(I couldn't convince my computer that I'm not a computer and now I'm late, so yeah… sorry about that. Also, this chapter is a tad longer than I usually make them.)

Could you tell me what's real?


Chapter 40

Can I call you tonight?

The junk crunches under their feet as they make haste, running through the junkyard as fast as they can. It would seem that May understands that time is extremely important when there's a missing person. The longer it takes before they're found, chances are they're going to end up dead. So why haven't they called the police yet? Good question. I guess it just never crossed their minds. Panic and stressed emotions tend to make it harder for the brain to come up with logical ideas and thoughts. Sometimes it just be like that, you know? Anyway – They make it past the last hills of the wasteland of junk, heading in the direction of the trailer park. It would seem that Mel has yet to set foot in this area; she doesn't recognize the surroundings or the way there. It does make her a little uncomfortable to not know exactly where she is, but for the moment she chooses to ignore that feeling and simply pushes forward. She knows she's going in the right direction as long as she follows May, regardless of whether she recognize the area or not. After all, May lives out here, so she ought to know the area like the back of her hand. The sun still has a good few hours before it reaches the horizon when they arrive at the location, but time's arrow never stand still nor reverses. It merely marches forward, and they need to make sure to move with it.

The trailer park looks just like its name suggests; a park where a couple of trailers are parked, with a large sign that reads 'Park n' Flush' in strong colors. Mel is not sure why she expected anything different than that at first, something more "exciting", but she's just going to cut herself some slack and just not mention it to anyone. She follows May through the park, hurrying up to one of them. Just as they reach the front door, May pauses dead in her tracks to catch her breath and to probably gather her thoughts.

"You okay?" Mel asks her, watching her hold a hand over her chest as if to make sure her heart is still beating.

May looks up at her, seeming caught off guard and a tad guilty. "Yes," she says, voice weak as it was before, "I just…" I'm just about to confront my older sister about the disappearance of my other older sister, with a person that's beaten and tied us up in the past for messing with the Eds (aka. our boyfriends). That's all.

Mel lets out an understanding sigh, "I know." She doesn't really, but sort of. She understands that it's going to be weird and all that; more than likely triggering for Lee to see her youngest sister with the person that made short notice of them, demanding her to tell them everything she knows about Marie's whereabouts.

May gives her a smile, appreciating the support given to her. She then takes a deep breath, stands tall and grabs the doorhandle to open the front door for them.

Lee is nowhere to be seen at first, everything seeming to be as normal as it could be given the circumstances. She takes a few steps forward, letting go of the door for Mel to easily catch and follow her inside, closing the door behind her. While May carefully makes her way deeper into her home, Mel takes the moment to look around the place* from where she stands. The first thing she sees is a staircase leading upstairs – she didn't think this trailer was capable of that, but ok – and to her left is a nothing but a door, maybe a bathroom? To her right, however, seems to be an open living room area, and just past that what seems to be the entrance to a kitchen. There's a couch and a bookcase right next to the front door, both kind of old looking, but she doesn't comment on it. From what she can tell is that they can't really afford anything more than what they already have. No need to make them feel bad for it – especially since she wasn't able to afford anything like this a time ago. Her attention is snapped back into the present when she hears voices coming from her right, past the living room. She can see the silhouettes of two figures moving around in the kitchen area. Seems like May found her older sister. Time for some questioning – though not too aggressive. She walks slowly through the living room.

"Enough with that, and answer my question already; Where were you?" Lee demands, her voice echoing in their home. She's standing in the kitchen, preparing some supper for herself it looks like. She keeps one hand on her hip and uses the other to dictate her demands onto her youngest sister, the same way an angry mother would after catching her child attempting to sneak back home after partying all night long.

"I went to get help," May says, standing with her arms crossed and body aimed away from her sister. Her eyes are closed and eyebrows raised in the typical rebellious teenage way, though her head is turned in her sister's direction, so she is seeking to have a conversation with her. That's good, since that's the whole point with Mel being here.

"Help?" Lee asks, voice sassy and confused. "Help from where and who?"

"From me." Their eyes land on her as she makes her way across the living room floor, up to the entrance of the kitchen. Though she can't see her eyes, she can see the surprise and confusion written on Lee's face. She tries not to snicker at it. "Hello," she says, keeping her voice in check.

