Chapter Text
Travel was horrible. Absolutely horrible.
Jessica for most of her life absolutely hated whenever she and her family had to travel anywhere outside of Beacontown. It was unfamiliar, most places were more hostile, and the travel to and back was exhausting.
She petted her pet pig Reuben as he sat in the middle seat. Her black curly hair was frizzled and unkept. Strands of it fell out of her magenta hair clip. Jess leaned back on the old slightly torn seats of the small truck. Her twin brother had his hands on the wheel, looking just as tired as her. With his own brown curly hair being even messier than hers.
Her bright short sleeve button up has been hastily done. It was colored in indigos and splotches of darker blues, and she had a dark purple long sleeve shirt underneath. Jesse wore a muted green sweater, with black suspenders. One of those suspenders was falling off at the moment.
The morning had been absolutely hectic for the both of them. Knowing how long the drive would be, they wanted to be out as soon as possible. Only packing the essentials, and little personal trinkets. Thankfully the house was going to be in the hands of their friends Stacy and Stampy while they were gone. So there was no need to worry about most of their stuff.
The vehicle was low to the ground, and small. Red paint was chipping off of its edges. They had used the truck’s bed to hold a motorcycle, and the two cases of luggage they decided to bring. Which mostly held clothes, and other small necessities. There were no back seats. By her feet was her and Jesse’s backpacks. The backpacks held the personal trinkets.
None of them wanted this. The two of them had tried their damned hardest to stay in Beacontown. But so many things had gone wrong. There hadn't been many job opportunities, patience had been wearing thin, debts needed paying, and it just… wasn't the same. Hadn't been the same for a long time. It was mentally draining for the both of them.
As she looked out the window she saw a sign. There's a painted sunset on a beach, and big bold white words “WELCOME TO CHAMPION CITY!”. When the truck passed it the back of the sign had graffiti. Some with obscenities, some with little doodles. But five big painted words in red and black stood out the most.
MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
“How much longer do we have before we finally get there?” Jess asked. Reuben’s head went up to look at her.
“Ohhh…” Jesse hummed. “I think we have maybe an hour more. We did just enter Champion City.”
An hour was okay. She could handle that. Jess took out her hair clip and started brushing back her hair with her hand. Clipping it back on once all her hair was out of her face. She noticed her brother readjust the suspender that was falling off.
The radio had been turned down a while ago when the traffic was horrible. Jesse had wanted all of his attention to be set onto the road. While the traffic now was bearable, none of them had attempted to turn up the volume. Because of it Jess was finding the silence to be a little… off-putting to her.
“Y’know I don't understand why Ivor and Harper have to live in Champion City. Beacontown’s practically perfect, there's no smog, there's no drama, and it's not known as the murder capital of the world.” She hissed out the title.
“Come on Jess, you know the folks back there didn't like both of them. And you can call any city that. There's no city out there that’s safe, and Beacontown itself has had its fair share of crimes. You remember.”
“I know, but if they had just gotten to know them I'm sure everyone would change their minds.” Jessica turned to her brother. “Besides there's other places to live than this…”
“Hey, I'm not happy about it either. But think about it this way. At least we have people to fall back on, and it's Ivor and Harper! We haven't seen them in years.”
“That's true, I have missed them.” She slumped in her seat. “I just… ugh… I just don't like this city. It gives me the creeps.”
Reuben let out an oink in agreement.
“Look, once we get our bearings back we'll move back to Beacontown. I promise you that. I don't know how long it'll take, but this'll only be temporary okay?”
“...” Jess frowned. She rested her head on her hand and looked out the window once more. The sun was in the center of the sky. Many cars, and people were out and about. Jessica couldn't help but long for the quiet comfort of her old town.
Jesse glanced over to Jessica. She thought for a moment he was going to say something, but instead he reached for the radio and turned up the volume. And she was thankful for it. She didn't have much of a conversation to make, but she couldn't stand the silence any longer.
She had to admit to herself, though, that while she was already sick of this trip at least the beach was pretty. She could see the waves crash onto the shore. Kites in the air, and… a bit more trash than she'd like. Jess thought about looking into some volunteer work she could possibly do later.
Soon the three would stop in a parking lot. With it being the afternoon they were all starving, having had only apples and carrots for breakfast. Jess opened the door on her side, and carefully set Reuben on the ground. Jesse took a moment to check on his motorcycle in the back, and the two went over their plan.
Food, groceries, and then the house. It was simple. Jessica stayed outside with Reuben as Jesse went inside some fast food joint. It was a ugly building in her opinion. (Then again that could be said for any fast food place.) She leaned against the wall, with Reuben right by her feet. Some strangers would stare at her and the pig but she didn't care. It made sense anyways, it's not everyday you see a stranger in colorful get up, with a pig by her side.
She watched people exit and enter the building. Someone walked out with rats in their pockets and hands as they kiss a rat and give the others fries. A group of three, where one wore a diamond on his necklace, one had headphones over his ears, and the girl had her hair dyed into an overly bright red. All had their arms over each other’s shoulders. A duo that walked in. One was a woman with blonde curly hair, and the other had dyed blue hair. They seemed to be gossiping as they walked in.
