Survival Of The Fittest

Janet jumped internally when Nick spoke. She spun, grabbing her hockey stick and dropping her weight slightly.

Then Jay went crazy. He ran around, yelling and raving and generally freaking the fuck out. He accused her of planning something with Nick, the prick. See if she would flirt with him anymore. She glanced around and saw the actual accomplice of Nick's. Teo- she knew he was on the wrestling team, and he had a ranged weapon. Shit. Jay also had a ranged weapon, and he had just fallen off the carousel. Janet kept her eyes on Teo- a larger threat, as Nick would have to approach her to attack.

"Excuse my colleague's panic. I was trying to ease his tension a little bit, and you just went and undid all that work. Thanks."

She approached Jay, carefully acting like she wasn't scared shit-less. It was important to avoid showing fear- showing fear meant that Teo and Nick had the upper hand. Janet considered what Jay had said just before falling, about not having his gun loaded. She glanced in his still open bag as she walked past- she didn't see ammo, and had no time to search. She finally approached Jay's dazed body and pretended to check his vitals, taking his gun very carefully and hiding it down her shirt. She imagined Jay would be quite happy with that once he woke up.

She straightened and looked at Teo again. She was already planning, trying to think of how to get out of this without getting hurt.

Oh, and Jay should probably survive too.

'If only so I can make him suffer for suspecting me.'

Janet blinked slightly, a little surprised by her own vehemence. That wasn't her normal way of thinking.

"What do you want, Teo?" Janet asked, allowing her voice to sound a little exasperated.

Teo had almost panicked when Jay whipped out his gun but he was confident in his assessment of the boy and let him finish his rant while taking a few steps closer. Nick had moved around the other side of the carousel during the commotion and Teo tried to contain a smile as Jay successfully knocked himself out by slipping and smacking his head. Assessment successful. It wasn't all good though, if he was spot on about Jay that meant he might be pretty close thinking that Janet was the more dangerous of the two. Janet's thin voice carried the tone of casual annoyance but there was a slight warble that betrayed her cool, calm demeanor. Not that Teo noticed.

"What do I want Janet? I want you to step away from Jay for one. We'd rather avoid any bloodshed but quite frankly the plan here is to take the rations from both you and Jay, oh and if you wouldn't mind tossing us Jay's gun forefinger and thumb that would be fantastic too."

Teo knew he was running a hard line but the facts were as they were. They were on an island with limited resources and were supposed to kill each other. His eyes darted past Janet for a second, meeting with Nicks as he gave a slight nod: the prearranged signal to keep edging forward. Teo kept his crossbow trained on the girl, braced against his shoulder, his face stone.

"You should be lucky we're not killing anyone, unlike you. I can't let a killer go in good faith, but even so I think it would be good to merciful don't you think? I'm going to let you toss that gun to Nick over there and then I'm going to give you thirty seconds to get out of here before I shoot you. Everett might of been an easy target but I assure you, try anything and we will fuck you up."

Teo didn't think about the hypocrisy of his statement he was already edgy and the arrogance of Janet to be annoyed at him was only a few straws away from breaking the camel's back. In his focus he hadn't yet seen either of the hidden spectators silently watching from their respective hiding spots.

There was movement going on. That massive group was attacking the pair in the carousel. Something was going on, some words he could not hear. That damn reflection was getting in his sight, he couldn't even see who these people were...

And so he shifted to to the right.

Nope, still in his eyes. Silently cursing the setting sun, he continued to shimmy to the right, just in time to see someone fall out of the carousel, and to watch the remaining girl be surrounded by some of those sports jocks he had seen around the school. Rekka had never taken a liking to them anyways. Their strength was always so misused, using for pointless competition rather than for something productive, something tangible.

Either way, they were still doing something not right to the pair that were trapped in that ride. And if he had absolutely any way of doing so, he would have put a stop to it himself with a couple of broken skulls. But what did he have to his name? Four clips for an Uzi and a pair of extremely dull knives he made out of a pair of fucking scissors. There was absolutely nothing he could do.

They would just have to get their comeuppance later.

His eyes fell back to that spot that kept reflecting directly into their eyes. And instead of the harsh sunlight, instead sat a pool of red.

And a body accompanying it. The events that were occurring at the other end of the amusement park left his mind as he stared at the decapitated body. And his lips slowly curled into a smile.

That. That is exactly what he would do to the jackasses that thought they could shove their weight around. He would show them just what a true bad-ass was. How the real gangsters of the world were supposed to act.

Oh yes, Teo and his crew would get what's coming to them; as soon as he could find a few more people to join him in showing the world what they were made of.

