Days had passed.

Some of them, quiet days.

Some of them so incredibly long that Stellan barely slept – for victories, for losses, all the same they left with them a streak of destruction and rubble. It wasn't sustainable to continue this way for too long – and put them at risk as well of being found and snuffed out. Their refuge was safe as far as they knew and they really didn't want to test that because there were so many people here that were highly valuable to them – and loved to him.

And the ones they were meeting with were both of those things.

The tweedles arrived first with a nitwit under their arms while Malloy and Jo followed with the partners, Lis and Jun.

"Stellan!" Freddy said with a grin, always happy to see him – and sightings of him had been noticeably rare lately. "Awoo!"

"Awoo!" Stellan said back, able to smile at him as he picked his place to sit first thing and pulled Lis along with him.

"Hi Stellan," Lis said, grinning as Camellia went over to stand behind the two of them and put a hand on each of their shoulders. And Lis definitely looked behind her shoulder, anticipating Malloy coming to do the same. It was still Oliver Bromley.

"Hi Stellan," Lizzie said, going over to grab Jun's hand from where he was hanging behind a little bit and swinging it a few times. Everything was alright. She sat down next to Lis. "Hey girl."

"What's up?!" Lis asked, grinning over at Lizzie. "Long time no see."

"Oh yeah right," Lizzie said with a laugh as she leaned her head on Lis's shoulder.

"You see this?" Freddy asked Stellan, anxious to talk to him. "It's like she's trying to steal my girl!"

"Oh, nobody could ever steal me from you," Lis said, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek and Freddy was just beaming.

"Yeah, no stealing of anyone," Jun said right away, a little defensively – well, a lot, and he was making one hell of a stink face.

"Uh huh," laughed Stellan, looking over when Tessa was pushing Ryder with Coda beside her and Mari on their lap.

"I can help!" Coda protested.

"We already saw you try to help and running over my foot!" Tessa scolded him as she tried not to bump Ryder into things.

"I can do it myself you know," Ryder said.

"But then who would hold me?!" Mari asked with a giggle. She was absolutely living her best life now since getting home. Maybe it was the things she'd seen that put things into focus for her. She didn't know but she was never going to take anything for granted.

"Oh that's a very important job," Ryder said, wrapping their arms around her right away and holding her close as she nuzzled their face.

"Get a room!" Trap said, obviously displeased by seeing any of these three being all lovey dovey but especially Peanut! "Or better yet, just behave!"

"We are behaving, Teddy," Mari said, rolling her eyes a little bit at him being so overprotective, but it did let her notice her friends. "Oh there you are! Should have known I'd be seeing you."

"We're always with you!" Freddy said with a grin as he gave her a finger gun, the other arm around Lis.

"Yeah!" Lizzie said, giving Ryder a sunny smile and a wave. "Hi Ryder!"

"Hey there Lizzie, hey Freddy," Ryder said, putting up a hand to wave as Tessa parked them at a spot at the table and Mari still refused to move from their lap as Tessa and Coda sat down next to her.

"How's it goin, man?" Freddy asked, giving a toothy grin. "Mari treating you well?"

"Oh, she only ever treats me well," Ryder said, grinning at him around her. "She is good girlfriend."

"Oh, stop it," said Mari, sitting up taller at their praise and not wanting them to stop at all.

"Am I a good girlfriend?" Lizzie asked, elbowing Jun a little bit.

"Of course," Jun said, patting her back awkwardly because he was still a little weird about PDA.

The temperature in the room was about to get colder as Kat came with…

"Oh, now I see," Freddy said, slapping his hands on the table immediately as all of his cheerful mood was wiped away quickly.

"Sit back down," Kat said, pointing at him and giving him a look.

"Freddy…" Lis said, looking around and suddenly having a much different feeling about what kind of meeting they were going to have.

Mari looked away from them and put a hand up to bar her face from the side of the room.

"I said this was a bad idea."

"Sit." Kat pointed at a chair and Bonnie sunk down in a seat. "I'm sorry, we weren't expecting… We don't have enough chairs."

"Dibs on a chair!"

Mari dropped her hand. "Kodi?!"

"Dibs on a lap!"

Ryder had a feeling he would be here. "Shani."

Lester flopped their ass on Kodi's lap before Shani could and Shani gave them a bit of a look before he just shrugged and plopped down on Bonnie.

"You knew?!" Mari whipped around to look at Ryder, her mouth falling open.

"I…" Ryder said, before sighing quietly and staring at the table. They weren't sure how they felt about it, but someone made Kodi put that butterfly on his wrist – an idea that Mari had talked about as being part of her beginning days of the band. That paired with Lester expressing interest in the boys and knowing who it was they stayed behind for… And then of course seeing Shani's face when he was talking about teaching him sign language… How could they not guess? "Yeah. A little bit."

"Hey, broom closet buddies," Kodi said, looking at Ryder and Jun with a smile and putting up his fist for a bump as he once again failed to read the room.

"So… What exactly is going on?" Lizzie finally asked, looking at the four of them. Beside her, Jun gave a puff of a laugh and was trying to lean so that Bonnie would make eye contact with him around Shani because he knew.

"Oh don't ask me," Shani said as his cheeks flushed, looking at Kodi who put up his hands right away to absolve him of answering the question.

"What?! No wait, if there's tea, I want it!" Lis said, right over Lester.

He needs to have a supportive voice. I can't be that. Their hands came out from behind Kodi.

Shani frowned at that and gently reached over to rub Lester's shoulder. "We'll do that for him," he said, followed by the sign, promise. He turned to the rest of the group. "I mean, my ears don't work, their tongue is gone, his eyes are shit without his glasses and his brain is fucked. In the nicest way. So together, we're all like one functional human being."

"No, you're right," Kodi said with a sage nod.

"I don't understand," Mari said, looking at Ryder, and then at the others as her eyes pooled up with tears.

"Anything you want to say to Bonnie you can say to me too," Kodi said, rolling up his sleeve a little bit and having to lean over Lester to look at her before looking at everyone else. "That goes for the room."

"I don't understand why we're here," Freddy said right away. "This is his fault. That's all I have to say."

"There is a reason you're here," Kat said, diverting their attention to the front where she went over to stand with Stellan.

"Thanks," Stellan said, smiling at her and giving her a kiss as he looked at all these young adults in the same room once more before he quickly turned his back to them, slowly turning around and putting his glasses on in a dramatic fashion. "So I bet you're wondering why I've gathered you here. Ee, I've always wanted to say that!"