Lee stares at Mel for a few seconds before aiming her gaze back at her sister, more than likely staring daggers into her. "You went to that lunatic?" she says, throwing the pointing finger in Mel's direction. What does it mean when the neighborhood's lunatic kids call you a lunatic? "Alright then, you better have a good explanation for that one, or I'll make sure you'll never-"

"She wanted me to help find Marie," Mel says, interrupting Lee's (more than likely empty) threat against her own sister. "Apparently she's gone missing?"

Lee crosses her arms. "Really now?" she says, staring back to her sister. "So she went to an outsider, a non Kanker, to ask for help when this is clearly a Kanker's business only?"

"A Kanker's business?" Mel can't help but ask. "What's a Kanker business?"

Lee looks at Mel, probably with a 'dumb'-accusing expression on her face. "It's a business meant for Kanker's only, duh! No non-Kanker can or should get involved!"

"Of course," Mel says, not sure what else she expected to hear. Scratching the back of her neck, she ponders on the "fact" Lee just told her. "But, in that case, why are you keeping secrets from your sister about it? Isn't she a Kanker too?"

May seems to enjoy that question. She crosses her arms at her sister triumphantly, giving her a big wide winner's grin, while Lee only growls at her in response. This is not what she had in mind at all, nor is it going in the way she wants it to, is it?

Lee stares back at Mel, her posture slightly tilting forward in a dominating way, trying to scare her sister into submission probably. May's triumphant stand doesn't halter though. She's become unfazed by her sister's attempt to scare her into abandoning this ship. Not this time. It might've worked before, but not anymore – not when there's someone bigger and stronger there to back her up. Lee seems to understand this and she soon drops her posture, turning away from them. "She ain't missing," she says, looking down at the floor.

"What?" May asks, triumph replaced with confusion.

"She left."

"What? What do you mean 'she left'?" May hurries up in her sister's face. "If she's not here, then where is she?!"

"How should I know?! I'm not her mother!"

"Yes, you do! You just said-!"

"HEY!" They both stop their banter back and forth immediately at the sound of Mel's roar. She's frowning, clearly not amused by the show that was playing before her.

"What?!" Lee snaps at her. "What do you want?!"

Mel glares at her for a second before she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to clear her thoughts. What should she do and/or say to not push this in the wrong direction? Is this even salvageable? Opening her eyes as she exhales, she finds May's eyes looking back at her. Sweet and desperate, they're begging her not to abandon her like this; right here and now. That's all she needs to remember the promise she just made, to help and find Marie, the missing girl; The one who's life could very well be in danger right now. She takes another deep breath, focusing her thoughts, forcing them to cooperate with her on this.

"Do you know why she decided to leave?" she asks. "Did she leave with someone? Did she leave to be with someone? Or was there a completely different reason behind her deciding to leave? Did she leave when no one was around and left something for you to find that explained what she did and why she did it?" Judging by the way Lee grows silent by each and every question – especially the last one – Mel is positive that she hit at least somewhat close to home for her to having to think before she speaks her answer. Unfortunately, Lee doesn't want to give in.

"How should I know?!" she snaps at them, repeating what she's already said, "I'm not her mother!" She's only done it once but Mel is already getting annoyed by it. She decides to stop the pattern quickly.

"May has explained that your behavior and reaction towards Marie's absence suggests that you might know something about it." Walking up to stand before the girl, Mel bends down till she's eyelevel with the other ginger, "And if I'm allowed to be so bold and rude, I have to agree with her."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Lee snaps at her, trying to gain her bearings in her own territory.

"Your attitude speaks volume on many different levels. It's kind of hard to read, but simple still the more you think about it. You cast a light that you're unbothered by any of this; your sister missing for whatever reason. You act as if it's but an ordinary Sunday routine, something that happens on a daily basis. But it's not, is it?" She looks into the glorious locks of the other ginger, searching for the eyes that she knows hide in there. "Your unbothered nature is fake, in a painfully obvious way, I'm afraid. The light you try to force others to see is far too powerful to make any sense, which means you're not sure of what you're doing, are you? You grasp desperately after something you can control, because you're not in control of this, and it just so happens that keeping people in the dark about everything is the one thing you can control. Sadly, you know that this isn't just the only thing you can control; it's the only thing where you know what to do. Because you don't know what to do about this. You don't know how to fix this." She finds the eyes she's searching for; finds the emotion they're desperately trying to hide from the world. "The truth is; you are bothered by this, aren't you? It bothers you to not know where your sister is, if she's alright or not. But then we have the whole thing about you not wanting to share anything with anyone, not even May, your sister. Even though she's a Kanker and this is all a Kanker's business, you refused to tell her anything about it. Why? Did Marie make you promise not to tell anyone about where she decided to go? Or is it a petty attempt of payback, revenge, that pushes you to do it? She decides to leave – you decide to bury her tracks. Making it harder for people to find her; making it harder for her to find her way back home. Is that it?"