He pushed himself to his feet, and the grin cracked, his teeth showing softly into the camera perched nearby. "Dawne, baby." His words sounded so much more calculated, so much more cold. He knew exactly what he was doing, and exactly how he was going to do it. Even the fake accent that seeped into his voice and mixed with the oriental one that he had since he was a child was enough to send a chill down the spine of anyone back home who had been following his story. "Now I see what ya' did for me. You won't have died for 'nuttin." He scoffed, pushing the brim on his fedora low. That image he clung to for sanity a few hours ago had truly overtaken him and every fiber of his being. He no longer aspired to be like those mobsters; as far as he could tell and remember, he had always been one. And whatever fucked up God or Power had stuck his ass here just to do what Danya asked; kick some ass and take some names.

A chilling laugh cackled from his throat, more than loud enough for the folks down at the fun fair to hear. And he turned his head towards them, shouting. "Hey! Enjoy what's left o' yer life while ya can! Rekka's in town, and you scabs ain't got long!" Another laugh as the makeshift daggers were removed from his pockets, one clenched in each hand. And off he bound to the north, preparing for what would be the biggest trial of his short life.

((Rekka Saionji continued in It Knows Nothing of Whim.))

Nick tilted his head. Jay was acting pretty strange. He was screaming and flailing around and falling over. How strange. Why did he do that?

"We're not looking to hurt anyone just yet so just give us the supplies and we can part ways. No big deal. We don't have to make this a big thing."

Teo nodded. Nick's lips set in a thin line and he advanced a few steps.

His sight was focused on the girl. Hers was the weapon with the blood on it and despite the fact that Jay had a gun, the blood was evidence of the fact that she was willing to use her weapon. He was tense and held his hunga munga at the ready, just in case.

I want to make it out, but could I really attack a girl? I told Teo to waste Clio. I wasn't going to be the one to do it. I- I don't know if I can.

(Apologies if I'm breaking post order, this is only so I don't go inactive)

Carla continued observing the scene before her. Her mind kept telling her to not get involved. Her trigger finger was annoyingly itchy. I can make this into my good deed. I don't have to kill anyone I can just- NO. TOO RISKY. Shut up brain . Carla agreed with herself that she wasn't ready to kill someone. But if she was going to be a good guy GIRL then she couldn't just let people steal from each other. And you didn't have to be a genius to know what these boys were doing. And it doesn't look like that other thing that the boys do.

Jay had fallen down and the boys were advancing on Janet with their weapons at the ready. There was no way for the girl to save herself, it was up to ME Carla raised her gun and took hold of it with both hands. Eeny, meeny, miny, MO. Sorry crossbow boy. She squinted down the sight. Have you ever even fired a gun? You'll never hit him from this distance. Yeah but we aren't doing the killing thing.

Not yet.

The gunshot muffled her reply.

"Ohhhhh I really love you baby! I love whatcha' GOT! Let's get together we can, get HOT!"

Jay took another strum on his air guitar, a wild grin on his face. The stereo was blasting KISS, he could barely hear his thoughts over Gene Simmons wild screams. He did a slight spin on the hardwood floor, turning towards the couch at the other side of the room. His grin widened. Continuing to strum his imaginary guitar, Jay slowly glided his way across the floor to the figure sitting on the couch, clad in only a blanket.

"Love gun! Love gun! Come'on, sing! It's literally like, two words repeated over and over again. A pretty girl like you shouldn't find it that hard."

Janet Binachi raised her eyebrow and seemed to study the wiry stoner for a second. She let out a barely audible sigh as Jay bopped back and forth in front of her, every so often strumming the front of his sweater. She crossed her arms underneath the blanket. She was mostly covered safe for her long legs, her feet touching the ground she traced circles on the floor with the tips of her toes. That was just fine with Jay. In fact, the entire situation was just fine. He was alone with a girl, a NAKED girl, and the stereo was rocking all his favorite tracks. And he hadn't even popped an boner, at least not yet anyway. That would change. Jay spun and casually flopped down on the couch next to Janet, wrapping his arm around her. He really owed Alex one. Jay's apartment was, to put it bluntly, a pitifully small, pitifully cluttered mess. Bringing a girl back there might end up killing her, and Jay's mom was never the most tactful person. The idea that Alex would agree to renting out his basement for Jay to make sweet, sweet love was crazy enough. What was crazier was that Alex had agreed to it. Jay thought at least, that he had agreed. He was pretty positive.

With a final pound of the drums, KISS faded out and a new track began to play. Joe Strummer's distinctive voice began to flow out of the speakers. Jay leaned back letting Janet rest her head against his neck.