Some people walk by and she assumes they're couples. Sometimes there were parents and their children. Then there were people by themselves. There weren't that many animals. Which was a stark contrast to Beacontown. Almost everyone in Beacontown would travel with their animal companions. Only the pets that physically couldn't, were untrained, or too nervous around strangers wouldn't. But in Champion City there weren't even many dogs around. The rats had been an outlier.
Three people had exited the building. She doesn't pay much attention to them, until the ginger one with a striped bandana nailed something to a wooden post. There's fliers in the other two’s hands. One was a man in green, and the other a woman in red. The ginger had a determined look in her eyes as she set the flier in place. Then she nodded to the other three, and the trio continued to walk away.
Curious. Jess tilted her head. She felt herself itching to see what the contents of the flier were. Reuben looked up at her. He pressed his snout against her leg. She shook her head. Not yet.
Jesse walked out eight or so minutes later, and he looked exhausted. He handed her a paper bag, and then gave Reuben a few carrots.
“Jess you would not believe how packed it is in there!” He said as she started to unwrap the burger. “Almost every seat was filled up, people were way to close for comfort. And the line was taking forever… but at least they had vegan alternatives.”
She took a bite of the burger and followed Jesse as he went over the places they'd visit next. Reuben was right by their sides, staying close. Jessica sees the flier and takes the opportunity to glance at it. Only to immediately look away once she sees two words.
MISSING
LUKAS
Her stomach churned, and she forced herself to take another bite. She hadn't even seen the picture.
From then on it seemed like missing posters were everywhere. Every shop, every post. They were outside, they were inside. There's names she reads, and pictures she sees. So many faces and names, how in the world was there so many?
Gill, Isa, Radar, Milo, Cassie, Maya, Lizzie, Dan, Vos, Sparklez, Sammy, Fred, Aiden, Xara, Romeo. There were just so many. Jessica kept her head up and stayed as close as she could to Jesse and Reuben. This place has always given her the creeps, and now the absolute abundance of missing posters only made it worse. She didn't remember there being that many posters the last time she had visited.
They bought glasses of soda, some snacks, and extra carrots for Reuben that they gave to him as a thanks for being so cooperative and patient. All the stores they went to didn't allow pets. So she and Jesse took turns staying outside with the pig. They also bought extra clothes, just in case, and a few gifts they'd give to Harper and Ivor later.
This city was already giving her a headache. Beacontown had a much calmer and controlled feel to it while here felt more hectic and confusing. It being in the middle of rush hour did not help. The entirety of her focus had been on keeping an eye on her brother and Reuben to make sure she didn't lose sight of either of them. God, she wanted to be at the house already.
Everything they bought was set into the bed of the truck. After Jesse had taken his motorcycle out, and set it onto the ground of course. In the parking lot he checked over his bike as Jessica set anything that was too light inside next to the backpacks or in the middle seat. Reuben sat in the passenger's seat as the twins made sure everything was ready.
Jesse sat on his motorcycle. Most of it was black with the seat and handles being dark blue. There was only one light in the front. Jess lifted up the back door to the truck’s bed. It closed with a loud thud, and she turned to her twin.
“Do you want to follow me or do you still remember where their house is?” Jesse said.
“Oh I remember. It's not that easy to forget.” She walked to the driver's seat as Jesse followed slowly behind her. She opened the door and sat down. “Don't do anything stupid Jay, cause if you crash I am going to be so mad. We did not go all this way just for you to hurt yourself.”
“I promise you that I will crash.” Jesse raised his hand, palm facing Jess. It reminded her of a boy scout’s promise. “Break all my bones, puncture my lungs, lose a few teeth.”
“Don’t forget to get a concussion.”
“And a concussion, yes.” Jesse snickered. “I'll get every single injury you can and can't think of, and have the longest medical bill in history.”
“Disowned. That's what you will be if I have to see that bill.”
Jesse barked out a laugh at that. “And who else would be your twin after that?”
“Nell, Stella, Em, honestly anybody other than you.” She then muttered under breath. “I could use a new twin anyways.”
She received a light punch to her shoulder. “You'd miss me.”
“No I don't think I would.” She closed the door, the window was still down. “Just go to the house, and don't crash along the way. Then you can still be my twin, deal?”
“I'll consider it.” Jesse scratched his chin. “But would there be any other benefits to this deal?”
“You'll get four bottles of root beer instead of three. How about that?”
“That sounds like a deal!” He smiled widely. Jessica tsked and shook her head. She started up the truck, and it started moving forward. She looked both ways before pulling out of the parking space. With Jesse following right behind her.
Reuben was a saint the entire rest of the drive. The pig stared out the windows in awe, and stayed mostly quiet. Jess found herself constantly glancing at the mirrors to make sure her brother didn't suddenly disappear out of nowhere. But every time he was always right behind her.
“How about you Reuben? How do you feel about all of this?” She asked.
The pig looked at her and squinted his eyes. He then snorted and looked back out the window.
“Yeah. I get that.”
They drive through the smaller, less busier part of the city. The skyscrapers could be seen in the distance, towering over the small buildings she drove past. At a glance she saw an abundance of gardens in every lawn. None were neatly trimmed and empty. Some had more organization than others, but her favorites had to have been the gardens that let everything grow wildly.
