and Sikowitz stopped near the table, off to the side but still not noticed by Trina. Jason leaned to the side and crossed his arms over his slow expanding chest. "I could easily be one of the camp counselors, and I can fight. It isn't as if martial arts is new to me."

"Maybe it has something to do with you being a woman?" Jade smiled and Jason glared at her. Sure, he didn't sound like he had a sexist bone in his body, but Jade wanted Trina to show him her best.

Trina leaned back slowly and closed her eyes, scoffing angrily. "Really? Just because I'm a woman? Where is this man? I'd like to talk to him."

"Right here," Jason responded, "And I did not say-" Trina pushed herself up and spun to face him. Her hand sailed through the air to strike him, but he snapped his forearm upwards and blocked her strike. As he held is arm there, his sharpened gaze met with the inferno that was in her glare.

"You're the one that wants my class on this camping trip, and you don't think I can fight?"

"A camp counselor is more than fighting, but the ability and degree of your belt does matter if you're going to be one. I do not discriminate on gender, and I do not doubt your skill because you are a woman. I doubt your skill because I haven't seen you yet."

Trina's nostrils flared and her eyes darted to a patch of grass across the street. "Fine. My mother wants me to do this, so if I have to 'prove' myself to a man in order to leave that fucked up house earlier, then I will." She moved past him like a storm and motioned him towards the grass.

Before he made any movement, he turned his glare onto Jade. She averted her eyes, but could still feel his fire. "First rule of martial arts, do not fight angry. Your lie pissed her off, she will not be at her best…" She cringed and looked up hastily, eager to apologize, but it was too late. The man was already following Trina.

"Well this should be entertaining," Tori said dryly, "I don't think my sister was planning to get into any fights today." Jade stood up and tightened her lips as the others followed her action.

"At least they're going across the street to spar," Sikowitz muttered, "Even sparring on school grounds might cause an issue." Jade stepped beside him and frowned when her mentor shook his head at her. "I'd already talked Jason into letting her join, Miss West."

She threw her hands into the air and groaned. "Why didn't you tell me? I thought he wasn't going to let her. He seems really hard to talk to."

"He's not." They started walking towards the street. Jade pursed her lips and watched Jason and Trina face one another. "He's quiet, and he's tough, but my brother-in-law made him that way."

"What do you mean?"

"Jason and my sister have seen their share of violence. He learned martial arts at a young age, because it was the only way to defend himself and his mother against that drunkard that married my sister." Sikowitz's face tensed and his hands started to close. "I explained to him that Trina could be in a similar situation that he'd been in with his father, and needed to get away from there earlier than that camping trip, and he agreed. He'll probably train her a little more than the other counselors because she's the only one that won't be a black-belt, but he's got a great deal of compassion under the exterior that he shows everyone. You should not have been so impulsive."

"Sorry." They crossed the street and approached the two people. She had a feeling there was something that Jason might have in common with Trina, but she was shocked to hear that it was so bad. "I saw a scar on his back. Was that from his dad?"

"Yes. Some of the scars aren't as visible, while others aren't even on the surface of his skin. Jason did everything to protect his mother growing up, even if that meant he took all the abuse…"

"What happened to that man?"

Sikowitz's shoulders rose and his voice fell nearly to a whisper. "I told him if he ever touched my sister or nephew again, I'd tear into him myself. I was the one that got Jason into martial arts-when he was just eight years old. By the time he was ten, he stood up to his dad."

"They fought?"

"Jason isn't one to throw a punch. He never struck his father, but he learned to deflect and diffuse the man's anger. That man eventually drank himself to death."

"I'm sorry."

Now she wanted to call out to Trina and let her know she didn't have to spar with the man, but she got a sense that this was some sort of lesson to be learned. From what Jason had said moments before about not fighting with anger.

As expected, Trina made the first move and lunged for Jason as a lioness ready to tear into its prey. Jason threw his hands up and leaned back, twisting his upper torso to the right and dodging a fierce blow.