"Daddy wasss, a bank robber!" Jay sang to himself as he casually drummed his fingers against his pant leg.

"I thought you didn't like The Clash?" Janet enquired, looking up into his eyes.

"Oh no, I don't dislike them. I'm not really a punk guy, but this- this is some good stoner music if I do say so myself, y'know? Good chill track, kinda' funny lyrics too."

"Funny? Do you think that's what they were aiming for with it?"

"Well, no. Probably not. I just kinda think it's funny. The- yeah. Idea. Of his Dad, stealing stuff, and he's just all chill, singing about it. It's just a funny song."

"It's more sad then funny…"

Jay looked down at Janet. The girl had yet to break her stare. It was starting to creep him out, not that that would matter in a few minutes. Jay wondered why exactly he was so damn attracted to the girl. Was it her personality? The way they'd met? It was probably that. One of his crazy gambits, actually pulling off for once. It was too bad they hadn't gotten to know each other more before….

Before… Something? Jay's throat was itching. He coughed, clearing it.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. Sure you'll be able to keep up with me? I don't need you wheezing and catching your breath every two minutes… at least, not in that way."

Jay tightened his grip around her, smiling like crazy. If there was a definition for a perfect day, this was it. He glided his hand over the blankets, slowly parting them…

"Woah, woah. Calm down there." Janet suddenly said, brushing his hand away. The grin died on his face, at least momentarily. Janet pouted and lightly slapped him on the side of his face. Her stern attitude melted away as a smile danced across her face. Jay found himself sighing with relief, although he couldn't be sure why. The chances of getting laid were 100 to 1. What was there to worry about?

"I've got a little surprise for you Jay. It'd be rude to start without it…"

"Oh, now you've got me going! Surprise? You should know, I'm TERRIBLE with surprises. I never know how to act. This one time, J.J, he bought me this CD, Judas Priest, and I fucking LOVED it, but I didn't know exactly, how, y'know to thank him. So, yeah, if I seem underwhelmed, know I'm not! Because really, anything from you will be awesome."

"Something tells me you'll have a suitably excited reaction Jay…"

"Oh. Well, great!"

The stereo switched tracks. The Fallen by Franz Ferdinand began blaring, much louder than the last track had been. He gave Janet a quizzical expression, gesturing towards the speaker system.

"Well, that's kinda weird. Song wasn't done yet. I was just getting into it t-"

Janet leaned in and kissed him. Jay's brain went numb. He closed his eyes… for how long, he wasn't exactly sure. Jay suddenly felt strange, as if a sudden weightlessness had taken hold of him. He heard upstairs a boy speaking. Jay felt a surge of panic, had Alex come home? It wasn't Alex though… Just as suddenly as it had come on, the feeling was gone. Jay opened his eyes to find Janet lying down on the couch, the blanket tossed haphazardly atop her. The stereo was playing Bachmann-Turner, low and soothing. Jay collapsed down on top of Janet. She removed his hat, and began to playfully stroke his hair.

"Tsk tsk, Jay Holland. What does your mom think about your hair?"

Jay liked Janet. A ton. But damn, if she didn't have the weirdest pillow talk at times. Jay brought his head up; she was still staring at him, straight in the eye. He could feel her fingers running over his scalp. It felt good.

"Lori? She doesn't care. She's kinda cool like that."

"You call her by her first name?"

"Well, she calls me Jay. Makes sense to call her by her name."

"You don't call her Mom? Nothing like that?"

"I'm not one for formalities. Speaking of which, let's have sex!"

"You're abhorrent Mr. Holland." Janet said with a giggle. "Can't you control yourself? Wait a while longer?"

"Control was never my strong point."

"Oh, that I know well enough. But I wonder, is that intentional? Your lack of control?"

"What?"

"Is it all a joke to you?"

"Well, if it's not a joke anymore, I think I'd be able to tell. Is this like, a psychiatry session? Do you do this with every guy? ‘Cus if this is a test, I might have to borrow some answers..."

"Jay…? If I were to die… What would you do?"

Jay paused. The question was… Well, what kind of sexy pillow talk question was that? Thoughts started racing through Jays' mind. He prayed to God that Janet wasn't some psycho emotionally dependant girl. Jay had seen friends get stuck in that, get dragged down by that. That wasn't him. He liked Janet, but he was prepared to backpedal. He didn't need that.

"Is that all it takes to unnerve you?" She asked, turning her head to one side. She seemed rather disappointed. Jay didn't like it.

