Castouts (Accepting new characters)

[Legendless]

"What do we talk about?"


Chris had kept silent through Kyle yelling at her and the others. It wasn't like she wanted that to happen. She hadn't planned on going with them in the first place. Max had assumed she had wanted to and had taken her mostly against her will. But Kyle wouldn't understand that. He seemed to just want to yell and scream. She didn't understand his anger though. Sure she liked Steven well enough when he wasn't threatening innocent people, but she didn't worship him like Kyle seemed to. Was it because of how he acted before? Maybe Chris didn't get it because she tended to push people away.


Chris took a deep breath. It seemed she wasn't going to get out of this, but she wasn't sure how well that would go. She was not good at talking about things, at facing her problems. But she guessed she was being forced to try.


----


Jillian nodded and thought about what to say.


"My mom wanted a girl. She was the first person to dress me so the girl clothes have been apart of my wardrore for a long time. My father was iffy, but he was okay with it when I was a child. They disagreed more and more as I got older, but by then I had come to love the way the clothes felt. The way I looked. It wasn't because it was how I was raised. I came to love looking like a girl all on my own.


"But my father would not listen. He blamed my mother. Said she was the root of my trans issues, my homosexuality. I said that they were apart of me. It was just the way I was, although I do admit my mother did open the door to it all. I never had another sibling. Just me.


"It was not easy being a cross-dresser as I aged. People became less understanding, less okay with it. I lost friends, I was bullied all the time." Jillian looked at Julian. "I ran away from home because of my parents fighting about it. I was also going through counselling before I left. I never did finish the sessions."


Jillian blushed a little. "I guess I'm something of a weirdo."


----


Liselle let out a shriek at the sound of shooting and looked around wildly. When she was sure it was not nearby, she calmed herself down. Ignoring Raekel's comments, she looked at Hailey.


"I think he headed in the opposite direction of us."

 

[xJobozx]

(Oh mi gosh! Just realised that, because of the way I did their histories, that Natalia and Terabithia COULD be cousins, if I wanted them to be xD 'Cause Terabithia's mum ran away and cut off all contact with her family before she had Abi)


Xander, as instructed by Katarina, pulls over into the empty parking lot. When he stops the car, turns the engine off, then Kyle has kicked his chair again - which extremely annoys Xander, and he is told by Kyle that he doesn't like him anymore, then KISSING. Kat kissing Steven is mentioned. Kissing STEVEN, the idiot who beat up an innocent guy and had the nerve to kill people, get him involved with Calico and then KISS his sister.


This was too much. Way too much. Xander knew what Kat was saying was true, he needed to control his temper, that they were all wrong. He catches that though, about not having a power of her own, and not for the first time, he wonders if Kat herself ever gets jealous. To be fair though, Chris's power wasn't offensive like Kyle and Xander's could be. Xander knew if it ever got too much the boys would be able to seriously harm each other just using their powers. F*ck, Kyle's power killed their baby sister.


"I would never hurt you on purpose Kyle, you should know that." He speaks with a resigned tone, a small sigh of exhaustion, and then turns his body so that he can look at all three of his siblings. All of them looking like they'd just survived world war three. Heck, by his standard they had. He knew he still had a black eye and god knows what else wrong with his appearance too, so at least he fit in with the look. He knew what he was about to say was harsh, but maybe that's what Kyle needed.


"I'm sorry Kyle, if I don't act like a man, or if you hate me, or if I'm the worst big brother ever. But I never had anyone to teach me how to be a real man, the only man I could have ever looked up to ruined that by beating up little girls like the coward he is." He is of course talking about their dad, about how he still remembers the first time he hit Katarina, and how little she was. He looked down and shook his head, remembering how scared and furious he was when their dad first hit Katarina, Chris and Kyle must have been too little to remember, since they were still only babies, he had yelled at his dad, only a little boy himself then, and got a punch of his own.


"We've been through a lot guys." He spoke, still looking down, his words soft, as if the fight had been knocked out of him, "We gotta stop doing this to each other." He looked up then, "And that goes for me too." He looks to Kat, "I'm sorry Kat, for the other day, I didn't realise it would upset you so much, and I didn't think." Yeah, he hadn't missed Kat's subtle hint at that either.