The truck slowed down once she found the old dirt road. She may have hated being in Champion City but this little part that her aunt and uncle had was rather pretty. Less concrete and more trees. A road a little ways away from the cliff that showed off the beach in the distance.
She found the fence surrounding the property, and soon enough the gate. Holding multiple wind chimes up on both sides. The lawn here felt dead compared to every other one she had seen. No flowers, barely any grass, and only a few trees. Such a stark contrast to the world around it.
Jessica pulled in, and slowed the truck down into a complete stop. Once it was turned off she opened the door, Jesse was already driving up behind her. She's quick to get to Reuben’s side and let the pig out. He let out multiple happy oinks as he could now run around freely without supervision.
The sound of the motorcycle stopped, and Jesse walked up beside her. Staring up at the cabin. It was old, two floors tall, made completely out of wood, and with many many wind chimes. Their ringing was practically the only sound that could be heard. On the porch there were many potted plants scattered around. Two old rocking chairs set close together, and Harper laying on her back at the top of the stairs.
Her white box braids were spread out everywhere. The goggles on her head were askew. Jess could see all the oil, and grime on her white shirt, and long leather gloves. Her jeans were just as bad.
“Harper?!” Jesse sped walked to the stairs. Reuben followed right after. “Harper, are you okay?!”
Jessica only took a moment before she said. “She’s dead, can we go back to Beacontown?”
“She's not dead!” He glared at Jess as Harper’s head shot up.
“Not yet, I'm not!” Harper laughed as Jesse smacked her with the back of his hand. She pushed herself up onto her feet, as Jesse helped her up.
“How long have you been waiting to do that?” He asked.
“Long enough that I would've died from a heat stroke if you two took any longer!” Harper raised out her arms as the two barreled into her for a hug. She laughed some more. “Ah, it's been too long! I missed you two!”
They heard a forth voice coming from inside. “Do my ears deceive me? Is it really -” Ivor opened the door, and gasped. He wore a white tank top and long striped pants. “It is!”
Ivor was quickly dragged into the hug. All four of them had smiles on their faces when they pulled away.
“It's good to see you two!” Ivor said as he laughed some more. “I hope the ride here wasn't much trouble?”
“It went smoothly, actually.” Jesse said as he started walking down the stairs back to the truck. The others followed after.
“I think the only inconvenience we had was the traffic on the way here.” Jess opened the door to the passenger seat. She handed Jesse his backpack. “Better than what we had last time, I guess.”
“Do not remind me about what happened last time. Please.” Jesse swung the backpack over his shoulder. While Ivor opened the back of the truck that held the groceries. Harper snickered slightly as she took some of the groceries.
The next few minutes were spent moving everything inside. Groceries left in the kitchen, personal items being brought upstairs to the rooms.
“You gave me the better room right?”
“But of course Jess! You're the favorite after all!”
There was a loud “WHAT?!” that came from downstairs. Jess and Ivor laughed at the sight of Jesse’s angry figure at the bottom of the stairs. He looked like some angry chihuahua.
“What did you say?!”
“Ivor just confirmed I'm the favorite niece.” Jess said with her eyebrows raised and a smug grin.
“You're the only niece.”
“Jesse, Jesse I'm only kidding there are no favorites here!” Ivor leaned close to Jess and whispered. “Except for you of course.”
Jesse huffed and walked away as Ivor and Jess cackled.
It felt nice, really. The uneasy feeling in her gut slowly dissipated as she moved more things to her room. Or had conversations with the others. The inside of the house was pretty too. Harper and Ivor still loved having way too many things, but they made the mess work. And it added so much character to the house.
Once everything was mostly inside her good mood gave her a brilliant idea. Jesse was in his room, laying his suitcase onto the floor. Jess was swift, she ran into the room, yelled “TAG” once she touched his shoulder, and bolted out.
She had a wide manic smile on her face as she sprinted down the hallway. Jesse almost slipped on the hardwood floors but quickly started catching up. Reuben stood in the middle of the hallway. Jessica ran past him, while Jesse jumped over him.
Her hand hooked onto the railing of the stairs and she hopped onto it sliding down. Harper froze in place as Jess ran past her and Jesse practically threw himself over the railing on the bottom of the stairs. She saw an open door to a library esc room and sprinted towards it before Ivor yelled.
“HOLD IT!” Her feet dragged on the floor as she went to a stop. Unfortunately for Jesse he didn't react as quickly and ran right into Jess. The two tumbled onto the ground. Jesse rolled onto his back beside Jessica, and tapped her on her shoulder.
“Tag.”
She glared at him as he smiled at her with that stupid shit eating grin.
Ivor started closing the sliding door to the library. He shook his head at the twins. “I thought you were both functioning adults, and yet you act like a couple of toddlers.”
The two pushed themselves off of the ground and stood up. Jesse had a hand on his hip as he snickered.
“Come on Ivor, it's not a crime to have a little bit of fun from time to time.”
“You don't have to destroy the house while doing it!” Harper added.
“We weren't destroying the house.” Jess scoffed. She brushed the dust off of her clothes and looked over to her uncle. “What's in the library Ivor?”