"What? Unnerve me? I'm not unnerved. It's kinda a strange question though… considering. Yeah. Where we are… That's all."

"Where we are? It's a rather normal question, when you consider where we are. It's no reason to run away. I was just wondering."

"I'm not running away! What, you think I'm crazy? Look at you! Look at me! You think we just accidently fell like this? I'm just wondering what the hold up is."

Janet wrapped her hands around Jay's neck, tugging him closer. They kissed again. Jay tried his best to ignore his feelings… but they were growing stronger. Something was up. His thoughts went back to Janet, her… surprise. Jay had absolutely no idea what it was. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know anymore. What if it was something crazy, like a marriage proposal? No, Janet wasn't crazy. She was normal. Then why was he shaking? Why did his throat hurt?

Jay pulled away, looking down at Janet. She had a smirk on her face, playful yet at the same time... there was something else. Jay didn't know what was going on, but he had a feeling Janet did.

"Is there somethi-"

Janet pulled off the blanket. Jay gave a sigh of relief and lay back down, giving her a kiss, his hand running up and down her side. There was a knock at the door. Jay looked up. There wasn't a door in Alex's basement. Why WAS he in Alex's basement? He looked towards the stairs. There was a creak as a figure began to descend. Jay felt a strange sense of dread build up inside him. Janet was talking again, but Jay didn't look, he couldn't look at her. Something was going on, something was definitely wrong. Something he should know, something he didn't comprehend. It was bugging the crap out of him. Janet continued to speak, a voice in his ear, in the back of his mind.

"Jay? Do you do this on purpose? Do you laugh because it's funny, or because you don't know what else you can do? Are you afraid to try, afraid to succeed? Afraid of what they might think, afraid of what you may become? Are you afraid of failure? Or just plain afraid? Does it make it easier, when you avoid the big questions? Does it make the Audience love you? Does it make you worth saving?"

The figure began to make its way down the steps. Jay saw her feet first, bare and covered in dirt. She seemed to be wearing a skirt, blue with a white trim. Her shirt was bloody, her neck even more so. Maria Santiagio reached the bottom of the steps and turned to regard Jay and Janet with a condescending smirk. Jay was silent for a minute.

"Aw fuck." He managed to say.

"Do you even think you're worth saving?" Janet inquired.

"I still have her panties don't I?"

Janet's fist flew upwards, slamming into his nose. Jay flew off the couch and crashed to the floor. His head felt like it had been split open, blood streamed from his mouth. Jay curled up, looking from Janet to Maria, pain shooting through him.

"Is this an intervention then?" He coughed; his voice came out watery, blood dribbled down his chin.

"No. You don't even think you deserve that." Janet said, getting off the couch. She was still stark naked, but Jay took little comfort in the view. Maria moved in front of him to stand next to Janet. The stereo was dead.

"I have a rather low opinion of myself, don't I?" Jay said, coughing.

Maria smiled and put her arm around Janet. The girls stood in front of him smiling. Jay noticed to his horror that Maria's neck wound was still bleeding. Bright red blood coated her neck. Jay felt his throat throb, almost in sympathy.

"You don't know the half of it Jay."

Jay struggled, trying to stand. His legs felt glued to the floor. He gave up, looking up at the girls.

"So what. You've caught me! I don't think I'm worth it. I'm not smart. I'm not strong. I'm a weak, stupid stoner, a party kid who's got nothing going for him. You think St. Paul is gonna welcome me back even if I get out of here? What the fuck have I got to contribute to society? All I've got is Bayview. If I'm the last one, who do I have to entertain? What do I have to do? Nothing. Danya took everything. He took everything, gave me a pistol I don't even know how to use and an audience. And he pretty much told me, ‘Entertain them Jay! Do what you do best!' Well, I fucking choked. I'm not a killer. I can't win this game. I can't even stick with my friends. I ran from J.J, after he defended me. I can't take this seriously. Even after you died, I can't man up and take it seriously. That's the real joke. It's just easier to half ass it. So y'know. Fuck it. Maybe I should just die."

Maria stepped forward, aiming a kick to his ribs. Pain shot through Jay once more as he rolled on the floor, this time however he was aware of where it was coming from. His head. He'd hit his head, off… something.

"This isn't real!" He shouted out. Janet stepped forward and leaned down, aiming another punch towards his face. He vomited blood and lay still as the two girls stood overtop him. His guts were on fire, and sleep was a terribly welcome prospect. Janet leaned down, whispering in his ear. Her tone was harsh.

"Jay, listen to me. You're smarter than you think. We can't make you fight. But you don't deserve to die, no matter what you keep telling yourself. Your friends LIKE you Jay. I like you. You are not useless. You just need to prove it."