He looked to Kyle, "Sorry for snapping at you Kyle, and I'm sorry that I'm jealous of your new big brother Steven and the fact that he can obviously do a better job of taking care of you than I can." He knew that was a bit bitter, but it was how he felt. He fell silent then, looking down. Their turn.


-------------------------------


Lei simply follows Rikarah, taking in all she says. There are more here? The Terabithia girl she expected, and wanted to speak with, since she also had met her dad Calico, but Natalia, Shira and Castiel she was not expecting of, and knows to be even more cautious now. If she can see their pasts she will know what she is dealing with. But to do that she'd have to grab their skin, and there's only so many ways you can do that without seeming suspicious.


Then she can see Castiel, the boy, and Rikarah introduces Lei to the others. She can also see a girl with brown hair, whom she does not know if they are Shira or Natalia yet, but the girl is eyeing her suspiciously, and Lei takes note of that too. And the girl Terabithia is in the arms of the boy, clearly distressed as she sobs. Lei wonders what has set her off, until she explains it to Rikarah. Nothing much is of interest there to Lei, apart from the mention of Natalia - who is indeed the brown-haired girl - having powers.


-------------------------------


Natalia watched silently as Cas spoke to Terabithia, she missed the name that left his lips, but heard the rest. Oh sh*t. Natalia was in trouble. Shira wasn't with them. She had no idea where the girl was. Then Rikarah emerged, with a little asian girl at her side, who she introduced as Lei and spoke of her staying with them, and Natalia narrowed her eyes at the little girl, something about her was a bit off. She kept back, eyes flickering between the four infront of her silently. She finally spoke lightly, "Shira's not with us. Me and Terabithia got thrown in the car by this guy I met earlier and he drove off before I could even figure out where Shira was." The girl should be fine. After what Natalia saw of her powers, she could take care of herself.


Terabithia nodded at Castiel's words, still sobbing lightly, she heard him say Lucy, but didn't think anything of it. Then Rikarah appeared, with another little girl who looked the same age as Terabithia, maybe a little bit younger, and then Terabithia had managed to untangle herself from Cas and cling to Rikarah instead, her sobbing picking back up. Natalia couldn't help comparing the crying child to pass the parcel. "Rika! It was really scary! Worse than the people at the zoo!" She then re-tells the story she told to Cas but to Rikarah this time, and she doesn't fail to mention - as Natalia notes - that Natalia did indeed shoot a ball of electricity at one of the bad men who had a gun. Natalia rolls her eyes, "Abi, could we keep from telling everyone about that?" Terabithia looks back with big blue, teary eyes, "How did you do that Blue?"


Natalia shrugs, holds up her hand and instantly a blue ball grows in the palm of her hand, sparking wildly, "This?" Terabithia nods, still sniffling but momentarily distracted. Natalia clenches her hand into a fist and the ball sparks out, a few blue strands hitting the ground and vanishing, "Met someone who could do it." "And they taught you?" Natalia nods, "Pretty much. Sorta. Well, I just copied them."


"So you're an empathic mimicry user?" Lei's complex words and adult tone caused both Natalia and Terabithia to look at her with a frown, "A what?" Natalia spoke, eyes wide, Lei didn't even bat an eyelid as she spoke to the older, "It means you can copy the abilities of other people around you without taking them away from the other." Terabithia frowned, speaking in a watery voice, throat choked up from the tears, "How'd you know that?" Lei shrugged, "I just do." Natalia looked to Rikarah with a raised eyebrow, "Where'd you find the child genius and why is she here?"

 

[Faith Eliza Cord]

"We talk about....everything," Katarina says in reply to Chris's question, exhaling again as she turns to face her younger siblings, able to see Xander too in profile. "And most of us probably need to apologize. Because we're all screwing up, and..."


She takes another deep breath, then continues, laying out what's going through her mind. "We're doing to each other what Dad used to do...and Mom. It's almost the same thing..they yelled, they called names, they did all of this too...Kyle, you're even hitting, and Xander, you're not keeping control of your powers. We're hurting each other, and we have to stop. Because...we'll end up like them. Or worse. We're supposed to have each other's backs, we're supposed to protect each other, not...whatever this is. We're all we have...we can't do this."