Lee refuses to say anything to her, but the way her lips slightly tremble tell enough of the story. Mel watches her for a short while, observing the small movements of her body, before she turns back towards May, seeing the confused and puzzled expression on her face.

"Did Marie leave something behind?" she asks May, "Like a note or something?"

May shakes her head sadly with a shrug, but just before she's able to say anything Lee's voice cuts them off. "She doesn't want to be a Kanker," she says with a trembling voice. Both of them look at her.

"What?" May asks.

Lee bites her bottom lip, fighting something within herself. "She said she was sick and tired of it," she says, refusing to look at either of them.

"Of what?" Mel asks. "Being a Kanker?"

Hands shaking, Lee reaches into her pants pocket, searches around for a bit, and pulls out a small piece of paper. She holds it out for Mel to take. Mel takes it, unfolds it and looks it over as Lee goes on. "A silly little Kanker," she says with a ridiculing voice, scratching her nose after. "I don't know why, but she said she was leaving to be part of something greater; a gang. I guess that's the best she could think of, whatever good that'll do her. Be my guest."

Mel feels her stomach and all of her insides twist when she hears the words. A gang? What gang? There aren't that many gangs that hang around here, so where did she find one? And how? She bites her own bottom lip and frowns in deep thought, searches the message in the note for the horrid word only to find it, to her horror. She stands up straight and walks around the kitchen, reading further as she does her best to think of the possible locations, logos, names, "activities" etc. She can hear May trying to talk to Lee about it some more, asking some questions. Then she asks one that brings an answer that freezes Mel's blood to ice.

"What gang?"

"I don't know," Lee responds, her attitude more toned down now. "The Jeegers or Jaguars, or something like that."

Mel snaps her head around as she hears the suggested names. "What did you say?" she asks, sounding almost robotic.

Lee and May look at her. Lee just shrugs her shoulders, "The Jaguars or Jeegers? Something like that?"

Mel's gaze is intense. She looks back to the piece of paper and hurriedly scans every word it holds until she spots the one thing, the one gang name that all gangs know and fear; "Jagers," she whispers in horror, feeling her soul ready to evict her body.

"Sounds about right."

Mel tries to hide it, she really does. But when she looks back down at Lee and May she can clearly tell that her face isn't normal. It's lost color, most definitely.

JagersThe Jagers… she knows that name all too well. It's one of the cruelest gangs out there, if not the cruelest one! Horrible people that enjoy hurting others, especially the newcomers. Drugs, alcohol – especially Jager, hence their name – and sex regardless of who, what gender or how old … if they consent or not. Thinking back to her old days on the streets; she was once approached by the Jagers, being offered to join them since they had heard about her history. Not the mental institute that her mother forced her to go through, but her father's perverted fantasies that he forced her and her sister to fulfill, to record – to sell – that eventually lead to her sister's death and thus her insanity (the voices in her head started shortly after that). Once she was out of the institute, with the voices in her head still, she didn't feel like she belonged anywhere, so she ran away and ended up on the streets. To this day she will always be grateful to the people who found her and brought her to the gang she eventually joined; The Bats. They had practically dragged her away from the Jagers, knowing far too well what they had in store for her, what they wanted to do to her… with her. Age and consent don't mean anything to them. They even have a "tax" that you need to pay if you want to join and another for when you wish to leave. A tooth to join, a finger- and toenail to leave. All of the above if you wish to let someone else go. Naturally, this isn't something a lot of people wish to go through, but they don't tell you that until you're just about to join – after all of the other trials they make you suffer through just to "prove your worth of joining" or "to show how badly you want to join", "what you're willing to do just to join". And if you refuse… you'll be lucky if you're still breathing when the ambulance gets there.You know… that would explain why Marie kept returning home with cuts and bruises all over her body. She was going through their trials. She was getting ready to join.The question is; did she? Since she hasn't been seen for a while… and given what the punishment is for backing out of the first tax… they always draw blood, after all. The one and only thing we adopted from them.