Jay shook his head, slowly and painfully. His throat was killing him, blood shot up through it, spilling onto the hardwood floor. Tears were in his eyes. Every word was torture.

"I... I don't want to die…"

Janet and Maria moved forward, picking the limp boy up. They moved over towards the couch, placing him down in the middle. With a delicate hand, Janet reached up and pulled Jay's head forward, shaking it. Jay blinked, long and slow. He was tired, suddenly very tired. The room was spinning, he could barely make out what was in front of him.

"If you don't want to die Jay, then kill. Kill them all. It's as simple as that." Maria crooned, softly in his ear. He grunted in response, his eyes on the floor. She was bleeding on him. He could see his hands shaking, but he couldn't tell why.

"Do… do you think, I'll change? I could change. I could take it seriously. I need to. I can do it, can't I?" Jay said, his head bobbing forward and back. Janet gave a slight chuckle, leaning in and giving him a peck on the cheek.

"No you won't you big silly... You're going to forget everything that just happened."

"Ah. Shit."

"Jay, you aren't the only one out there, entertaining the world. It doesn't need to be your obsession. It doesn't need to kill you. You don't need to kill yourself, not like this. Fight Jay, fight for me, fight for yourself."

"Can I ask a question?"

"Anything for you Jay."

"Why does my throat hurt so bad?"

----

A gunshot rang through Jay's mind and suddenly his eyes shot open. Taking a deep breath he spun about, the ground flying in and out of focus. Something was happening. His heart was beating like crazy. He flopped about on the ground, unsure of where exactly he was.

Rides. Rides… The fair.

He was at the fair, and shit was going down. He couldn't see, his head was ringing and the only reason he was still awake was a gunshot. It wasn't looking good. Scrambling about on the ground, Jay twisted about and finally saw the others. Teo and Nick. Janet. They were going to kill Janet; they were going to kill him. And someone was shooting, in the distance. Jay closed his eyes, his head still pounding. He struggled upwards.

"I… I thi.. the fuck is going on?" He managed to say, before once more drooping down to his knees.

Janet kept her eyes on Teo, her panic growing. His weapon was deadly and pointing straight at her- Death was staring her in the face, as it were. And Nick was behind her- he was more gentle and seemed less... violent about wanting to take everything that was keeping her and Jay alive.

If Janet were a religious person, she would be praying to God for deliverance. And lo! did He send an angel to save her.

A new player had entered the game, firing a shot in Teo's direction. Janet didn't wait to see if it connected, instead spinning and moving to the left in order to avoid getting shot.

Oh damn. Another variable- Jay was awakening. Without much gentleness, Janet pushed him back down and snapped, "Stay down!"

Her eyes focused on Nick, and her hockey stick came up into a prepared position for a strike, but she didn't strike yet.

"I don't want to hurt you, Nick. Move."

_____________

An eerie fluorescent glow radiated from the Wainwrights' ancient computer, harshly bouncing off Gracie's face before disappearing into the absolute darkness of her family room. Her heavily lidded eyes, in all their sultry intensity, remained fixated on the computer screen. The impersonal ‘Your partner is typing…' scrolled past the bottom of the window, almost tauntingly so. The anticipation always got to her, never failing to be far worse than the experience itself. She wasn't good at waiting, never was. Her hand found the end of her thick ponytail and feverishly began twisting it around her index finger; she needed something to do with her hands. Anything was better than letting them hover awkwardly over the dated keyboard. Just as the pins and needles of anxiety began nagging the pit of her stomach, a lively ‘bloop bloop' emanated from her speakers, almost drowned out by Dave Matthews' warm voice. He was always one of her dad's favorites and, by extension, one of hers. Her dad used to drive her around the block at night when she was real little and play Dave—it never failed to put her to sleep. She wished she could go back to those days, before the little kids were born and things were simpler. Everyone had to grow up, though.

SilentInferno: you look better with your hair down

Gracie released her hair and used the free hand to offer a shy wave and a quick smile to the plastic orb latched on top of her monitor. Heeding her voyeur's words, Gracie quickly undid her hair and gave it a quick shake and ruffle, letting the waves hang messily on her shoulders. She quickly gave a side to side, presenting the loose waves to him in a manner that'd make Vanna White green with envy.

fashionfloozy10: u think so?
SilentInferno: yeah you look really pretty either way tho ;]

Gracie bit her bottom lip in an attempt to subdue the smile making its way across her face. Her long fingers danced over the keyboard and her eyes surveyed the weathered keys, as if hoping for them to jump up and tell her what to say next. Her leg tapped nervously, half in rhythm with her quote-on-quote mood music.

fashionfloozy10: what…

Her stomach did somersaults.

fashionfloozy10: …do u like most about me?