She looks to Xander as he apologizes, accepting it with a slight nod, and takes another breath, attempting her own apology. Still, she doesn't meet anyone's eyes.


"I'm sorry, Chris, for taking you to the club and getting you hurt...I'm sorry you're mad about Steven, Xander, and...stuff I've done before. Making money. Just...I still don't think it's really your business...I mean, it's not like I want it, but...you do what you have to, and having money is more important."


She hesitates, then adds softly, closing her fingers around her wrist, "And I'm sorry if you're upset that I...do things to myself. You know. I...I told Chris I'd try not to. But it's not easy...you don't understand."


**


Rikarah looks at Natalia inquisitively as she tells them that Shira was not there. Was the girl injured? What was this about Shira having...water? Another with powers, she had already suspected that much...and there was the odd blankness of Shira's thoughts...


"Someone kidnapped you?" she asked Natalia with some confusion, just before Terabithia hurtled herself into her arms. Rikarah lifted her, rubbing the child's back soothingly as the girl sobbed out her tale.


"Shh, Terabithia, you are all right. If you take deep breaths you will feel better," she tells her softly, even as she considers her story. Natalia shooting electricity..men attacking in the park. Rikarah does not need to ask for a subscription to suspect the hand of Lei's beloved father in the mix.


She had been thinking along the same lines as Lei when the child spoke up, and she too regarded her, with more interest than shock at her word choice. Looking up at Natalia, still holding Terabithia, she replied, "She has no home. She is a child. Surely she cannot stay alone. I thought she and Terabithia may get along well."


No need to mention her own little mission with Calico, of course.


**


Julian listens intently to Jillian's words, his expression open and vulnerable in a manner her was unconscious of. He can relate to him all too well. To be bullied and outcasted for being so very different, so very strange from others...Julian knew this well. But unlike Jillian, Julian had deserved it.


He shakes his head slowly as Jillian pronounces himself a weirdo, denying it. "N-no, I'm...I don't think you are...."


He takes a deep breath, then expands slowly. "I'm...my p-parents kicked me out. When they...found out...about me. What I am...they said...they said I'm a s-sinner. They...they're religious...they s-said I can make my own way if I t-turn from God like this."

 

[amdreams]

Cas nearly had a heart attack when Natalia told him that Shira wasn't there with them. They left her behind . . . in the middle of a shooting area. And not only did they leave behind Shira, they left behind Lucy. How could they? Shira was the main reason they were allowed to stay here. Okay, maybe Abi was just as big a reason but Cas never would've let them stay if Shira wasn't lonely. He clenched his fists after Abi left him and ran to Rikarah. He stood back up slowly and slammed his fist into the wood wall. There was the sound of cracking as a small dent formed. Now Cas wasn't that strong, being a princess as Shira put it, Cas didn't have much when it came to brute strength or speed. He did have some self defense training from his father but technique can only take you so far. But the walls were old and the wood was damaged, so it was fairly easy for the "frail" Cas to damage it.


As his hand fell, his bleeding knuckles were clearly visible. He glared at Natalia. "You left her behind? You left my little sister behind as you and Abi escaped? And I don't want to hear anything about you guys already driving off before you noticed. You could've said something! You could have . . . You could have . . . " Though trying his best to stay calm for Abi and Lei's sake, Cas was letting the blood rush to his head as he thought of the face Lucy had made when she fell to her knees two years ago. Her eyes wide and her face paler than death. She laughed and laughed as tears continuously fell down her face. Her eyes begging him . . . begging him to kill her just as she had done to the other children. The picture of her still fresh in his mind, he started yelling at Natalia. "Do you have any idea how unstable she is now?! I never should've let you guys stay! Before you came, she never even left this building! She just waited for me while I finished my job!"


At this point, he started crying. Damn. He had always been overly sensitive, even as Adrian. He even cried during Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. But now he might've had a legitimate reason for feeling sad. He had failed. Lucy had protected him and now he couldn't return the favor. He quickly wiped the tears from his face. "Forget it. I'll find her myself!"