It's almost as if someone hit the emergency button in her. With a quick movement she pockets the note, turns around towards the two girls who both look at her with expressions of many emotions. "You can't stay here," she tells them, something neither of them were prepared to hear, no doubt.

"What?" May asks, sounding scared. She should be. Lee, on the other hand, is more annoyed than anything, really.

"What do you mean?" she demands, crossing her arms angrily. "Are you trying to kick us out of our home or something?"

"If they know she has two sisters, they'll come for you," she says and that seems to do the trick. Both Lee and May appear to be equally worried now. Good. They know that it's serious. They need to get out of here. "You need to get out of here before they do. Pack everything you need for a long stay over, whatever you may end up forgetting – leave it! You can borrow from us. Just-" she wrecks her head for what to say. They need to get out of here and that's fast! "Just get to it!"

The two girls don't question her and immediately gets to it. Running around in their home, filling up their bags with things they need for a long sleep over, or something like that. Clothes, underwear, toiletry and everything else they can think of. In the meantime, Mel is calling home, hoping that her brother won't be too bothered by the sudden interruption of their everyday life. She knows how he is with schedules and planning everything beforehand in case of emergencies, but gosh darn it – this is an emergency! She holds her breath as the line beeps in her ear, hoping and dreading at the same time to hear his voice call to her from the other side.

"Vincent residence, Eddward spea-"

"Edd!" she calls out suddenly, cutting him off in his greeting, "Sorry for interrupting you, but I need you to do something and get ready for something else."

"Wh-why of course," he says, sounding ever so hesitant. "What is it?"

"Okay, I need you to listen to me and to just do as I say, okay?"

"Okay."

"Right, first I need you to tell me if Kevin is still there or not."

"Y-yes, he is. Why?"

"Good! Good," she tries to catch her breath and collect her thoughts. "I need you to get ready for some action, okay? I'm sending Lee and May over to our place, they're getting their stuff ready and packed right now, and they're going to stay at our place for a while, okay?"

"Wh-what?!" She can hear his panic through his voice. "What on earth for?"

"Please, just trust me. Things are so much worse than I thought they were! I need to get them someplace safe, and right now their own home is not safe! I don't know how long they'll need to stay over, but it's going to be days, at the very least." Please, just listen to me! "I need you and Kevin to come and meet them at the junkyard and bring them home. Bring Ed and Eddy if you want, just get them home safely! I don't have the time to do it myself; I need to go right now!"

"O-okay. I'll get them ready."

"Thank you! Now listen; I'm going to call Amanda and see if and when she and her dad can come over and stay with you guys, and then I'm going to call some friends and see how soon they can get to you. They'll keep you safe, I promise!"

"What about the police?"

"That's why I'm going to send over Amanda and her dad; they can best decide when the police need to be called," she looks back at Lee and May, almost done with their packing. "I'm sorry it had to turn out like this bro, but it's going to be okay. My friends may be loud, obnoxious and scary, but they are just the same as I am. Whoever I care about, they care about. It's going to be okay… it's going to be okay…"

"Mel… what… are you…?"

She sighs into the phone. She can't keep him guessing like this. She can't keep him in the dark about this. "Edd, I'm going to tell you exactly how it is; I don't know if Marie is alive still." The silence over the line is nothing compared to the silence of the two girls who just stopped what they were doing to stare at her in shock and horror.

"…what?!" Edd silently gasps. She gulps.

"Please, Edd… I need you to do exactly what I tell you to," she tries so hard not to sound as torn as she is. "Get Kevin, Ed and Eddy and head to the junkyard. I'm going to send Lee and May there. Pick them up, bring them home, keep them safe until my friends arrive. They'll probably arrive sooner than Amanda and her dad, so don't be scared, okay? They tend to drive their motorcycles, and they're loud, okay? They also have metal baseball bats like I do and- oh, God, my bat." She groans at her own stupidity, but it's too late to do anything about that right now. "Never mind, I can't go back now. You can use it for self-defense if you wish, or if you want to learn how to use it, that's fine too. Maybe some of my friends can teach you a couple of tricks, if you want?"

"Right… okay," he sounds ever so hesitant to that. She can't blame him.

"But most importantly, Edd," she tells him. "You need to inform the other kids about this as well. I don't know if they're targets or if they're under the radar still. We need to make sure they're safe as well – if they want to stay over as well, just have a giant slumber party for a couple of days, alright? Don't worry about food and supplies; my friends know. They can deal with that. And so can Amanda and her dad."