Gracie could do coy. Gracie was the very definition of coy, but for whatever reason she felt like she needed to hear what he'd say. Like he was freakin' Jesus himself and she was standing at the Pearly Gates, waiting with bated breath to see if he'd accept her into Heaven. She knew. Past the nagging hope that perhaps Mr. SilentInferno would break down and admit deeper feelings, she knew what the probability of that was. And when his response came—

SilentInferno: you've got a really nice ass ;P

—her smile didn't falter, not in the least. If anything, as twisted as it was, her smile spread wider. You'd have thought she was just awarded a Nobel Prize, but in the hazy euphoria of acceptance, Gracie didn't care. Baby steps. Baby steps and maybe someone would realize she wasn't such a bad person.

fashionfloozy10: thx (:
fashionfloozy10: just 1 last thing ok?
SilentInferno: yeah?
fashionfloozy10: tell me u like me?
SilentInferno: i do. i like you a LOT

Dave Matthews swallowed the silent joy radiating from her, his melodic voice seemingly trying to drown out the nagging guilt as Gracie Wainwright pulled her top over her head.

She wasn't a bad person.
_____________

[[Gracie Wainwright continued from Twists and Turns]

They were nice boys, Teo and Nick, so super nice and more than gracious, too. It was hard to find gentlemen, even in the real world, so finding not only one, but two on Mystery Freaking Island was a pretty big feat. Friggin' douchers. Oh yeah, go ahead, go on don't worry about her. Just forget all about, y'know, social freakin' etiquette and leave her alone, squatting in some God forsaken Blair-Witch-Reject forest trying to retain some form of goddamn normalcy, OH WAIT—there wasn't normalcy anymore, silly girl. Gunshots were like crickets on murder-island, naggy, spine-chilling crickets who just never stopped. Ever. Oh, and every time you tinkled? Watched by millions. Not hundreds, millions. Millions of freaking nasty basement dwellers popping wood when she pissed.

But somehow, this was normal. This was her life now and she knew she'd only survive if she accepted that. Accept it, roll with it, get the hell off.

Because, shit, it's not as if she could rely on friggin' Teo and Nick to keep her going, not when they're all too content to leave her alone in the jungle, 'Bear Food' slapped in bigass letters across her back. She'd give those furry douchebags a run for their money though, believe it. Hunger was beginning to get the best of her, headaches and the gnawing hunger pains becoming commonplace—irritatingly hard to ignore. The things she would've given up for a nice, juicy Big Mac. And fries. Anything, please. Just food. Fatty, thunder-thigh inducing food.

And a shower, oh God a shower. She was beginning to feel like a gutter-troll, like she'd just crawled out of the sewer and integrated herself into society. At least she could tell people she found out Clio's secrets, though. How does she manage to look so whorey and unkempt and frankly completely revolting, you might ask? Well, dear inquirer, Clio's beauty secret is, oh-so-surprisingly, foregoing showers for days on end, letting the grime, plaque, stubble and nasty creepy crawlies sit linger on her for an extended period of time. Honestly, Gracie was more than surprised a dung beetle hadn't tried to roll her up and take her home with him.

Gracie rubbed her temples, almost forcefully trying to squeeze the overbearing headache out as she loitered at the Fun Faire gates, the same gates she had been so happy to see a few days prior. It wasn't surprisingly that Teo would lead her back there, honestly. It was like he wanted to invoke the most excruciating of pain on her, like honestly. He insisted that she slept, probably so he and Nick could have some raunchy island sex or something—but she wasn't an idiot, come on now. She ‘slept', sure. Had her eyes closed, at any rate. He was trying to assert dominance or some shit, trying to establish a pecking order of trust, who knew. Doctor Phil she was not.

And now here she was—hungry, tired, cranky, and frankly terrified. Part of her wanted to count her losses and just run, run until she was far away from Teo and Nick and that damn Fun Faire and whatever horrors it wanted to unleash in its sequel. Like, Jesus. Her face still hurt, a viable warning not to trust a friggin' soul. She had no allies, not one. Gracie had Gracie and only Gracie. And Gracie did the only thing Gracie knew how to do, make enemies. Crappy talent, yeah?

Just watch, in her next life she'll give Oprah a run for her money. She'll be better in that life, learn from the mistakes of Present Gracie. It'll be okay, don't worry.

Don't die with regrets, right?