He then ran outside and began frantically running up and down the dark streets. Where could Shira have gone? Was she even Shira now? If she was Lucy, the crazy girl could be anywhere right now. If she was Shira, she couldn't have gone anywhere without someone's lead. It was an unintentional side effect of Cas' hypnosis. She was lacking most of her free will. She'd never be able to make a decision without someone there to influence her. She could be with this Max guy but Cas knew nothing about him. He could be some pedophile for all the Asian boy knew.


Not thinking completely straight, Cas began running across a street but froze in his tracks as a light caught his eye. A car was coming right at him, but Cas just stood there like a deer in the headlights. The car tried to swerve to miss the boy but the front right corner still managed to slam into Cas' left hip and leg. The impact caused him to fly only about four feet from his original position. He hit his head on the concrete and passed out. His leg was bleeding but he didn't seem to exhibit any other injuries. Fortunately the car was onle going at about 20-25 miles an hour. That plus the fact that Cas didn't receive the full impact of the car, allowed him to sustain minimum damage compared to what could've happened to him. Still, if the bleeding wasn't stopped before long, it could get serious.


(Still iffy on whether I should've done that . . . Poor Cas is going to have the pimp limp now. ANyway, if this is a no go, I can change it.)

 

[Macal Cord]

*Steven takes some comfort in knowing he distracted everyone enough that Max and that creepy little girl could get away, he stops behind a tree to catch his breath, looking down at the gun in his hand he slips out the clip and sees only two bullets left, he quickly scans the area for avenues of escape, there in the distance he sees a sewer lid. in the distance he can hear the gangbangers closing in on him, random gun fire and cussing getting closer. He has no choice but to make a desperate dash for the sewer lid. He breaks his cover and runs as fast as he can for the lid but everyone sees him and they open fire on him, his powers kick in as he kneels down and bullets start striking his back, they'd shred a normal person to pieces. He tries to lift the lid but there is a lock on it to keep people from doing just what he's trying to do, he has no choice but to try to shot the lock to break it, sadly it takes both of his last bullets and he's quickly getting surrounded now even taking bullets from the front and the sides as he yanks the lid up and sends it flying at a group in front of him. Right as he's about to drop down into the sewer something happens, he feels dizzy and weak suddenly a bullet rips through his side and two through his shoulder, he drops down hitting the floor of the sewer hard, it knocks the breath out of him but he doesn't have time to waste, quickly making it to his feet and starts running. The sewers of New York are mazes with enough of a headstart he easily loses anyone that would try to follow him. Once alone he takes a moment to check his wounds the one on his side went straight through but he can feel two others in his shoulder.


He continues to walk until he reaches an exit he has no choice but to take, once back on the streets he staggers down the street until he comes across a closed store, he walks around the back and breaks in. He's in and out only in there long enough to get something to take care of his wounds, which he takes care of a few blocks away in another alley. Usually after things have calm down Steven has to pay the price for his power but this time he didn't and this worries him.*


*Kyle sits there quietly, he knows he was wrong for yelling especially at Chris who he turns to.* Chris I'm sorry for yelling at you I was a Butthead. *He smiles at her but being a bratty kid he doesn't leave it at that* But Xander is a bigger one and if he did try using his powers on me I'll kick his ass!

 

[Faith Eliza Cord]

"Kyle, give it a REST, we said no name calling like a thousand times already," Katarina says through gritted teeth, tightening her fingers around her wrist. "We're all buttheads, okay, so whatever. Just stop...I really, really don't want to hear it anymore."


She realizes what she's doing and deliberately lets go, her eyes shifting to Chris. It is her bet that her sister will have little to say to any of them, as usual, and she now directs her words to her.


"Chris...I'm sorry if you think that I think you don't want to be part of us or whatever...but...I don't know, sometimes it seems like you don't. I know...you've been through a lot. Everyone has...but you can't always shut us out. None of us can do that...we won't be able to survive together if we do."


**


Rikarah had known Castiel would be angry, but she had not expected such a harmless looking boy to actually damage the walk, weakened wood or not. She listens to his tongue-lashing, still gripping Terabithia and soothing her quietly, and does not add to the discussion, if one could call it that. She merely listens in silence, soaking up all new information and emotions in her usual manner.