"Yes I am wondering," Freddy said, looking at Mari and trying to figure out if she was going to bolt- because if she was, he was going to bolt after her. "I don't understand why you insist on putting us in a room with someone that broke us!"

"That's not fair and you know it," Shani said as Lester was signing furiously beside him.

"You don't get to tell me what's fair!" Freddy protested loudly.

"You have no idea," Mari said, looking at Tessa who didn't seem at all upset about any of this. How?! She looked at Lizzie for a moment, who wasn't looking back at her. What?! She felt so fucking… Gaslit right now!

"Freddy…" Lis said, frowning at him. "Please…"

"Just calm down," Ryder said, reaching up to rub Mari's arms, and she shook them off a little bit, getting up from their lap.

"I don't understand what's even happening right now!" she said, looking at them all in pure disbelief. "What the fuck happened that we're all happy dovey right now!?"

"Nobody is happy dovey," Kodi said right away, putting his arm out in front of Shani and Bonnie both. "We're all fucking miserable!"

"I am just…" Mari said, staring for a second at them all. "I am just…" She didn't even know. She looked at all of them and was in so much disbelief. "He was going to sell you out and get each and every one of you killed! Excuse me for not understanding why we're all sitting here right now… F-Fucking holding hands and riding into the sunset!"

"Alright, that's enough for now," Kat said, putting up her hand to stop Mari and frowning at her and how… Broken she was. "We'll open up for discussion in a moment but please just listen."

"Yes ma'am," Mari said quietly, and when Freddy saw that she was going to continue to stand by herself, he broke away from Lis to go over there and put his arm around her protectively. He didn't really want to sit there with all of them either.

"We have you here for a reason," Stellan said, getting serious because obviously that was the direction he needed to go in. He took a deep breath and pulled a chair over to Mari who slowly sat down and Kat went to pull Freddy's chair out from where he abandoned it and put it over on the other side where he was standing. He looked at them all, looking so shell-shocked and knew that it would take a lot more than one day to fix this mess.

He looked at the blonde boy whose smile had been wiped away, his eyes downcast, in drab and plain clothing, looking like he was missing out on sleep – and had lost something deep within himself.

"Freddy Grayland Smith," he said, looking at him and giving him a small smile. "An orphan from District Ten that has been pulled along through a storm. And yet who is so loved for his notoriously charming attitude and his skill at keeping his team together. He is motivated by a deep love for his friends. Who is just now able to explore his roots and find who he is. Who has grown, and changed, much of it out of a burning commitment to the people he loves, he grows attached quickly and deeply, even when it is to his detriment. That now knows that email is not the cool way to communicate in the Capitol. That we know will be able to heal. Begin again." Stellan looked at him for a moment, and felt a wave of pride for how much he had grown since they had met. He was far from the bumbling idiot that he pinned him to be on day one. "And who all of us can agree we are so proud of."

Freddy looked around and saw much of the room nodding – and when he saw him nodding along he looked away. He didn't want his damn pride.

"We absolutely do agree about that," Kat added right away.

"You were our biggest fans and we're your biggest fans too," Camellia told him, feeling a wave of love for all four of these kids and just… Hoping that maybe somehow they could make it.

"Thank you," said Freddy, putting his head down as Mari was gently rubbing his hand.

"Oh, yay!" Lis said, running over from her spot to throw her arms around him and give him kisses. "That's my man!"

"And of course we have Lizzie Afton." They were all now looking at the girl with blonde poking out from flaming red hair left down, and green eyes that didn't shine quite so much anymore. The girl in question sat up taller, her cheeks growing rosy with a blush as she felt the attention of the room shift to her. Kat continued. "A Captitolite orphan. Who is now is a constant source of joy. She has a brave heart. She has found her family. She has made it into the music business with her talent. With the right people that had her back. While trying to sneak fake pap pictures of her to win a bet. She will never have to tend bars again because she made it. And if she ever had to again, she is armed with self-defense skills that she worked so hard to learn. She is motivated by her brave heart, by her positive attitude, by her ability to never let anyone have the power of her to beat her down. She thought she knew what she wanted, and has grown past that and gone for so much more. She has found her freedom. And who has impressed us with her constant resilience and great growth." She wiped away a tear because dammit, she was so attached.

"Also, she met the Ace of Spades," Jun added in a cough, not so helpfully.

"Well I mean so did we," Coda said, puffing up his chest and hoping it made him look cool.

"Take your tinfoil hat off, this is about Lizzie!" said Jace, but he was laughing a little bit. "Congratulations, Honey. We love you"

"Thank you," Lizzie said softly, laughing a little bit at getting so emotional like this.

Stellan was just a little hesitant so Kat jumped in to continue, looking at the boy practically hiding behind Shani – which was hilarious because Shani was still scrawny and small. Brown roots had broken through dark navy hair, his skin pale now and not even vaguely blue. His square frame glasses misted up when he looked down at his fingers, tapping them on Shani's leg a little bit as he looked… Overwhelmed. "And of course we have one Bonnie Simon Bunsen."

Mari breathed a little bit through her nose but bit her tongue. Freddy was kept quiet by Lis.

Kat took a deep breath because she was just trying not to get too emotional and of course failing, especially seeing him crying. "He started from the bottom. A well-rounded man – straight A student, defensive player on his high school's soccer team, consistently participating in band festivals, president of his school's debate team… And a steadfast partner to Lester," Kat said, looking at the other two. Shani looked a little pouty and Kodi put his eyes away. "And Shani and Kodi in whatever way," she said, putting up her finger to stop Camellia from squealing.

"He is connected to his friends and family, and learning how to maintain those connections. He is motivated by a hunger for justice and the ability to put everything aside to do what he believes is right. Who was spun and manipulated by the wrong people because of his big heart, but broke free from them and saved lives." She looked at Freddy, and Lis who was nodding, for just a moment. "He made mistakes," she said, looking toward Freddy and Mari. "He will make it right. He knows that he may have been safer on the run, but he is done running from the people he hurt. He is a friend and a brother through and through, which makes him extremely valuable."

"Kat," said Bonnie, gently lifting Shani off his lap so he could go over and give her a big hug.

Thank you Kat, Lester signed, and Shani quickly echoed the sentiment out loud.

"Wow, Coach, that was so emotional," Trap said, reaching up to wipe his eye. "When do we all get emotional speeches like that?"

"Oh stop, you all know I love you," Kat said, rolling her eyes on him as she has a 6'5" fucking beanstalk practically doubled over hugging her like a crying mess.