“Things.” The door shut fully.
“Are you still not going to let us look?”
“Of course I'm not!” He folded his arms as he stood in front of the door. “You two clearly are not ready yet, and that reminds me how we're going to have to restate the rules around here. Since you two have already forgotten!”
The twins exchanged glances at each other. Jesse looked a little amused at least, but Jessica shook her head.
“Number one: Only Harper and I are allowed in this library. I don't trust you two in there. Two: Do not touch the thermostat - wh - don't give each other that look, I'm serious!” They snickered as Ivor let out a disgruntled sigh. “This one is new but don't under any circumstances let anyone inside if they ask to be invited inside first. We rarely get visitors, so it's already a bad sign if there is one. But if they say that. Don't let them in. And don't go outside. I cannot stress the utter importance of this!”
“That's oddly specific.” Jesse then muttered under his breath so only Jess could hear. "And a little worrying."
“Oddly specific, but important!” Ivor gestured for them to follow him as he walked to the kitchen right next to the library. He opened the round fridge, and tapped a shelf that had a cardboard covering. HARPER & IVOR ONLY. “Four: This shelf right here is off limits to you. Don't touch it.”
He lifted up the cardboard covering, and picked up a bottle of root beer.
“Hey wait, isn't that our root beer -” Jessica was immediately cut off.
“Finally.” Harper said as she stepped into the kitchen. “Nobody drives the car in the garage. I'm still working on it, but you're completely fine to help me fix it if you're up for it, Jesse.”
She could see her brother barely contain his excitement. “Okay!”
Ivor took a sip of soda as he walked out of the kitchen. Harper followed after. Jess quickly looked to her brother and then to Ivor. “Are we… not going to address the root beer he just stole??”
“...” Jesse opened the fridge. “We won't have to if we just…”
He went to lift the cardboard.
“DON'T TOUCH IT!”
Jesse's hands immediately raised up into the air, and the fridge’s door closed shut. Ivor’s eyebrows narrowed. Jesse shuffled away from the refrigerator to stand on the opposite side of Jessica. He had a sheepish smile on his face.
Harper, his saving grace, jumped in. “Jesse, come help me with the car.”
“Oh, right now?” He tried to act surprised. “Okay then!”
He refused to make eye contact with Ivor as he hurriedly exited the kitchen. Jess was already inching towards the refrigerator, but Ivor made a loud “AHEM”. Jessica’s hands went into the air.
“I wasn't doing anything.”
“Get out of my kitchen.”
Jess hurriedly speed walked out, with her own guilty smile on her face.
……
A couple of hours or so had passed by. Jessica was laid back on the couch, with Reuben sitting beside her feet next to the arm rest. The pig was resting his eyes after a long day of travel. There was no TV anymore due to Harper apparently using it for spare parts, so instead in Jess’ hands was a comic. Jesse and Harper were still in the garage doing whatever it was people do to cars. Jess didn't know and didn't care.
She flipped the page. Her eyes widened and she gasped. Shooting up into a sitting position. Reuben’s head immediately shot to her.
“No! Did they just kill them?!” The grip on the comic was tight. She flipped to the next page, only to find it had ended. “NO! You can't just end it there!”
Reuben scoffed. Jess lowered the comic from her face.
“Don't give me that, you wouldn't understand.” The pig then gave her a judgemental side eye. “Reuben, these two have been in this comic for forever. They've been here since day one, and then they're just killed like that! Out of nowhere! There was no build up or anything it was just- oh my god that can't be it. They couldn't have just killed them like that-”
She set the comic down onto the coffee table, and searched through her backpack. Skimming through the issues she had.
“That's the latest one I have.” Her head hung down. “Shhhhhhhhhhhhoooot. Damnit.”
Reuben seemed amused at her despair. She glared at him.
“I still remember how upset you were when the pig died. Don't -” Reuben grumbled, she pointed at him. “Don't give me that crap!”
“Why must you argue with the pig?” Her head shot to Ivor who was holding a basket of laundry.
“He's being a jerk!” She gestured to Reuben who immediately snorted. Her hands dropped to her lap. “What are you even doing here, Ivor I thought you were going to finish the laundry?”
“I was. But I heard yelling and I had to make sure nobody was dying. That would be highly inconvenient, you know.”
“Inconvenient.”
“Yes, inconvenient.” Ivor huffed. “Do you know just how much work the morticians have to do in this city? It's astonishing!”
“You’re -” She laughed nervously. “You're joking right? I know Champion City has a reputation but it's not - not really the murder capital of the world is it?”
“Well…” He hummed, taking way longer than Jess thought he would to continue. “Let's just say if all the bodies buried around here were to stand up all at once… We'd have one hell of a population problem.”
“...” Jess stared at Ivor, her jaw dropped. Reuben's eyes went wide. “That makes me feel so much better.”
“Good.” He nodded and continued walking. “Now you'll remember to keep your guard up. It’s dangerous out there Jessica, I don't want to ever hang up your missing poster.”
And with that he left. Leaving Jess and Reuben alone. She slowly turned her head to the pig. He looked just as horrified as her.