Gracie let her gaze hover on the sign, just for one more second. Another second of preparation, another second that she would've used to face some demons, another second she could've used to get some mental vengeance against Kyle and rid her life of him forever, but unfortunately his impact remained strongly intact as a very loud and very close gunshot rang out. Gracie's heart instantly began palpitating, beating harshly against her throat as a cold sweat engulfed her body. It was close, closer than she'd ever heard before—surprisingly fake sounding, actually, like a fire cracker. If she had her way, she would've been on her knees crawling into the brush and away from the gunshot. Far, FAR away from the gunshot, which had left her ears ringing in its wake.

But life doesn't always go perfectly and the cosmos don't always align correctly or whatever bullshit, so instead, Gracie found herself running toward both her boys and the gun shot.

Her boys.

They hadn't betrayed her yet, despite the ample opportunities. She owed them some back up, at least. Right?

"Hey!" She yelled, her voice cracking slightly out of fear as she bounded toward Teo and Nick and… company? People she couldn't make out, not yet. The shooter and company, possibly? It didn't matter, they put her boys in danger.

Her boys.

Her friends?

Loyalty was a virtue in SOTF and for quite possibly the first time in her life, Gracie Wainwright was virtuous. Funny that.

CRACK!

The splintering of wood sheered over Teo's face as the bullet smashed in to the tree mere inches to the left of him.

"Fucking Hell!"

Teo ducked instinctively even though it was far too late to avoid any accurate shooter and spun on the spot trying to locate his assailant. His eyes darted from one side of the fairground to the other searching.

There.

A flash of movement, two eyes in between a candy stand and a wall. Teo's crossbow went up. He felt the firm pressure of the crossbow push on his shoulder. Braced. Sighted. 40 feet. Fire. He pulled the trigger and the bolt spun towards his target. Teo didn't take the time to check if he hit, spinning away, his back pushed up on the tree he had taken cover behind, yanking a bolt from the quick grip on the side of the compound.

Janet.

Teo looked up. She had already sprung in to action, moving to Jay's side, the boy only just regaining consciousness. He needed to keep his distance. Nick was moving too, everything had spun in to action.

"Nick, deal with Janet, I'll cover you!"

Teo had reloaded and again the bow went up to his shoulder. Nodding to Nick he pushed out to the left, moving to flank whoever was firing off at them. He moved with purpose, not slowly but each step was premeditated.

Another movement. He could make his assailant out now, a girl. He lined her up. A voice pierced the air.

"Hey!"

Gracie. Teo turned. "Gracie! Stay down!" He turned back. The girl was gone. "Shit" He crouched down behind the stall and scanned the area, his muscles tense. Waiting for the shot.

A shot rang out and the sound of impact indicated they had been aiming for Teo. Nick crouched and saw Teo whirl around and fire back. At the same time Janet had her hockey stick at the ready, telling him to move. Another voice, Gracie shouting at them and Teo telling her to stay down. Teo was going for the shooter. His eye caught the blood covering the end of the hockey stick.

She's made the choice already. Go.

"Sorry."

He said it and he meant it. Not entirely just a "sorry" though. It tailed off as if to say "Sorry, but…." He put one foot forward hefted his weapon back and then swung at the girl's torso.

Her eyes widened as crossbow boy whirled around and loosed a bolt in her direction. I wasn't expecting that. Maybe it's a warning shot? What the fuck no, crossbows don't make BANGS do they? Carla threw herself into the dirt. I mean he must be trying to kill you she crawled behind the stall again. Her hands were shaking. This is real. Of course its real have you just noticed? Christ I can't work in these conditions. Carla's rationality began packing bags and considering a vacation. She chanced a look around the corner of the stall.

There was a girl running over. Gracie. She's with them. Eesh that running can't be good for her she could have a heart attack. Crossbow boy took his eyes off her. Carla grabbed her pack and ran pell-mell to another stand. She tossed her bag behind it and did an ungraceful dive/fall into cover. Nice. Shut it. She took a deep breath. Leant out. Saw crossbow. Her finger tightened on the trigger. Do it. No, I can't. We went to school together. She had him dead in her sights. He doesn't care about that. He'd kill you in a flash. He's already tried. I shot him first. Shot at him anyway. To protect them, that's all. Not to kill anyone. She lowered the gun. Retreated behind the stall again.

Her mouth opened without conscious thought driving it to do so.

‘What are you doing?' She cried. ‘We can't just do this. It's what they want. What have they done to you?'

Jay stumbled and hit the ground hard as Janet jumped in front of him, her hockey stick up, ready to act. It was all happening too fast, the shapes were blurring together and frankly, Jay Holland was quickly becoming scared shitless.