Ryder turned to look at Mari – concerned about her, and they let out a small sad sigh at the deep pout on her face that was trying to bar back tears.

"Oh I didn't know we were allowed to interrupt the speeches for hugs!" Lizzie said, but Jun pulled her back down, interested in actually hearing why they were all here in this decade.

"We are all so very proud of Bonnie," Kodi announced shamelessly, hugging Lester and putting his cheek on their back. "It's not our business whatever is happening between you," he told Mari and Freddy. "But we are gonna be here to protect him."

"I don't understand," Mari said quietly.

"We are going to protect…" Shani waited until everyone was looking and put up his hands, making them into B shapes and putting them down and then putting right on top of left, pushing them forward in two short fast motions. Bonnie.

Lester made an excited chirp and imitated the sign right away. Bonnie!

"Oh man, I missed it!" despaired Kodi. "Do it again!"

"I will be doing it a lot," Shani said, smiling as he showed Kodi a little slower. "Bonnie."

Bonnie was gaping and looked at Ryder for a moment. They caught him in that moment and said softly. "Caretaker."

"Oh…" Bonnie said, reaching up to wipe his eyes before he hurried over to Shani to give him a huge hug. "Th-Thank you Shani," he said quietly, too stunned to even remember to sign as he just hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," Shani said to him softly, just holding him there for a moment.

"Eeeee!" Camellia couldn't hold back her squeal and Malloy elbowed her, but it was no help. Of course not.

"We are proud of your growth," Malloy said, trying to get the attention off of her being embarrassing. "And have high expectations for your future."

"But in the good way!" Tessa added quickly, giving a smile and a thumbs up.

"I don't understand," Mari said softly as she watched Tessa like that, and saw Camellia fangirling, and watched Malloy smiling at him. She didn't understand.

"And then of course is Mari Bellevue," Stellan said, smiling at the boys, but seeing the resentment on her face. Her pose was just as her personality – bold. Her lips were pale just like the loss of color in her cheeks, downcast brown eyes, and she donned a short, choppy bob.

Could he blame her?

Mari looked up hearing him speak and even though Shani wanted to keep clinging, Bonnie quickly sat back down and pulled him along to no longer be the center of attention. "She performed with the Capitol Symphony. But she aspires to forge her own path. Find who she wants to be. She has a brother in Freddy that is never willing to negotiate about her well-being. She quickly became the band sweetheart and was beloved by not only the fans, but the members of our family as well. She kicked anorexia's ass. She overcame every obstacle thrown her way. And unlike many of us, she is a hero that braved the front line, and saved lives by doing so. She was willing to do anything to protect the ones she cares about, even if it meant she could be killed for it before any of this mess began. She was little miss All-In from the start. She is the reason we were able to divert attention and prevent the worst possible scenario." Bonnie sunk in his seat, just knowing they were talking about him… And he was glad she did. "She has family here - true family, she has a home now. She is the opposite of a quiet person and has become the perfect Kat Valentine mini-me. There's no way that anyone will be able to keep her under control again. And we love that about her. And we hate to see her upset."

"We do," Camellia said, because this was tearing at her a little bit because she loved Mari like a sister just as much as she loved Bonnie like a brother.

"But, we understand," Coda said. "Honestly, I'm not over it either, there, I said it." He threw up his hands and that made her laugh a little bit through her tears.

"She is a bonita chica," Ryder said, turning to look at her and it broke their heart to see her tears. "And I mean she made me blurt out that I love her in front of all our friends and family, so that's really a testament to how good she is because I am a fucking chicken."

"They're right," Shani said. "They are a fucking chicken."

"Oh don't get me started about being a chicken!" Camellia said right away, thrusting her finger out at him and Kodi and beginning to make chicken noises.

"They're right."

Bonnie speaking – and Jo pinching Camellia's arm hard – made her go quiet.

"I am glad you did what you did. You knew before I did what was true. I don't know how you did it, honestly," he said softly. "You were far braver than me. I was a sheep. You were amazing. I'm glad you were there to keep me from doing something I would have never ever forgiven myself for. Even if it was to spite me, it actually saved me. I didn't know it at the time but I needed you. So I'm sorry for how I hurt you. And also… Thank you."

Mari looked over at him for a second, gaping a little bit as her eyes filled with tears. "I…" she said, not expecting that at all. She couldn't just let it go and forgive him in a day – especially not after everything she's been through. She looked at Freddy, and then at Ryder. "You're welcome Bonnie," she finally said quietly, going over to Ryder and throwing herself back on their lap, hiding her face in their shoulder as she started to cry.

"No! You broke our family!" Freddy said, shaking his head at him and feeling himself become overwhelmed with angry tears.

"Hey-" said Stellan, but Kat put up a hesitant hand to stop him, and when Lester started signing, Bonnie hit their hands away, and when Shani and Kodi were going to speak, he quickly stopped them.

"I did break our family," Bonnie confessed softly, staring at the table. "I broke my own family and when I had a family that was being built up around me, I isolated myself from it. And I broke that one too. And it wasn't fair to you. I knew you loved me and I was so easily swayed to use that against you, just like everyone else. I should have known better because I've been on the other side of it. But I really thought it was right. Now that I don't, I'm still tortured by it. I know these three won't ever blame me," he said, gesturing to Shani, Kodi, and Lester who were all just watching him. "But I do," he said quietly, and for once Freddy looked at Bonnie and knew that he was being honest. "I do love you," he said quietly, his voice cracking a little bit. "Too little, too late, I know. I didn't realize what was important until it was too late. I let too many people define me and didn't even think to define myself. That's what you did that I couldn't, hell that was what all three of you did when I couldn't. I envy you, and am grateful to you, and I hate that I hurt you. I wanted to leave you alone, keep you from hurting more, and I can't even do that."

"That's not your fault, Kat was the one that brought you," Lizzie said, looking at Freddy and Mari. "I already said it to him but I'll finally go out with it," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "I forgive you."

"We've all forgiven him," Camellia said, but not pointedly, just… Gently. "But true forgiveness takes time. It just requires a willingness to try."

"I…" Freddy said, looking around at everyone there who loved him and wanted the best for him and also wanted the best for him too… He looked at Mari right away. "No."

"Yes."

Ryder smiled at her as they were teary seeing her crying.