“It feels like the Universe itself is telling me to leave.” She fell backwards. Plopping down onto the couch with a soft thud. “What the hell.”
Reuben trotted up to her, and laid on top of her stomach. She started petting the pig, and she sighed.
“You're going to keep an eye out too though, right Reuben?” He nodded at her with determination. Or… at least that's how Jess interpreted it. “Thank you, bud, I know I'll be able to trust you.”
“Am I not trustworthy?”
“WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP SNEAKING UP ON ME?! THAT'S THE SECOND TIME IN A ROW!” Her head snapped to Jesse. His hair was tied back into the tiniest ponytail, he wore gloves, his sleeves were rolled up, and he had grime and oil on him now too.
He shrugged. “I don't know, maybe stop making it easy for people to sneak up on you?”
“Shut up, Jay.” She grumbled. “And yes I do trust you, I just happen to trust Reuben more.”
“I would be upset if I didn't also trust Reuben more.” The pig seemed very pleased at this information. Jesse started taking his gloves off. “Anyways, I was going to ask you if you were wanting to go to EnderCon later? Harper was telling me all about it, and it sounds really fun! There's carnival rides, there's competitions, there's games. People like to cosplay. All kinds of stuff.”
“...” She hummed. “I don't know.”
“I mean you don't have to tonight. It's going to last for… I think three weeks.” Jesse held his gloves. “I'm still going tonight, I just need to take a shower first.”
“You’re considering going out alone?”
“...” He gritted his teeth. “I mean, maybe.”
“Am I crazy or were there actually missing posters everywhere when we were out getting groceries?”
“I saw them, Jess, I know. I'm not stupid.” He threw the gloves at her face. She yelped, and he pulled out a pocket knife out of his pocket. “I'm not going unarmed.”
“That's just a knife.”
He then pulled out a second knife out of another pocket. Pepper spray, another knife, brass knuckles, his keys. And then he pulled out two knives out of both of his boots.
“Right.” She rolled her eyes. “Forgot you also did that.”
He started putting everything back as he said. “I’m only going tonight to just look. Okay? Nothing crazy. Plus I heard they're also doing a concert too, so…”
“I also want to go, Jay. I just didn't like how you're willing to go alone.”
“Oh.”
“Now, do they allow pets there, or is Reuben going to have to stay here with Ivor and Harper?”
“Reuben will have to stay. They only allow service animals.” Jesse went to untie his hair. “Sorry bud.”
Reuben let out a tired sigh. He jumped off of Jessica and the couch, and started walking away. Pathetically. His poor little head faced the floor, his movements slow and sad.
“We'll get you a few treats while we're there okay?” Reuben ignored her, and kept sluggishly walking away. The twins watched as he went to start climbing up the stairs.
A hair tie bounced off her forehead. She flinched, glaring at Jesse as she rubbed her temple.
“So, you are coming with me then?” He asked. With the hair tie around her thumb, she pulled it back, and shot it at Jesse. It hit his cheek and he deadpanned.
“Yes. I am.” She dodged the hair tie that flew her way. It fell onto the ground beside her. Jessica didn't feel like picking it up. “When does it start?”
“I think…” He paused and scratched his chin. “Sometime after dinner? I'll have to check it again, but I have a plan! I'm going to take my shower, come back, we'll eat dinner with Ivor and Harper, and then we can go to EnderCon! If it doesn't start by then we can do a couple of side stops along the way.”
“Sounds good.” She gave him a thumps up. Jesse went to walk up the stairs. She was about to ask him what she should do about his gloves but then when she looked he was already gone. Jess looked at the dirty gloves in her hand.
“So you two are going to EnderCon, then?”
And chucked them both at Harper’s face.
……
I've been in a cave
Forty days
Jesse had to admit he had ultimately been worried about what EnderCon would have. Sure he had heard everything he needed to know from Harper, but that was different than actually being there. In the past he had only been to small carnivals that'd pop up in town. And he'd be in a big group. There was Stella, Em, Nell, Stampy, Stacy, Reuben, and of course his sister.
Only a spark
To light my way
The eight of them would always hop from one shifty ride to another. (Well, six, technically. Stampy was always sitting out for most rides, and Reuben was a pig they couldn't let him on.) Playing rigged games, buying trinkets they didn't need.
I wanna give out
I wanna give in
This wasn't bad. Jesse had felt a little sad walking around with only Jessica, but overall he was having a nice time! It was more crowded than he was used to, and the lines would be longer. But that was okay! He and Jess weren't there for the rides today, they were only there to check it out. After running through food stands, and having little snacks, they had decided to retreat to the concert.
This is our crime
This our sin
The beat of the drums was amplified with people clapping their hands. The sound completely drowned out the beach that was nearby. Jess not only was dancing but also jumping up and down and Jesse couldn't figure out how. He was still so exhausted from everything all he could really do was clap and sway back and forth. There's a huge crowd of people. He and Jess stood on the lower part of some stands. The night sky was above them, there were barely any stars out.
But I still believe
I still believe
He can't help but smile. His sister had been mostly cynical for the past couple of days. Maybe even a week. And he understood why, but seeing her finally being able to enjoy herself was relieving. They would have to come back tomorrow.