Movement in the corner of her eye catch her attention. Lee and May are ready to go. She takes a deep breath and lets out a strangled noise.

"Lee and May are ready," she says. "I'm sending them to the junkyard. Get there as soon as you can, okay?"

"Y-yes! We're on our way!"

"Good, good," she gulps down her worries the best she can. This is really happening. "I love you bro. Please, never forget that." And with that, she hangs up, ready to make yet another phone call. She looks out the window and sees the sun, still lighting up the day, but the evening is not waiting for anyone. Still a few hours away, but she's not about to drag them out more than she needs to.

"We're ready," May says, carefully reminding her of their presence.

She looks at her, noting the cute yet frightened smile on her face. Lee's face is still covered by her locks. They're both ready. No need to burn daylight. "Good," she tells them. "You both know the way to the junkyard, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Good. I've sent Edd down there with Kevin and potentially Eddy and Ed as well. Head there and follow them home, okay? I'm going to call for back up and find a way to get to Marie as soon as possible."

They nod to everything she says. Lee straps on her backpack, ready to go. May does the same, but she slows down when they head for the front door. She looks up at Mel with watery eyes and the smile long gone. Poor girl, she must be scared.

"You…" she carefully starts, "…you said you don't know if Marie is dead or alive. Is that true?" The tears in her eyes are about to break free, fall down her cheeks. It hurts to see a child worry so much that they end up emotionally damaged. But how cruel would it be to lie to a child in a state like this? To give them nothing but empty hope? She can't do it.

Mel lowers her gaze, a sad frown adorning her face. "It's true," she says. "I don't know… yet."

May looks at her, eyes large as saucers, and not for a good reason. Still ever so watery, she swallows down what could be the first wave of tears trying to escape. She doesn't say anything as she lowers her head, leaves it to hang low as she turns to follow her sister out their front door. Mel follows them, phone in hand. While Lee locks the door, Mel scans the surroundings. She doesn't find anything suspicious, so they're in the clear – should be. She tells them one last time to get going, and they're off immediately. Watching them head towards the junkyard, their destination, Mel dials the number to her closest friend, hoping to hear nothing but good news from her. Her sweet voice soon sings out to her.

"Helloooo~" you can practically hear the smile on her face. Why does she always have to destroy it?

"Amanda," she answers, her voice broken and desperate. Amanda picks up on it instantly.

"What happened? What's wrong?"

Mel gulps, "Remember the three girls that kidnapped and messed with the Eds?"

"Yes, why? What did they do?" Amanda's tone is quick to the point. She knows something's happened. Oh, but if she only knew how bad it is. Well, that is why you're about to tell her about it, right? Right.

"They didn't do anything to the Eds, but… they messed up," she tries to explain. "Well, one of them, that is."

"Okay?" Amanda asks, sounding more like Edd with her hesitant tone. "So, what happened? What's going on?"

"It's Marie. The one with blue hair. She's gone missing and… I've just found out that she's been in contact with The Jagers… the gang."

Amanda gasps and goes quiet for a long time before her voice carefully asks, "Is she okay?"

"I don't know," Mel asks. "She's still missing. I've spent some time talking to her two sisters about it and… I've sent them home to our place because I don't know if they're safe in their own home or not…" She lets out a shaky breath, not sure how to phrase her question. "Edd is… going to keep them safe, with his friends, but I'm… I-I need to find Marie. I've got to go and find her and… and I… could you and-and your dad…?"

"On it like sonic!" Amanda says with determination, then there's a sound over the line that suggests she's running through her house, to her dad. "Dad!" she calls out to someone. "Mel needs help! Can we go to her place for a while?" There's a response from somewhere in the distance, and then Amanda talks to her again. "How long is it going to take?"

Mel shrugs even though Amanda can't see. "I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it's going to take days."

Amanda calls back out to her dad in the distance, "She doesn't know, but probably a couple of days." The response is closer now, but she can't quite make out what the man is saying to his daughter. And then, Amanda is back on the line. "He needs to check with his boss if he can get a couple of days off, but it shouldn't be a problem. I'll text you when we know and when we're on our way and how long we can stay. Is that alright?"

"It's fine," Mel says, smiling like a desperate child. "It's perfect. I'm gonna call some friends from the streets as well, see how soon they can get here, if they can get here."