"She's right," Mari said softly, a little defeatedly, but resolutely. She wasn't sure she really wanted to, but… Bonnie was off-putting sometimes but who was always the first one with a cracker for her? Who let her borrow his hoodies without a question – well Freddy too, but he had a few that he never wore and left in her closet. He always gave her an elbow when she pushed her food around more than eating it – he noticed even when Freddy and Lizzie got distracted. They both valued their craft and often used the studio/practice area downstairs at the same time. She chose to never forgive her aunt and uncle and cousins for how they treated her… And it left her feeling so lost and empty, so full of rage all the time. It wasn't healthy. And obviously she wasn't going to have much of a choice if Shani and Kodi were here, and Lester too… "We all have things that we did and will need to let go of."

"We do," Ryder said, hugging her tightly around the waist. "Thank you," they said softly. "I'm proud of you. I love you."

"That's easier said than done," Freddy said, but seeing her placated did help his emotional state quite a lot.

"He saved me from being hijacked like Em," Lis said, tearing up again just thinking of witnessing him shooting his partner and then… Just seeing him around, so rarely… "I don't know what would have happened if I was…"

"And he went rogue to get you guys out of there before anything worse happened," Kat reminded Freddy, but she was soft for him too and went over to gently pet his hair. "Just think about it," she implored him – all of them really. "But that's still not really why we're here."

"All the way back when you agreed to join together and make music, you didn't know it would come to this. To… Where you are now, everything you've seen and had to endure. And we know you all didn't sign up for this," Stellan said as he looked at each of them for a long second. "You all thought you were doing something good. You thought you were going to change the world. But you were manipulated and played by a system that used you as pawns. We know this." He sighed sadly and put his face down.

Kat continued for him. "We are not trying to make you do anything. We don't want to guilt-trip or force you to do anything. We want you to help us because you want to. Because you believe that using your faces, your voices, your great talents for this will change the world. Do something good. It is up to you to decide. You can think about it as long as you want and you can say no at any time. We care about you more than that."

Freddy looked around for a moment. "Oh…"

"We want you to help us," said Stellan finally. "But again, first and foremost we want you to do what you think is right. We want you to make the decision. If you don't believe in this, if you are too traumatized by what you've seen or-"

"I'm in." Everyone looked over at the first to agree.

Lizzie thumped her fist on the table. "I want to do something good. I want to change the world. I want to help."

"Thank you Lizzie," Kat said, smiling at her.

"Me too," Mari said, steeling her face with determination, barely needing to think of it. "Whatever you need us to do, I will do. I witnessed them destroying the lives of innocent kids with my own eyes. They were just studying. They weren't doing anything wrong. It was fucking senseless," she said, tearing up just thinking of what she'd seen, the corpses, the explosions that rang in her ears. "It's time for change."

Freddy looked at them for a moment, and Bonnie looked away from him and he finally took a breath. "Whatever you want," he said. "Whatever you want. Those oppressive fucks ruined my Mom's sense of safety and nobody batted an eyelash about it. Then my good-for-nothing sperm donor appears only when he needs me and proceeds to use me! Who else did they use like me?! Numi? Riggs? June? Tell me!"

"All of them," Camellia said softly. "Every single one."

"They never cared about me," Freddy said. "All I wanted was to have a family that cared. And instead I got chewed up and spit out." He looked at Bonnie with a fiery glare for just a moment before Mari put a hand on his arm.

"They didn't care about any of us," Lizzie said, shaking her head. "They took advantage of my heart and that's a deeper invasionthan anyone fondling my tits in the studio after hours…"

"That's why we can't let you rush into it," Kat said, and Mari spoke over her with another, "No."

"We can't let this go on," she said, tearing up thinking about all the desperate, helpless faces she looked into. The haunted eyes.

"Well then," Stellan said, before he looked at the last one that hadn't yet spoken. "We got three on board."

"They killed my brother," Bonnie said softly, causing Lizzie, Mari, and Freddy to gasp and start looking at each other. "They bombed the orphanage where I grew up. In their own lines. Just… Senseless."

"They thought that it was a rebel safehouse and didn't even waste the time to lift a finger, before going straight to destruction. They didn't care at all about the innocent orphans that were there," Jun said, his eyes becoming dark and heavy.

"Oh Bonnie…" Ryder said softly, also gaping in shock because they didn't know.

"So they really never cared," Lizzie said, shaking her head and struggling to wrap her head around it.

"No," Bonnie said softly, as Lester reached over to wipe his face a little bit and Shani shifted in his lap to hug him tightly. "They didn't. They wanted us for what we were worth to them. For our willingness to play along. That's all they ever cared about and it's fucking disgusting." He shook his head as he took off his glasses to wipe his eyes in front of them all, which caused a slight gasp through the room. "But I can't. They said it. I've destroyed this family. I'm done causing them anymore pain."

There was a long moment of silence in the room.

"We need you Bonnie." Freddy stared at the floor. "It's still a family story. It's not… It's fucking not One Man Circus without you."

Bonnie looked up, squinting as his vision was, as stated earlier, shit without his glasses.

"It's not," Lizzie agreed, giving him a smile. "There's four of us. There's the spunky one." She pointed at herself, then pointed at Mari. "The beautiful one." She pointed at Freddy. "The charismatic ringmaster." She smiled and pointed at him. "And the one that keeps our asses from getting arrested slash pays our bail."

That made Freddy and Mari both laugh, before their expressions grew sadder again.

"Well?" Bonnie asked, because there was one that hadn't spoken.

Mari took a deep breath, finally getting up and walking over, crouching a little bit to actually look into his face and not let him hide behind Shani. "They're right," she said. "One Man Circus is more than any one of us. It's all of us. The fearsome foursome. We started it all together. We went through it all together. Now I think it's time we come back. Show them that they didn't get the best of us. And end it together."

She put out her hand to him. He wasn't sure what she was looking for and reached out for a handshake through his tears, which made her start laughing at how awkward it was. And oh it felt good to laugh. Because One Man Circus was everything to her for so long… She missed it so much.

Stellan grinned at them all. "So then… Guess it's decided. One Man Circus is back, baby!" Out of Spite, along with all the partners, provided some cheers, hoots, hollers, and claps at the celebration and the four of them all looked at each other.

"I'll do anything but another nude calendar," Bonnie said right away, and that got the group laughing a little more.

"Oh I would take another nude calendar," said Shani and that made all the partners agree so fast and caused more laughter in the room.

For a moment it felt like they were just a group of normal teens, having a normal time.

Seeing Freddy and Bonnie back to laughing together brought a sense of joy and relief to many.

Seeing Mari teasing Bonnie about that awkward handshake by pulling on his cheek made Ryder so relieved, feeling like whatever happened with their family, they would all be just fine.