Though the pain
And through the grief
He looked out into the crowd of people, and to the stage. He was genuinely surprised at how much energy the singer himself had. He didn't know the name, he wasn't familiar with the song or band. But he knew they had been doing this for a while. He had heard music from a distance the moment they parked in the parking lot.
Through the lies
Through the storms
There's too many people, even with everyone being outside Jesse could still feel the heat radiate off of everyone else. And on a summer night, it was only amplified. Thankfully most people respected each other’s personal space. They were close yes, but Jesse still had a lot of legroom to work with.
Through the cries
And through the wars
He turned his head to look at the stands behind him. All the people dancing and having fun caused his smile to widen. Call him corny, but he thought it was just so cool to see so many people enjoy themselves and have fun. But as he scanned the stands he saw someone that made him freeze.
Oh I still believe!
It's not a bad freeze. No, no, no. Jesse felt his heart skip a beat. He isn't sure why. Maybe it's the way the light hit them, or how the saxophone and piano seemingly started at the perfect time. Jesse stopped clapping, and stared.
He had short blond hair. Wore an orange turtleneck, with a leather jacket. The man wore two dangling earrings on his left ear, a single simple stud on his right. His blue eyes were dull, maybe even a little grayish. Morbidly one could say they were dead looking.
The leather jacket had a dozen patches stitched on its left side. There's a yellow cat with brown spots and green eyes. A purple flower stitched to the top right of it. A tiny bow and arrow to the left of that. A feather on the bottom left, and purple crystals that Jesse assumes are supposed to be amethyst to the bottom right. And a bunch of purple diamonds spread throughout.
He was smiling. He hadn't been as energetic with his movements, instead the blond was slow. It looked like he was laughing. The music sounded so far away, and Jesse couldn't help but be enamored. He had stopped dancing completely. Jesse’s mouth parted slightly. The blond was up higher on the stands. The moon was high in the sky, and it was behind him.
Holy shit, the blond was pretty.
Jess had slowed down her dancing. She stared at her brother with an eyebrow raised, but Jesse didn't notice. He was sure he looked stupid, though. Imagine some awestruck fool, frozen on a stand, staring at a stranger who he happened to find cute. He felt his heart rate spike as the blond looked in his direction. And then they made eye contact.
Jesse’s quick to look away. The logical part of his head told him to not look back. He didn't want to be caught acting like a total weirdo and keep staring when the stranger now knew of his existence. But he couldn't help it. He looked back.
The blond smiled. Jesse's face felt hot. He wasn't just pretty, he was cute. Very very cute. The way the blond tilted his head did not help.
“Jay.” Jesse’s head snapped to Jessica. She glanced at the blond and then to him. There was a sly smile on her face, and she raised her eyebrows twice.
“What.”
“Wow, I can't believe it. We've only been here for half of a day, and you already are starting to get a crush. That's -”
“It's not a crush!” He pushed her back. “I don't even know his name Jess! I just think he's cute. It's not the same thing.”
“Ooooohhhhh, so you think he's cute?”
“Is he not?”
“...” Jess looked back at the blond. “I mean sure, I guess. But I'm not as into boys as you are Jay. I'm not the person to ask about this.”
“Psh.”
“He does have excellent hair though, I’ll give you that.”
He scoffed. When Jesse looked back he saw the blond was leaving. He didn't think as he followed him. Jessica followed, her smile grew more and more with every second.
“Are you actually doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“I don't know, asking him out?”
“What?!” Jesse yelped. “No! Absolutely not! I just want to say hi!”
“Mhm sure. Sure. But why exactly do you want to say hi Hm?!"
“Jess. I do not want to deal with this right now!”
She laughed loudly. “Then maybe stop being a dork! Oh my gosh, Jay, I never expected you to be this smitten by someone you barely just looked at.”
“I'm not smitten!” They weaved their way through the crowd. Back into the main area of EnderCon. There were little stands set up for food, souvenirs, and the like.
Curse his short stature. Jesse couldn't see the blond through the people who stood taller than him. And Jess wasn't helping him. She only continued to tease as Jesse pushed himself through the crowd.
……
Lukas’ nails dug into his arms. His head was held up as he avoided and dodged the distracted people of EnderCon. There was the awful smell of alcohol in the air mixed in with the nauseating scent of food. The hanging lights above irritated his eyes.
This was the worst time to have this come up. He bit the inside of his cheek but he tasted no blood. Yet he hated how relieved he would've been if he had.
He jumped once to look over the heads of the crowd. There weren't any ocelot patches on the back of anyone's clothes. He cursed under his breath. They couldn't have gone too far. It had only been around 5 minutes since he last saw his friends, and they wouldn't have left him here by himself. Lukas’ head turned left to right as he continued forward.
He heard some commotion coming from the carousel. Lukas let out a tired sigh as he saw Aiden yelling at a stranger. He wasn't sitting on any of the seats. Neither was Gill and Maya. They were fighting with two other strangers. The carousel was at a complete stop. Most people around them looked annoyed. There was even a security guard there.
As Lukas got closer the other ocelots noticed him. Aiden smiled at him with a cocky smirk. It was returned with a glare.
“Lukas! Oh thank God, finally, somebody reasonable.” He said. Gill and Maya turned to look at him with their own gleeful smiles.