Trina let out an angry snarl and swung her arm outwards, but missed as Jason ducked and swept himself away to the side. "Calm down," Jason urged, "You'll use up all your energy in your first few attacks. You'll never be able to finish your opponent if you're fighting like this."

"I can finish off anyone," Trina scoffed, "I know how to fight."

"Then show me."

As the sparring match raged on, Jade could see Trina growing weary over time. None of her attacks were connecting with their intended targets, causing her to lose more energy each time.

It was like a dance, with each fluid motion of the two as one. Her strike, his dodge. The more she was on the offense, the more he would take a step back and instruct her to stop and breathe.

"He's been practicing for ten years," Sikowitz muttered at one point. Jade closed her eyes and groaned when she heard Tori say Trina had not been practicing for anywhere near that time. Not since before what David had done to her.

The dance ended with Trina on her knees, pounding the ground and trembling as the sunlight glistened in the sweat on her body. Jason stood in front of her, his arms were crossed and his feet were spread apart. He had a very straight and neat posture, and seemed prepared if Trina tried to strike at his feet.

"You're not ready," he said coldly. Trina turned her gaze to him. A whimper fell from her lips and pierced Jade's heart. Her eyes widened and her jaw fell. This was the first time she'd seen this side of Trina.

He unfolded his arms and extended his right hand to her. Her muscles tensed for a moment and her eyes dropped to his open palm. After several seconds, she relaxed and placed her hand in his, allowing him to help her to her feet.

"When you fight someone while angry, you spend a lot of energy attacking them. You don't watch their movements, you don't get to see what's coming at you. They can dodge, and when they do, you lose that energy that didn't connect with the other person. You're determined though, I can see that."

"I don't get it." Trina pulled her hand away from him and narrowed her eyes. "I've done nothing but focus on this."

"I've been at it a very long time." Jason shrugged and his eyes closed for a moment. "Counselor or not, you need a lot of training. Of course, I'll be happy to teach you what I can, so feel free to join me when I leave to the campsite next week."

Trina's eyes widened and she started to say something, but then closed her mouth.

Regardless of circumstances, Jade was thrilled. Trina and Tori would both, very likely, leave next week and that would leave things open for Jade to freely investigate David and the two mothers without fear of harm coming to the girls.

Holly and Gary could both breathe some relief there. Holly would still be in a dangerous position, but she had a feeling the mother didn't care. "This is a good turn of events," Sikowitz said under his breath, "I will have Jason be present when Holly goes to talk to David about the girls leaving."

"Why?"

"You've profiled the man enough. You tell me."

She looked away from him and studied Jason closely. He could be an imposing figure, sure, and David already had one tussle with Ian-who looked to be half Jason's size. "David's a weak minded man. He'd be intimidated just by Jason's presence?"

"Precisely. It's not often I'll send my nephew into the fire, but Jason knows how to deal with combative people…after all, I don't think David is anywhere near the threat that Trenton was."

"Trenton?"

"Jason's father."

"Oh…" There was more Jade wanted to do, more that she needed to do. Rebecca was the weak link in this conspiracy chain, and the fact that she was dating the woman's son gave her an advantage. "Then soon, I'll be having a sit-down with Mrs. Oliver. I think it's time she and I had a little chat." Sikowitz raised an eyebrow, then warned her to be careful. She wouldn't reveal anything they were working on, but she knew how to get under the woman's skin. "The woman never liked me."

"What mother does like the girl dating their son?"

"Eh, good point, but I think I can use that."

So Ian and Jason both are on board here, and the girls will go to safety. What this means for the story is they won't be present-though Jade may correspond with them via mail or phone, but they will be safe. Do you think David will take it easily though? Jason will be present with the mindset of explaining why Trina has to leave for training as a camp counselor. There's still much to be done though, but for now, it looks like the girls will be safe-and good on Holly ensuring both her daughters went along with their respective trips.