It wasn't quite forgiveness.

But it was a tide turning.

A fire burning.

A second chance.

~.~.

They thought of him. They were always thinking about him.

Kin.

Carmen looked at their hands. They missed him more than anything. Even with a new place to stay, consistent showers – even a bath – and more snacks and food than they could even think about eating, they'd never felt so… Empty.

"Too bad. He wasn't hot shit anyways, baby, we don't trust those men."

Well… Carmen always trusted him. They were best friends growing up. When Dad was still in the picture and Uncle Simon was still around to take them out wherever and whenever they wanted. They never thought any of this would happen to them…

"You know what men do, you see what Angelo did to me." Her mom refused to even call him Dad, but that was who he was to them. And they missed him when he moved back home to Two. But no, he hurt their Mom. That meant something to Carmen once. Before they learned the ugly truth.

She never stopped talking to that bitch. The one that killed Mr. Simon! Kin's mom. Well, no, she didn't get that title after what she did to their family. That woman was the reason that Kin and his brothers were shipped off to the orphanage on the other side of town from them and they didn't get to see him. But they wrote to him sometimes and knew exactly where he was – always talking about learning to drive when they turned 16 so they could go see him, even though he would turn 16 first.

It didn't take Carmen long to figure it out. That was why she had no sympathy for his death. Wanted to go right back to doing their hair, talking about the gossip she'd heard from the salon. Like it was nothing. Like Kin was just… Nothing to her but an annoying little flea.

Carmen had fought with their mother before. What teen didn't? But over the past few months it was only getting worse and worse. Carmen just felt so trapped. They wanted to try to find her Dad again but they were made to be a traitor for even the thought. They always took their Mom's side in the divorce and didn't understand why just… The thought of writing a letter was so triggering. They were just so alone.

Not that they didn't fit in at school. Not that they didn't have a lot of friends. Not that they weren't well-liked or not well-rounded. Their grades didn't suffer, they didn't have behavior problems. But that didn't mean they weren't struggling. No amount of talking about Kin to their counselors helped them feel like they truly belonged there, like they had any true friends. They had it all – the hair, the nails, the skin, the clothes, the jewelry, the shoes… You name it. But none of it was what they truly wanted. And now what they truly wanted… Was just gone.

The moment they heard her talking shit about Kin… It took that moment for it to not matter that she was their Mom. They was just so fucking mad. How dare she keep up a friendship with a convicted murderer – one for which she knew the victim, and that caused the lives of three people to change and rip them apart. Carmen really didn't care what Uncle Simon did, and didn't fully believe it anyways upon thinking about how kind he was, how tired he always looked. It didn't matter what he did, either way, killing him wasn't the answer.

Was Carmen much better?

Well yes, because they didn't murder the person that they were angry at. That was a great place to start.

They weren't even thinking. They just got so upset that they started packing shit right away. They didn't know where they were going, just… Away. She grabbed them and tried to stop them just one too many times and that was when the baseball bat accidentally fell right across her knees.

Forcefully.

Multiple times.

She'd be alright, just bruised, and people would ask her why she was bruised and she would have to tell them. In case ya hadn't noticed, the cops were a little damn busy with other things.

"Hey." Carmen looked over when they heard Alchemy talking to them.

"You look very… Uh, sullen, for someone eating a cherry toaster strudel." Alchemy gestured to the food on Carmen's plate – which they had of course been munching while they were thinking – they were depressed but they still had to get those calories!

"Guess so." They just sighed and shook their head. "You wouldn't get it."

"Wouldn't get it, huh?" Alchemy said, tapping her nails a little bit. "I know I seem to be really sheltered – in a way I am. But… I've suffered," she said softly.

Carmen looked over at her for a second. "Grief," they said softly, cursing a little at the tears that were threatening to come out of their eyes.

"Oh, grief," Alchemy said, shaking her head as she looked at the table. "Yeah I do know her."

"Oh?" Carmen asked. "Grandma?"

"My best friend blew himself up," Alchemy deadpanned for a moment before she pressed her fists into her eyes with a high-pitched sound.

Carmen could feel their heart drop to their stomach. "Oh," they said softly, suddenly feeling pretty bad for being a little bit of a bitch, they were just… Hurting. "I'm sorry," they said softly, for everything. These people were trying to be nice to them and they still didn't really know how to handle it. They had built up walls so quickly since everything happened- didn't have much of a choice.

"I still am trying to process it," Alchemy confessed.

"If it helps, my best friend also got blown up," Carmen told her, not sure whether to laugh or cry. Honestly, they didn't feel like doing either. They were just so numb after it all happened. "Fuck."

"I didn't mean to-" Alchemy said, but Carmen just put up a finger to stop her from continuing to talk.

"I'm not trying to be a bitch," they said. "I am grateful for everything. I am just hurting so much that I just can't make myself even act like it's okay. And Syd's been great and toughened me up how I needed to but fuck, she doesn't get it. She's anti-men or whatever but if she had gotten to meet Kin she would have eaten her words. He would have changed her life just like he changed mine." The warmth of a tear tracing her cheek. "He wasn't like those terrible men that hurt her. He was funny and sporty and energetic and yet he still liked dressing up like princesses. He was like one of the girls to me in a weird way, I never bonded with anyone like I did with him."

"Then it all went to shit."

Carmen looked at her and shrugged. "Yeah, actually, pretty much."

"Yeah," Alchemy said, shaking her head at her own stupid best friend. "Numi was my boy, you know? I thought we were going to get married for a while and when he started being Semper this, Semper that, it was the end of my world in that fucking little kid kinda way." She chuckled a little bit but soon she was back in pain.

"Oh he'd better not have been gay," Carmen said right away before they just smiled to themself a little bit and the corner of their lip caught a tear when it up for a brief moment in a smile.

"I got over it," Alchemy said with a laugh, because Carmen reminded her of herself. "But then he decided to just… Go ahead and actually bring about the end of my world. But this time in a way that people shouldn't have to experience until they're old and gray."

"Yeah, now I know why everyone says that. Because it- it literally feels like I can't breathe sometimes with the emotions. It affects every day and it affects my physical health and it lost me my shelter, my last family member, and showed me true colors I wished I could keep ignoring."

"I'm so sorry," Alchemy said softly, reaching up to rub their shoulder. "If I ever figure out how to get over it, I will let you know."

"Thanks," Carmen said, because they didn't know how they were going to deal with it. They looked up when they heard footsteps, quickly sucking in their tears and sitting up straight, not wanting her to judge them. Not like she hadn't seen them cry before, it just wasn't really a strength of hers.