“You know these guys?” The security guard asked. Lukas sunk a little in his turtleneck.
“... Yes.” He reluctantly admitted.
“Lu!” Maya said. “Can you tell these guys to get off of our backs? Literally none of them will just shut up, we're just having fun!”
“By being a bunch of fucking morons!” One of the stranger's said.
“She was flirting with my girlfriend!” A man said.
“We're trying to just enjoy our night, and these pricks won't stop harassing us!” Another one added.
Lukas’ eyebrows narrowed. His friends simply laughed as these people spat angry comments towards them. His nails dug deeper into his arms. He really did not have time for this.
“Alright I've heard enough.” The guard stepped up, grabbing Gill by his rolled sleeves. “All three of you, out.”
“Or what.” Aiden pushed past Gill, getting right in the security guard’s face.
“Aiden.” Lukas said. “It's not worth it, okay? Let's just go.”
Aiden, Gill, and Maya all had similar disappointed looks. Gill was the first to cave in, his head was back and he let out a long sigh. Maya and Aiden both were whispering something to each other. Pointed glares in Lukas’ direction, but they relented as well. Each step off of the carousel was forced. Aiden flipped off the people behind him as the ocelots started to leave, causing even more angry comments thrown his way.
The four walked in silence. The amount of anger radiating off of Aiden alone was nauseating. Lukas kept his gaze away from him. Aiden was to his right, while Gill and Maya were on his left.
They left EnderCon entirely, the group walked on an empty boardwalk. It was easier to hear the waves from the beach next to them. Only a few stray lamps had been lit up, but the dark wasn't a problem for any of them.
Gill shoved his hands into his pockets. “We could've had that. You didn't have to make us leave.”
“Yeah, Lu, it wasn't that big of a deal why'd you make us leave?” Maya asked.
“Because, I know you guys, and I know you would've made that whole situation worse.” Then Lukas muttered. “And I think I shouldn't be left alone right now.”
“Oh right, how could I forget.” Aiden scoffed. “You let that man go the other day, and let me guess because of it you're still starving.”
“...” Lukas gritted his teeth. “Yes.”
“I mean, we could just go out and scout for a while.” Gill gestured to the empty beach. “There's usually at least one or two suckers still on the beach at this hour. Lukas gets his fill, and then we go back to EnderCon.”
That last comment alone was enough to make Lukas feel sick.
“Ughhhh, that's going to take forever thoughhhh.” Maya slumped forward.
“No, no, no. I have a better idea.” Aiden stepped in front of the others. “Those assholes at the carousel.”
“Aiden -” Already he saw Gill and Maya perk up at the idea. While he felt like he was going to throw up.
“Easy pickings. Gill, Maya, I think you two already know who you're going after. Lukas you take out that stupid security guard. I -”
“I can sleep it off.” Lukas blurted out. “We - we don't need to do this tonight, I don't -”
“Oh my god.” Aiden pinched the bridge of his nose. “Stop pushing it off. You need this.”
“It's either you or them, Lu.” Maya said. “And I think we'd all rather it be them.”
“And.” Aiden continued. “Don't you remember what happened the first time? Where you thought you could ignore this for the rest of your life, and the mess that you left behind because of it.”
“You were like an animal!” Gill said. Maya immediately slapped his shoulder. He rubbed it and muttered. “Right, sorry.”
“Come on Lukas, ” Aiden raised his arms out to his sides. “It's no different than hunting a deer for food!”
It was so incredibly different from that. Deer didn't have thoughts, or a consciousness. Deer didn't have family or friends to come back home to. It disturbed him how Gill and Maya were so quick to agree with Aiden. Aiden stepped closer to him, getting way too close to his face.
“So stop being a wuss. And get it over with.” Aiden spat. “Or would you rather keep on starving around a crowd of people? What do you want to lose your shit in front of that many people? Just get a fucking grip. It's one person, Lukas. One.”
“...”
“I'm getting real tired of having to have this conversation with you.”
Lukas sighed and turned around, shoving his hands into his pockets. Aiden, Gill, and Maya all let out cheers. Much to Lukas’ dismay, Aiden was right. He couldn't afford to lose his grip around so many people.
“Ocelots!” Gill shouted before immediately being hit by Aiden. Who promptly told him to shut up.
A part of him had expected the others to follow him but when he looked back all his friends had disappeared. Oh. So they were going to go that route. Lukas’ shoulders slumped.
He kept his head down as he went through the crowds of EnderCon again. Searching for the security guard.
He didn't expect the impact he made when he walked straight into someone. They both stumbled back. The stranger more so than Lukas. He looked up to see black suspenders and a green sweater. The same guy he had seen staring at him at the concert. Though now with the close proximity he could see all the moles that dotted his face, and his bright green eyes that complemented his warm brown skin. He's shorter than Lukas, so is the woman who stood next to him.
“Crap! Sorry! I'm so sorry!” He said. The woman laughed as the man got flustered.
“It's okay.” Lukas smiled slightly. The other opened his mouth, but then closed it. The curly haired stranger awkwardly stepped out of his way, immediately going to leave. Looking uncomfortable. His friend looked disappointed and shook her head. As she walked past Lukas she whispered.