Amanda is silent after that one, for a while that is. "Alright," she says, "As long as they're not bad people, that sounds like a good plan."

She can't help but chuckle, "They're good, I promise."

"Okay. I trust you. I'm choosing to trust you. Just… be safe, okay?"

"I will. Bye, and thank you."

"Bye!"

The phone call ends on a silent note. Mel lets out a deep breath and looks back in the direction that Lee and May headed. They're safe. They're going to be safe. As safe as they can be. She takes another deep breath, holds it in for a few heartbeats before she lets it out again. Fidgeting with her phone one more time, she quickly checks which way is the closest to town and then she starts walking. Running would only drain her of her energy too fast, and she needs to be able to defend herself along the way. As she walks across the trailer park, she does her best to take note of all the many different hiding places that could be used against them or be in their favor. Scanning her surrounding the best she can before she's reached the end of the park, she holds her phone up once again and types in a number she never thought she would ever need to dial again. She holds the phone up to her ear and wait with a painful rhythm to her heart beat. She almost feels dizzy as she walks, but she feels strength and comfort the moment the person in question answers their phone. Like she's been welcomed home again, after having been gone for a better part of a year or so. She's feeling her feet land on familiar ground and her steps become more even; more confident. She remembers the role she used to have, the role she used to love and own. Now but a memory, but a fresh one nonetheless. So fresh it feels like it was yesterday, and she's ready for action again. But within an instant all of that falls apart, and she's feeling ever so helpless again, knowing that she is not who she used to be. She's different now. She needs help now. La Llorona never, not even once, asked for help from her fellow gang members. They were the ones who asked her for help, not the other way around. How are they going to react to such a drastic change? Will they laugh at her? Ridicule her?

"I almost thought you were dead," a friendly yet terrifying voice calls out to her over the phone. She can feel the recognition stir up inside her. As if he's right there in front of her, she can mentally see the albino white hair, the colorless eyes, his pale skin, the proud smile on his lips… but then the emotions from the current situation alter the picture, pushing down all the good things in her mind. This is no time for nostalgia! "What could possibly cause you to honor me with a phone call like this, Llorona?"


"I almost thought you were dead," he says, trying his best to keep his voice friendly sounding. She's always found his voice scary, and ever since he found out he's been doing his best to not scare her away. Until she left, that is. To be honest, he couldn't hide the smile from the rest of them when he realized who was suddenly calling him. Sitting by the burning barrel, they're looking at him, edging closer in their seats, wondering who it possibly could be on the other side of the line. His smile falter, however, as he knows deep down, remembers, that something bad must've happened for her to reach out to him like this again. Especially when they both know she can handle herself. "What could possibly cause you to honor me with a phone call like this, Llorona?" He can feel their eyes burn in his skin, curiosity taking over. Though it's barely been a year since they last heard of her, they've all kept her in their thoughts. Never forgotten, the legend; La Llorona. They try to call out to her over the phone, sending her their regards and asking how she's doing. They're happy to hear from her again, finally. He doesn't smile still.

Her voice is not the same as it once was.

"Sebbe…" she whispers into the phone, the fear and panic it holds clear to his sensitive and keen ears. "I need help."

"I see," he says, uncertain of what could've happened for her to feel the need to call him for help, or possibly backup. "What happened?"

She struggles to explain with words at first, stumbling over them and making random noises before she takes a deep breath. Then she finally manages to tell him what's on her mind. "One of the girls is missing."

He frowns deeply, alerted and ready to spring into action. They don't know a lot, if anything, about the new life she leads, but they do know that she has a new younger brother and that they live in a neighborhood with other kids. She must be talking about one of them. The other members of the gang soon notice the look on his face, whispers about it. He doesn't say anything to them, only listening as Llorona keeps explaining the situation she's facing.

"Her name is Marie Kanker," she chokes out, unable to breath properly. "I've recently talked to her two sisters about it all and it turns out she's been in contact with the Jagers."

His brows shoot upwards in shock. "The Jagers has her?" his voice is loud and tense from his surprise and everyone around the fire grows silent, focused on Sebastian and his phone call.

"She left a note where she's mentioning them, and it adds up too well with the details her sisters gave me about her behavior and sudden disappearance. I need help to find her."

He frowns once again. "Hold up, let me put you on speaker." He swiftly holds his phone out and presses the button to allow everyone there to hear her. "Go on, loud and clear."