"Woah," said Syd when she saw Alchemy there and she felt a small sting of jealousy at how they were looking at each other – in a way of understanding. "Am I, like… Interrupting something?" she asked with an uncomfortable laugh.

"No," Carmen said, quickly clearing their throat and putting more strudel in their mouth. "Just a talk about best friends."

Syd looked at the two of them. "Oh." She knew that she would never really understand Carmen's grief and pain. "Huh. Well, then, I'll just…"

"Stay here," Carmen said, able to see that she felt a little weird and they didn't want to scare her away because they needed her to lean on. "Please."

"Sure… If that's okay."

"The more the merrier," Alchemy said good-naturedly.

But Syd had barely sat down before there was a brief power blip that made all of them shoot up in surprise, accompanied by a loud static on the Holos.

"Woah," said Jingle. "Hey! Do you see this?!" she asked, and it was obvious that none of them had as soon the master bed was filling up as they were crowding around. Carmen squinted a little bit as they looked around the room. What was going on?

"One, two, three…" Charlemagne was counting, and Cupid just sighed.

"It's my kid," he said.

"Technically also our kid!" Jingle said with a laugh as Cupid shook his head.

"Please pray I don't see something that burns out my eyes," he said as he went to pound on Aristotle and Wiz's door.

"What is this?" asked Syd quietly.

"It's Freddy Smith – wow does he look different," Sorcery said softly.

Sure enough, it was him. Singing a very familiar song that it was hard to not know all the words to at this point with an a cappella chorus behind him.

"Lay down.. Your sweet and weary head
The night is falling. You have come to journey's end."

"What has the oppressive regime taken from you?"

The question was mixed with the small harmonies of the background in the background. Voices that nobody could really pick out as the whole nation was listening.

Just a beat of silence. "Everything, I reckon."

It was shocking to witness him like this. He was a Capitol sweetheart. He was always smiling, posing for the camera, talking about how much he was thankful to them for what they did for him.

But the man they saw on the Holo now was… Fuck… He was fucking broken. He was as broken as Carmen felt deep down inside.

"They never wanted what was best for me. They held me in a prison. They tried to force me to say what they wanted me to. They never cared. I miss my home. I- I miss my friends," he said, his eyes filling with tears and he put up a hand to cover the camera and with a sob from him a transition went to the next line of the song.

And on the screen appeared Lizzie. Also so different from the person they were always used to seeing on the screen, and Syd squinted and looked around for a moment.

"Sleep now… And dream of the ones who came before
They are calling… From across the distant shore."

"How did the oppressive regime hurt you?"

Lizzie took a deep breath. This footage was obviously not acted. It was fucking raw. It was painful to watch her try to compose herself, even with the calming harmonies in the background.

"They hurt my friends and family. They manipulated me. They said that we were important to them. They lied. They never cared about us. They don't care about you," she said, trying to sound strong but she could barely force it out and just let out a squeak instead as a fade-in brought the next line – and singer to the front as Cupid came back in the room with two boys with blushing cheeks and messed up hair.

When he saw Mari on the screen looking like that… Cupid stopped what he was doing. "Oh my God."

"Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away…"

"Tell me what you saw. Tell me what they caused."

Mari shook her head a little bit, looking completely gobsmacked by the question and just… Horrified.

"Oh that poor girl." Jingle was shaking her head as Cupid sunk down beside her for a moment and Aristotle and Wizard started whispering to each other softly.

Mari on the screen continued. "W-Well…" she said softly, her voice so high-pitched. "I…" The image cut away from her and to the footage of the rubble that was still smoking a little bit in District Five. "W-We were there a-and w-we heard a bomb." Her eyes got wide when she recounted it and her whole body shook a little bit. "I-It was so loud!" she said with a small sob as she wiped her eyes and she was holding someone's hand tightly off-screen. "S-Suddenly th-ere was smoke, y fuego, y… And… I-It was so loud," she said, holding her head with one hand. "Th-There were cracks of guns and explosions and the screams," she said, letting out a small cry. "T-There were bodies falling everywhere a-and we couldn't h-elp them. Kids that lost f-family and friends that were j-just studying and working over the s-ummer," she said, trying to maintain eye contact with the camera but she just couldn't do it. "I-I saw young kids huddled together, crying, begging for it to be over. I looked into their eyes. A-And meanwhile Peacekeepers were just… Shooting people that were running away! J-Just trying to get somewhere safe."

"You don't have to keep talking about it."

"Gracias," she said, quickly collapsing into herself as the transition came back to… Carmen deflated a little bit when they saw it was just Kodiak Chay. But there he was, looking so… Unimpressive unlike during his interview, as he maintained eye contact with the camera – practically staring at them straight through the screen. That made even Charlemagne look away.

"Safe in my arms
You're only sleeping…"

"What did you see in the District Two prison?"

Kodi let out a nervous chuckle, looking around as if to ask that's not really what you want me to talk about, right? The silence, the tension, the awkward situation was felt even by those sitting at home who were cringing or looking away from the Holo, feeling like they were invading some kind of privacy, some… moment.

"I saw blood. Everywhere. I saw ribs of people that were starving," he said slowly, staring at the camera – a little past it, with desperate eyes. "T-They were tortured. Lester was Avoxed, Shani… Blinded forcefully. Stellan, please," he said, shaking his head as his eyes filled with tears. "This is horrifying Stellan. I have to look at the wounds and the scars on their bodies forever Stellan…" he said softly, and even Syd hid her face in Carmen's arm, not wanting to watch this anymore as Kodiak was just… Filmed breaking down, not speaking, just… Fucking sobbing.

"Please switch," Alchemy said, watching through her fingers, and thankfully it did switch again to… A few surprise faces.

"Oh," Charlemagne said, perking up when he saw Riggs and June.

"What can you see… On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?"

"Will you ever feel like a human again?"

Riggs let out a nervous chuckle, Gian stood behind him with a hand on his shoulder.

"No." June shrugged a little bit around Prentice's arm around her. It wasn't dramatic tears or huge loud screams or sobs, it was just… Apathy. Apathy that was palpable.

"I…" Riggs said, still looking a little nervous to be there. "Sorry, I know I started all this by singing this song, this is just a little weird to answer this question on television."

"We never asked to be trained for interviews like show dogs," Gian said, the Victor for the longest of the group. "We never asked to have our humanity stripped away. Act like a killing machine, like an animal, in an Arena. And after, act like a lion that can pose on a ball."