“He thinks you're cute.”
“JESSICA!” His face was red, eyes were wide in pure horror. The friend- Jessica only raised her eyebrows. Lukas couldn't help but laugh and he tilted his head.
“You think I'm cute?”
“I-” He grabbed his friend by her sleeve. “No! No I don't she's just - She’s - AUGH!”
He dragged his friend away as she cackled. The man in suspenders covered his tomato red face, and held his head down. Jessica looked back at Lukas with a gleeful yet insanely evil smile. She only laughed more when he jabbed her in the side. And then she's looking away, saying something to the man that only makes him more red.
Lukas found himself staring a bit longer than he intended. Something about that was… endearing? He could feel his own cheeks heat up a little. Cute? Some stranger thought he was cute? Up to the point he mentioned it to a friend? He started walking again, feeling slightly better than before. And, he had to be honest with himself. The stranger was pretty cute too.
He shook his head, and turned around. Remembering what he had to do. His head was up now, not wanting another distraction.
Just get a fucking grip. It's one person.
Lukas rubbed his face, and then ran a hand through his hair. Once this is over he wouldn't have to do it again for a few days, maybe even a week if he was lucky. He found the carousel once more. This time it was moving. Everything seemed normal. But the man wasn't there.
Lukas constantly glanced at every direction, picking at his jacket’s sleeve. There was an easier way to search for the man. Lukas knew he could just get an aerial view if he got to somewhere secluded. However, that would only make him feel worse, the stranger had more of a fighting chance this way.
Hey, maybe the man could've left and Lukas wouldn't find him. Then he could go to the other ocelots and just pretend he unfortunately lost track of him. That'd be nice… but then they'd find a different human instead.
He saw the hat of the security guard, and felt his heart drop. Robotically turning himself to his direction. He found the target. He pushed past people. There were some angry comments towards Lukas, but it was all background noise. All his focus was set onto the human.
He had only been doing his job. He didn't deserve this. How unlucky did this man have to be to anger Lukas’ friends specifically. How unlucky did he have to be that Lukas would've also been on the brink of starving too. He didn't stand a chance, he was going to die.
It's an ocelot and a mouse. The ocelot sticks to the shadows, stalking the mouse who was completely oblivious to the danger. Never once did he turn around. There's a jolly little tune the mouse hummed as he kept walking. The crowd is thinning, as they're getting closer to the exit.
The mouse hands off his badge and hat, his shift is over. He stayed to briefly talk to a coworker. The ocelot's heart pounded in his ears. The beat of his heart was nowhere near as fast as it used to be. Instead it was slow, methodic. However, it was still agonizing. His chest ached with every beat.
The less people that were around, the more and more he felt himself itching to strike. Craving the taste of iron that was just a mere couple of feet away. But he waited. One wrong move would make this messy, and he hated messes. When the man leaves, the ocelot is quick to follow.
There's less and less cars as the mouse made his way to his vehicle. Maybe he wanted less inconveniences when he left EnderCon, so he parked in one of the more desolate areas. He was making this way too easy.
As he was unlocking the car, the ocelot made his presence known. Lukas stood beside the guard. He didn't tower over the man, but he certainly was taller by a good amount. The security guard shuttered, and stumbled back.
“Oh! Oh! It's - it's you.” The man’s shoulders tensed. “Look if you're still mad about me kicking your friends out, drop it. They were being nuisances, and I -”
The ocelot grabbed the man by the head, and slammed his face down onto the front of the car. With the strength someone of his stature shouldn't have had. He fell to the pavement, blood leaked from his nose and gums. Lukas’ eyes widened.
The man looked up in horror. His breathing quickened.
“I’m - I’m sorry! Okay! I had nothing personal against your group, I was just doing my job! Please!” His back was against the car as the ocelot stepped towards him. “Please, please, please!”
Lukas hesitated. There's tears falling down the stranger's eyes.
“Do you want an apology?!”
Lukas hand twitched. His friends would've had this done by now.
“Money? My car? What do you want from me?!”
Never in Lukas’ life did he ever think he'd have to commit an atrocity like this. Never once did he think he'd ever have to stand staring down at a man pleading for his life. But dammit he was hungry and this was the only way.
The blood kept dripping from his nose. It was getting more and more difficult for Lukas to keep some of his composure.
“I can - I can -” That's enough. The ocelot kicked the man’s head, and it hit the pavement. He saw his red eyes through the car's reflection, and felt his fangs begin to grow in. The man couldn't get another word in as the ocelot slammed his heel into his neck. With such a force it snapped. Dead. Just like that. The light reflecting off of the moon, casted the body in shadow.
The others would've had no problem with the target still being alive, but he couldn't bear to do something like that again.
He got onto his knees, refusing to look at the corpse's face. He pulled the shirt’s collar back to expose the neck more. His breathing was heavy, he hadn't realized how badly he needed this. Briefly the ocelot glanced at his reflection. It's distorted by the car’s shape and color, but still he sees more pointed ears, fangs, and fully red eyes. He shook his head, not wanting to get hung up on that now. He looked back down to the exposed neck.
And he sunk his teeth in.