"Wait! Wait wait, what the hell!?" He cried out, desperate to make himself heard over the sudden outbreak of chaos. Teo was running, somewhere, he didn't know. There was another girl, and there was a gun. Somewhere, closeby, there was a gun and Jay was in a TON of trouble. But perhaps more importantly, standing but a few feet in front of him was Nick LeMonde, brandishing a very, very badass ax.

Or it would be, if it weren't, I don't know FUCKING HERE.

Jay scrambled on the ground, feeling at his pockets, his panic rising. His gun was gone. He had had it... earlier. Before he fell How did that happen in the first fucking place!? but now it was gone. Jay groped about in a blind panic, frantically ripping open his bag. It was gone, nowhere to be found.

Did he take it? Does Nick have it!? What did I tell him!? Is it still empty?

"Janet, the gun- shit, where did it go- I got the clip-"

The rest of it died in his throat. Nick leaned back and with one lighting fast throw, the ax was sailing towards Janet and Jay. It might have been cliché, but it was true. Time slowed down. Jay could feel his heartbeat, see Nick mouthing something as the ax left his hand. Jay didn't know what he was doing; he didn't even realize his feet were moving.

Jay you stupid fuck, you can't leave well enough alone!

With everything he had, Jay flung himself towards Janet's legs, praying he was faster than a flying ax.

Time slowed down. Janet knew why- adrenaline pumping into her brain, messing with her perception of nature. She dropped her weight and readied herself to fall back. Jay was yelling something behind her- her brain caught one important word- clip. Good, that would-

Something hit the back of her knees. Time snapped back to full speed as she collapsed in an undignified heap on top of Jay. She snarled slightly, noting- with some satisfaction- that Nick's swing had passed straight overhead. She wasted no time as she pressed back into Jay and jabbed the butt of her stick toward Nick's knee. She slipped the gun out of her bra with her free hand and put it in Jay's hand. "Focus on Teo, keep him pressured. His weapon is more dangerous," she snapped, popping up onto her feet and lunging, shoulder first, her full weight into Nick's stomach.

Teo took the momentary lull in action to glance over to Nick, Janet and Jay. Nick had closed the distance pretty fast and it was only Jay's quick thinking that saved the girl from having a rather unpleasant meeting with Nick's blade. The three scrambled for a second and Teo could of sworn something exchanged hands before Janet lunged at Nick.

What an idiot

Teo thought to himself. Janet was pretty athletic for a girl but taking on 220 pounds of male wrestler was never going to end well for her. Nick pretty much had it in the bag.

The bolt slid in to place and Teo risked another glance around. Gracie was still standing stock still right in the middle of the open. He repressed an urge to grab her and pull her to safety, reminding himself that that this was not a game, that any stupid move would get him killed. Plus, he didn't really know Gracie all that well.

Peeking round the other side he heard Carla yell out to him. Teo grinned.

Gotcha bitch

Raising the crossbow again he advanced on her position.

"Fuck you bitch, you fired first, chuck your gun away and maybe we can talk about this."

Side stepping a pile of refuse Teo moved quickly to Carla's position. He wasn't sure who it was yet or exactly how big or dangerous they were. He knew now that they were a girl though, which gave him the advantage, although her gun more than made up for it. Teo pressed his body against the opposite side of the stand which Carla was hiding on and called out once more.

"Look, just drop your gun, we can figure this out. I don't want to have to kill you, but from the way we're going I can't take the risk that you might shoot me."

(Sorry about the wait, I'm back now)

Carla jumped when she heard crossbow's voice so close to her. After she heard what he said she giggled. ‘How about you put down your not gun? Not gonna do it are you so what makes you think I'll put mine down? Where did this come from? Shut up, I'm on a roll. She got up and faced the stand. Her gun was raised. ‘And don't say you'll be forced to kill me' She snapped ‘because if I see you move from behind that stand I'll know you're coming for me and I'll shoot. From this distance even if I was trying to give you another warning shot I think you'd still get it.'

Carla swallowed and tried not to hyperventilate. Her lips were dry. ‘I did what I wanted; you and your buddy didn't get what you want. If you had any brains at all you'd take your whore and just FUCK OFF before it's too late.' She risked a look over her shoulder. No one there. No one to worry about. Just this joker to worry about. Then we can get away and never ever come back here.

Ok. Just let me do this one thing before we go.

NO WAI-

‘And don't think you'll be able to pull this again because I'm going to tell everyone just what your game is.'

Are you just trying to make this guy kill you?

Shut up.