"The consequences for not doing as they said were dire," Prentice said. "The ones we loved."

"How would you feel if you said one thing, let one tear slip in front of everyone, and on top of the shame and embarrassment, you came home to your Mom dead?! Brother, sister… Friend," she said, shaking her head. "We lost them all." She balled her fists, and clenched her teeth.

"We lost them all," Prentice echoed, staring at his lap as the scene faded away and was replaced by a slightly bigger group – Camellia, Malloy, and Jo.

"Across the sea… A pale moon rises…"

Camellia was barley hanging on and before the line finished she collapsed into Jo as Malloy was carrying the singing, though his voice completely wavered. He sounded like Oliver and yet… nothing like Oliver, all at once. He was… Different. Changed. They all were. Hell, Alchemy was. Carmen was, Cupid was, literally all of them were.

"The ships have come to carry you home…"

"When will you heal?"

Camellia shook her head at the question, her cheeks stained with tears.

"Never," Jo said softly. "I lost my brother in the Games years ago. Nobody will remember him. He was to them just a bloodbath. A loser. But to me he was everything." She wiped her nose on her hand. "I will never heal from the damage that was done to me, to my heart, to our family. Nothing will ever heal me from those wounds."

"Grief never goes away," Malloy said. "There are good days, there are bad. But grief is a forever feeling. And we are far from the only ones that that have that feeling. Flower?" he asked quietly and Camellia shook her head a few times as she was trying to sit up and was still sobbing and hiccupping a little bit.

"I – miss – my – baby – brother," she gasped out, and let out another sob. "I – love – you – Syca." That was all she could even say.

Alchemy went over to give Wizard and Alchemy a big hug, unable to even imagine the grief she was feeling in that moment.

There was a blip in the program but it didn't take long for the rebel broadcast to come back on the screen. And on it was a small chorus of tributes from the 128th Hunger Games, all of them spared. Mary was leading the group, with Ember behind her and Ryder to the side in a wheelchair. Kaoru was there alongside Ruthie and Vyka who he had arms around and Ridley was beside them. And of course, in the center of the group, Vasilisa and Odessa.

Even Amiah was there, signing along with the words and dancing just a little bit in a solemn manner. It was clear how much she felt what she was doing, of course, it was clear by her body movements.

"And all will turn… To silver glass
A light on the water… All Souls pass…"

"What does a second chance at life mean to you?"

"It means we can trigger a change for the world," Ryder said, first, enthusiastically even, which was very unlike what they'd seen on their TV. "I want a better world."

Amiah nodded and did the sign for beautiful with a twirl.

"It means we get to make right what was wrong," Ridley said with a nod and a deep breath of reverence. "In our lives, and in the nation."

"Oh that's good," Kaoru said with a nod. "What she said."

"We want to not make any person suffer as we suffered," Lis said, shaking her head as she was obviously haunted by memories and shuddered, to which Odessa rubbed her shoulder.

"A chance I am glad to have and will make full use of," Ember said. "As will we all."

"But not all of us got a second chance," Mary said softly, and that caused a silence in the room as she had obviously been holding onto the thought since the beginning of filming whatever this was. She sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye as Lis let out a little sob, shaking her head.

It didn't live on them long before Coda and Tessa appeared on the screen. Fire and bubbles, and both had been somewhat extinguished.

"Hope fades… Into the world of night.
Through shadows falling… Out of memory and time."

"What do you wish people knew about being a tribute?"

"That it's terrible." Coda of course spoke without thinking.

Tessa, meanwhile, put thought into her response and took a deep breath. It was so strange to see Hosanna Siwa on their screens without a smile on.

"I wish they would know that it's an experience you can never fully explain or understand without going through it. Imminent death, despite being young, and healthy. The realization that your parents will almost certainly outlive you. All the while being expected to put on a happy face for fear of your families…" She shook her head a little bit, putting her head down. And… Crying.

"Yeah," Coda said, his face softening up. "And even now the realization that people you had interacted with are just… Gone. Outlived by you, by parents, by families. It's a lot for anyone to comprehend, let alone us who went through it at fourteen."

"Yeah," Tessa said softly. "You're right."

Another fade-in. This time, the people on screen were not recognizable. There were four – two men, one tall and one short, and two women – one ginger and one blonde. The ginger was in the center, leading them all.

"Don't say
We have come now to the end…
"White shores are calling
You and I will meet again."

"What did you see in the Capitol prison?"

"Haha, you're fuckin' sadistic amigo," laughed the short king.

"Horror," the buff man spoke and shook his head. "They were experimenting on the prisoners' brains, but it was just… Vaguely masking fucking torture. Oops, am I not supposed to swear?"

"Say what you want."

"It was the most terrifyin' thing I'd ever seen and my eye was stabbed out when I was a kid," said the ginger, shudderin' a little bit. "The folks there could barely even talk. Antonio couldn't even walk. They were good for nothin' but just one-word ans'as ova and ova again."

"They didn't even really know who they were," said the blonde, her hands folded and her eyes cast down as she was crying. "Much less that we were here to help them."

"We carried them out," Monty said. "And for what crimes?" he asked. "That's what I wanna know. "Most of 'em were just kids, that were supposed to go into the Games! So what did they do to deserve… Any of this?! Can't even be interviewed without so many moral questions of if they're even in their right mind enough to agree…"

"I'll never forget the glazed over expressions in their eyes. And I'll never stop seeing it in my worst nightmares." It was a concise way to end it by the smaller boy with the brown hair who looked like he had lived a thousand horrors. "By the way, they didn't kill Indigo Alejo, let the record be set straight on that!" he said loudly as the fade was happening.

But Carmen was the one that was letting out a yell when them finally saw him. Bonnie's blue eyes were so familiar to them but now they looked just like Uncle Simon's – heavy, and broken. His face was downcast. His voice carried all the pain that they felt, and for once they were comforted knowing that it was for the same person. Finally someone that was also grieving Kin… They needed to see him so badly. And hearing him sing the line made them start crying immediately.

"And you'll be here in my arms…"

He swallowed hard and put down his head, barely able to sing, just whispering out the last two lines in barely a breathy tone. Carmen covered their face and Syd wordlessly put her arms around them in a gentle and warm embrace.

"Just…
Sleeping…"

"Why did the Capitol bomb that orphanage? Your home?"