When Castiel flees, he is very upset, and Rikarah can plainly see that he should not be looking for Shira alone. He will run straight into the gangsters and get himself killed, or even Shira herself may harm him if she is not herself. It is becoming darker outside, or soon will be, and a boy like Castiel would not be safe alone.


"Someone should look for Castiel," she says neutrally, shifting Terabithia. "He is too upset to go alone."

 

[Macal Cord]

You left Steven too Kat, I bet he's gonna be mad and leave cause we left him and stole his car. I bet Xander will love that, cause he'll get what he wants and I'll lose the only person that wasn't afraid of me and my powers, someone that was going to teach me to control them, none of you ever tried, you all are afraid of me and probably hate me but guess what if Steven leaves I'm going with him, I'll be his sidekick and we'll go out and beat up bad guys. We'll go find people that won't sell us out when we try to help them! I thought you liked him Kat but you don't care that he got left behind at all! Just because he's a soldier doesn't mean he didn't need help!

 

[Faith Eliza Cord]

You left Steven too...if Steven leaves...people that won't sell us out. You don't care he got left behind...you're all afraid of me, you all hate me...


Kyle's indignant words hit Katarina hard, rattling her so badly she feels her breath whoosh out and not immediately return. What he is saying has some truth to it in some areas, and in others, though not really truthful, reflects her own self-accusations, and this makes it all the worse for her to hear.


She HAD left Steven behind without much of a fight. She HAD left him back in a danger zone, let Xander take off in his car, and not fought to return for him. Did that mean she didn't care, that she had sold him out?


She WAS afraid of Kyle, and what he could do...and sometimes she did feel almost like she hated him. But she hated herself more, much more than she ever could Kyle...


Still. Did Steven hate her now? Would he really leave her? Would he really see her for what she was now...would she be alone?


In the moment she does hate Kyle for pointing out this to her, her fears of herself, her faults, and she feels such sudden sharp pain that she reacts instinctively, her hand rearing back to slap him hard across the face. Her hand is descending before she abruptly stops herself, her palm inches from touching him. Realizing then what she had been about to do, she is horrified.


She had almost hit Kyle. She had just been telling them all about how they couldn't do this, couldn't fight and hurt each other...and she had almost hit her little brother. Some example she was...some sister she was, some girlfriend. He was right, who would want her? Look at her, look how she was!


One sob escapes her, and she immediately lowers her hand, then with shaking hands fumbles for the door handle. Getting out of the car without a word, she starts to walk away, head lowered, hands cupping her elbows.


She had almost hit him...just like her father. Just like her mother...

 

[Macal Cord]

*Kyle saw it in her eyes the same anger their parents had when they hit them, sure Kat stopped herself but so did their parents the first couple of times, he doesn't plan on hanging around to see if she or Xander carry through with their threats. When the door opens and as soon as he sees an opening he jumps over the seat and dashes out of the car.* I'm going to go get Steven's bag and then I'm gonna go back to the park and help him! *Kyle runs pass Kat not caring what she's going through because she was gonna hit him, as far as he's concern nobody cares about him but Steven, the only person that treated him like he wasn't the source of all the world's problems, the only person his powers couldn't hurt he had to find him. But first he had to go get Steven's guns so he can help him fight. Kyle gets a few yards up the street when he's cut off by an old lime green Cutlass before he can react, a hand reaches out and grabs him pulling him into the car, kicking and screaming but he stops when he feels a knife to his throat.*


Gangbanger: I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR YOU TO PASS ON. IF YOU EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR LITTLE BROTHER ALIVE AGAIN TELL STEVEN ARRON TO MEET CALICO AT THE ZOO BY THE TIGER PENS! IF HE DON'T SHOW WE'LL SEND THIS ONE BACK IN PIECES! *They peel out their tires kicking up thick black smoke as they speed away.*

 

[amdreams]

(Just a reminder of where Max and Shira are.)


Max began rubbing his arms. Even through his jacket, he could still feel the cold of the October air chilling him to the bone. He brought his scarf to cover his face. His eyes widened a bit as he looked over at Shira. The girl wasn't shivering or showing any signs of being cold. And she was wearing shorts. Short! He was here freezing his ass off and she was standing comfortably as can be.


"Aren't you cold?"


She didn't bother looking back at him, just kept staring forward. "No. I don't get cold."