"What's going on?" one of the members ask.

"Marie Kanker is missing," Mel repeats over the speaker. "She's one of the kids that live in my neighborhood – just outside it. Her youngest sister told me today that she's been missing for a couple of days now, and I've just found out that she's been in contact with the Jagers. She left a note where she mentions her thoughts of joining them."

"That's bad…" a second member says. "I hope they haven't raped her yet."

"Hope they haven't killed her yet," a third says.

"Silence," Sebastian tells them before turning back towards his phone. "What does she look like? How old is she?" They can all hear the shaky exhale their legend lets out, nerves getting the better of her. It's new to them.

"12 or 13, I think. Blue short hair, green eyes and pale skin," her voice nearly sounds robotic. "She usually wears a black tank top and green pants and… I think black converse or some off-brand version?"

"Hmm…" he thinks about the description. It doesn't sound like someone he's recently seen, but then again, he rarely travels around the Jagers' territory. He lets out a deep breath as he thinks, trying to visually see the girl in front of him with little success.

"It…" the second member slowly speaks. "It sounds… familiar… a blue haired kid."

Turning his head in their direction, Sebastian stares into their eyes, their souls. "It does?" he asks, demanding an answer.

"Y-yeah… I think I saw her yesterday." He turns to elbow his friend, sitting to his right. "You saw her too, right? By the club?"

The friend thinks for a moment before he nods, "Yeah. I mean, going off of the description, it sure sounds like her. Short blue hair, pale, short for an adult-"

"-but not for a kid."

Sebastian looks at them, analyzing what they've said. The club? That's a hotspot that the Jagers often send their wannabe recruits to test them and see how they react towards their many various ways of living – sex, drugs and alcohol; all under the same roof. What greater place to test them in? He frowns a little as he thinks about the time of the sighting. It was yesterday, which should mean that the girl is still alive. Should be. Hopefully.

"You saw her at the club?" Mel's voice echoes through the phone.

Sebastian startles a little before catching his cool again. He forgot that she was there, somehow. The guy answers Mel, telling her 'Yes,' and that they were a bit concerned about the number of bruises they spotted on the small pieces of skin that she was showing, though they didn't think too much of it at the time.

"If they sent her to the club yesterday…" a fourth member says, "… doesn't that mean they're getting ready to…? Like, they're… they're serious about accepting her?"

"We need to act now," Sebastian acknowledges, standing up from his seat by the fire. "Llorona, how far away are you?"

"I don't know for sure. I think I'll be at your place by tomorrow morning or something like that."

"Peach Creek is too far I believe. Find out where you are and I'll come pick you up." He stands up, ready to leave.

"No!"

"What?" he asks, confused by her refusal of his offer. "Why not?"

"I promised Edd I'd send some people over, to protect them and stuff." Her words are rushed, as if she's afraid he's going to talk over her or not listen if she takes too long. "Please! I swear I'll make it up to you if you go!"

He's never heard her sound so desperate before. She must be really worried about her brother. He can't find it in him to blame her for it. "Alright, I'll be there. How many people do I need to bring?" He looks over the crowd of gang members, a proud feeling growing in his chest when he sees everyone's getting up, ready and willing to go.

"Do the Jagers know about the sisters?" one of them ask. Sebastian looks at them, horror painted on his face. Oh, right. The girl has sisters.

"I don't know," Mel explains, sounding ever so rushed and worried. "I've sent them away from their home to mine, just in case, but I don't know if they're completely safe yet still… and I promised to go get Marie, so I can't stay behind to watch them."

"Mm," Sebastian hums. "How many kids are at your home right now?"

"Aah… around four or six, I think, but there might be more. I've also contacted Amanda and her dad, but they can't make it there yet. I'm not sure when they can."

"Understood," he nods and once again looks over the crowd. Thinking things over, going through scenarios in his head contra possibilities; If they knew about her sisters, they would've probably already come for them, meaning they shouldn't have to patrol their home… but what if? Going to Mel's home is the top priority over that though, since all the kids are located there. If the Jagers are looking for them, it might not take them too long to follow their breadcrumbs over there. "I can bring ten people with me, one per presumed kid and extra just in case there's more, plus me. And I'm leaving the rest of the gang here to wait for you. I'll also send a few over to the Jagers just to make sure nothing's happened to her yet."

"Please do!"

"Of course."