Bonnie took a deep breath and rubbed his cheeks a little bit. "I was a Capitol official at the time," he said softly, his voice shaking and Carmen had their face buried in Syd's shoulder. "I…" he said, letting out a small hiccup. "I didn't know. I-I just got the call f-from my older brother. B-But then I learned the truth when I went to ask for the day off t-to go search through the rubble for him…"

"No," Carmen said, hearing this was torture and they wanted him to stop.

"Th-They thought that there were rebels there," Bonnie said, rubbing his eyes. "Last time I checked my fourteen-year-old brother wasn't a rebel! He was a kid! He was an innocent kid living in the Capitol! We didn't know we even had to be afraid for his life, muchless… Because of them!"

There was a palpable tension in the room as they were all staring at the Holo in shock. But how could any of them think that Bonnie was lying with how he was breaking down like this, yelling, sobbing a little bit as he was forced to recount searching the rubble and ashes?!

Cupid just shook his head a few times as this news sunk into him slowly. It was his fault. "I'm so sorry," he said quietly. They didn't know just how deeply that guilt ran…

"Kin…" Carmen sobbed out, as Syd just rocked her gently.

"I… Can't believe that…" Jingle said softly, her heart in the bottom of her stomach just in horror.

"I would," Alchemy said, a little darkly because she knew what Numi had to go through the short amount of time he was in the orphanage.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Stellan said to Bonnie on the screen as the footage showed the bombings – the explosions where once a building stood with kids in it that now had nothing. Carmen screamed when they saw the footage and Syd quickly covered their eyes.

"I just want my little brother back," Bonnie said into his hands through his tears.

"Kin," Carmen sobbed out again, the pain of finding out brought back to them. And the whole government, everyone in charge was just like their fucking Mom. Not a care for him at all. Not a bother for his life being lost. They could feel heat spreading to their face as their hands formed into angry fists, barely even able to hear when the screen switched to Trap's navy eyes ,and Jace's milky ones, looking at camera.

"What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?"

"Why is it worth fighting for?"

"Why is it worth fighting for?!" Trap asked, blinking and shaking his head. "Oh God, so many reasons! I've seen families torn apart. My own family used the Games to manipulate me, twist my morals, abuse me, permanently alter myself just to fit into their stupid Games." He took out the teeth prosthetics he was given to wear and bore his sharpened teeth for the world.

Wizard remembered being so morbidly interested in that and sunk down in his chair, ashamed he ever had the thought, even as a child, and feeling… Responsible for his suffering in a way.

"The goal is to let no child suffer," Jace said levelly, even able to smile a little at the thought. "I was blinded when people attacked me and my friends. I was bullied, I was pushed around, and it only got worse when I lost my vision. I want a world where those problems are the ones being solved, not… Throwing all this money and time and effort into watching poor kids fight to the death like animals."

"Wow," said Aristotle quietly, frowning and looking at Wizard, recognizing the look in his eyes as a small quartet appeared on the screen of Thor with Stellan, who had Kat at his side and also a tall girl with the same hair and blue eyes that screamed Jansing.

"Across the sea… A pale moon rises…
The ships have come to carry you home."

"What is the change you want to see?" asked Trap's voice off the screen.

"I love my home," Kat said, obviously having her answer prepared. "I love the people in it. I love everything they do to make our lives better. There's so much." She had misty eyes as she was quickly getting emotional saying it out loud despite how much she had planned it out. "I want to see a nation that can help those that need it. Those that have been hurt in the worst ways. I had no protection when it was me and many others can say the same. I want to end that and build a country back from the ashes that treats its people well."

"A place where everyone can thrive," Stellan said. "Where everyone can have the opportunity like I did to make something of themselves. Without the fear of putting food on the table. I want to have a stronger place, a happier place, a place where everyone isn't so afraid all the time."

"Even in District Four, people are afraid," Thor said. "I've even seen it in the Capitol itself."

"Yeah," Kat said. "Me too. Well I want to end that. I want to have people in power we can trust, that aren't motivated by a power-hungry greed."

"Me too," Stellan said. "By the way that will not be me."

"Oh thank God for that, that's all I needed to hear," Jill said, teasing her brother, but her voice went quiet and she spoke softly on the fade, so softly it could only be heard by people that knew what to listen for.

"I love you Ziggy."

And with that the song was coming to an end, and the one to end it was the one who wore the cloak of tragedy, who had it thrust upon her, and now wore it for the world to see, in the blank, numb expression of someone that had almost nothing left.

Maggie.

"And all will turn
To silver glass
A light on the water
Grey ships pass
Into the West
."

Silence.

For a moment.

For a long beat.

Silence.

"Who is to blame for this?"

"We all know who is to blame," Maggie said. "Who is to blame for me losing my brother. For people losing brothers, sisters, parents, friends. We all know who is to blame for the pain and suffering we have all been through. We know who it is that doesn't care about us."

She put up her head. Chin up. Eye contact with camera.

Speak loudly Maggie so people will respect you. You have a lot to learn if you're going to be a public lady someday.

She had learned it well.

"And we are ready to fight for our freedom," she said, her voice not even quivering, her eyes not even tearing up, and yet it was easy to tell that it was not rehearsed. "We need you to join us. Protest this oppression. Help us earn our freedom so we can all live better lives. They took everything from us, they'll take everything from you. Fight bravely. Protest strongly. Make your voices heard."

A low rumble made them all yell out a little bit.

The Presidential Mansion.

The beginning of the endgame.

At the head of the attack squad, the Mockingjay. Anakyn Skyavich.

By his side, the master of weaponry, technology, the one who was ready to finally make his voice heard once and for all. Lux Hastings. And soon, they were not alone. It started in tens, people leaving their houses, protesting, yelling, some of them with weapons.

Maggie's voice stirred something in them. Just as before, began a movement that would change the course of their lives forever.

"Join us."

"Alright now-" Cupid said, but Carmen's heart was roaring in their ears, grabbing their baseball bat immediately.

"Carmen!" Syd said, hurrying after them and grabbing their arm. "Wait!"

"No!" Carmen said loudly, tears pouring down their cheeks. "They did this!" they screamed. "They-"

"You're not going without me." Syd grinned and pulled out a few of her makeshift weapons from over the years.

Yelling, outside. Voices. The change they all wanted to see. It was happening now right outside their door.

"It's time," Cupid said, and grabbed whatever he possibly could that might constitute a weapon, to protect them, to kick some ass, to protest… To safeguard their future.

Another low rumble. A mansion crumbling down. Yelling and screaming. Gunfire. Chaos. And yet… Underneath all of it… Hope.

Three new voices joined the crowd of hundreds.

War…

Terrible war…

It was time for it to come to an end.