She lets out a pained breath, still moving as fast as she can to get there as soon as possible. "How soon can you be there?" she asks. "I told my brother that he should wait for you."

"Send me your address," he tells her, and within a few seconds his phone buzzes with a new text; Llorona's address. Looking it up with a GPS app, he checks the shortest and fastest way there before he gives her his answer. "With bikes; five and a half hours, if we're lucky. What's your brother's name? How should we introduce ourselves?"

"Okay! His name is Eddward, but call him Edd, or Double-D," She gasps as she hurries along her road towards them.

"Double-D?" a member asks. Sebastian waves him off, signaling them to not interrupt.

"Edd it is," he confirms. "What should we say to him."

"That you're my friends and that I sent you!"

"And if he doesn't believe us?"

"Uhh…" she curses silently as she thinks. "Huuh… oh! Ask him about the skull on his desk."

He blinks a few times at her words. "Uhh… understood? I'm also going to send someone over and pick you up."

"But I-!"

"Llorona, we both know it's impossible for you to get here by tomorrow on your own. Your best bet is by train and us, but since you probably didn't bring money for a train ticket, your best option is to find a station for freight trains and catch a ride to the old station. From there we will pick you up." He tries to reason with her, trying to not make her snap. "I promise I'll go to your house with some people and keep your brother and the kids safe, but you need to get here as soon as possible. Having someone come pick you up is the quickest way, even if it means you'll have to wait in one spot for a while, though I highly doubt you will."

She heaves a sigh over the phone, "…right… right… I'm sorry."

A melancholy smile tug at his lips. "Don't apologize. You're worried sick and in a hurry, so waiting in one spot doesn't feel right. But I promise you that you won't have to. We'll be ready to pick you up the moment you get to the old station."

"Thank you," her voice cracks, emotions starting to get the better of her. He'd better send someone over soon. Her mind's already broken as is; this can only do nothing but cause even more mental scar tissue for her to deal with later. "Sebbe, I owe you! Big time!"

Her words draw a chuckle out of him. "You're alive and going strong. That's enough for me." Looking up, he spots the smiles across each member's face. "For all of us," he rephrases. "Just keep doing that and we're even."

He can see her smile and tears without her being there. "…thank you!" she chokes out.

"De nada. Just head to the old station, the abandoned one. I'll send someone there to come pick you up. It's going to be alright." And with that, they hang up, the phone call ending on a positive note, but that doesn't mean they've forgotten about the situation; their task at hand. Searching the crowd one last time, Sebastian gives them all a serious glare. "Alright!" he calls out, "I need ten people to come with me to Llorona's house and watch over her brother and the kids. If you know you're good with kids, come forth now!" Silent mumbles echo through the group of people until ten make their way towards him. He eyes each one of them for a moment before nodding in approval, sending them to their bikes to get ready. "Now then," he says, "who will go and pick up Llorona at the old station?" Almost the entire remaining group step forward, ready to go, but Sebastian knows that's far too many to send. "Don't be greedy," he tells them, "Llorona is strong, but the blue haired girl is not. We need more people to stand by incase something happens to her." They look back and forth between each other, mutters things to one another before the number of people to step forward decreases. Four people will go to pick up Llorona at the station. Sebastian looks at them and the remaining 23 people who will stay behind and keep an eye on things. He nods in approval and the four get ready and drive off towards their destination. Once they're on their way Sebastian looks back over the remaining 23. "Don't be lazy," he tells them. "We don't know for sure what the Jagers has in store for the girl, so be ready for anything. Llorona is going to be here sometime by tomorrow. Good luck!" They throw their fists up in the air, roaring in agreement to the man's words. They're ready.

Sebastian turns towards the ten he's to bring with him. They're already by their bikes, ready to take off. Pulling on his leather gloves and helmet, Sebastian marches over to his bike, making sure his leather trench coat isn't getting stuck anywhere as he swings his leg over the seat. He revs the engine awake with a roar and the ten responds accordingly. He leads them out from their hideout, driving under the viaduct that takes them to the streets, and then they're off. Traffic is crowded at this time of day, but they all know how to get on by without much delay and soon enough they're out on the road leading away from town.


Song: Can I call you tonight? - Dayglow

*The layout of the Kanker's van may differ from the actual show, or how I've described it earlier in the story. This has always been something that's confused me in the show, so if it happens to be different, I apologize. I tried to match it with pictures I found online.

Also; I suck at gang names, I've noticed.