Max's face turned red. He wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the embarrassment of being one upped by a 14 year old girl. That power of hers must come in handy in the winter. To never feel cold. He felt his pride as a man begin to dwindle and so took off his jacket and put it around the girl's shoulders. Shira, a bit surprised, looked up at him.


"But I'm not cold."


"Just shut up and take it." He continued to rub his arms and cuss under his breath about how cold it was.


Shira let out a stifled giggle. She kept the jacket on though. "You're weird."

 

[Legendless]

Chris wished she could met her sister's eyes, but even if she did manage to turn and face the right direction it wouldn't be the same. She was both happy and sad because of this. Chris knew it was her turn.


"I'm sorry I keep running. Physically and emotionally. It was always the easier way for me, but it was wrong of me to do so. I shouldn't abandoned you guys like that." She felt a little better about it all, but then things went bad. She could feel the tension in the air as Kyle went on again about Steven. If Chris had to hear another thing about that man from her little brother she might scream. Why was he doing this, saying that? They were suppose to be a family, but all they were doing was egging the others on.


She waited until Kat and Kyle had both left. She then took a deep breath, before muttering "Sorry." She herself left the car as well. If her siblings were going to run off then she felt like she could too. After all it's what she did best.


Chris didn't run this time and she used her powers to make sure she didn't end up in traffic. It was slow moving, but safer than the blind running she had down earlier. This day was getting to be a pain. Then she felt it. The familiar shapes of Max. It was odd how she could recognize it. Maybe her powers were growing. She headed in the direction, wanting to apologize.


"M-max." She swallowed, not sure if he even wanted to see her after what happened. "I'm sorry," she blurted out.


----


Jillian looked at the boy and nodded.


"That sucks. Parents should accept their children. It must of been hard for you. I'm sorry." Jillian reached over and place a hand on Julian's shoulder in a reassuring manner. "But you're not a sinner. Not for that reason." Jillian then shrugged. "Not that I'm really religious myself."


They walked in silence for a moment. "Did you have siblings?"

 

[Faith Eliza Cord]

Julian's face warmed as Jillian put his hand on his shoulder, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling. He shouldn't allow it, he knew, but he could not bring himself to pull away. He was intensely aware of the other boy's touch as he walked with him, trying to form words.


"I-I'm not really either...anymore. R-religious. But...it s-still seems...like I am. A s-sinner."


He is relieved when the topic of conversation shifts to siblings and nods quickly. "Two little b-brothers. But I'm n-not part of the family anymore, so..."


He clears his throat, then in a burst of boldness, says, "What...what does it feel like...to be like a girl?"


**


Katarina flinches when Kyle bolts past her, and hugs herself more tightly, another sob rising in her throat. He would forget everything she had been trying to do for them to be at peace with each other now, he would only remember that she had almost hit him...and wasn't that what counted, not a bunch of words? Sure, Kyle had hit Xander, Kyle had kicked Xander's chair..but Kyle was their little brother, even if he did outweigh her. She was the oldest, she was supposed to have it all together...she was supposed to be taking care of them, and she had almost hit him. He would never listen to her again. He would never trust her again, and she didn't blame him. He would tell Steven, and Steven would hate her too. She can hear Chris leaving too, and this redoubles her despair. It would never be okay. They would never be okay. It would-


When the car rips in front of her, surpassing her and snatching up Kyle, and the man screams his message after them before taking off, Katarina freezes, all color draining from her face. She feels her knees weaken, barely holding her upright, and she cannot move back to the car on her own stead to rejoin Xander; she certainly cannot chase after the car taking Kyle. She starts to cry, standing frozen on the sidewalk, the words about Steven ringing through her ears.


They would kill Steven. They would kill him, or they would kill Kyle. If she hadn't almost hit Kyle...then he wouldn't be outside, they couldn't have taken him, they couldn't threaten Steven. Whatever happened, it was her fault.


She should just give up. Why was she even trying at all? Why was she even still here?

 

[Kagura]

It’s just like Calico to simply wait outside the danger, and Jessie suddenly feels a lot braver chasing after the man who was making a run for it. Steven wasn’t just running though, he was actually putting up a fight against the members of the gang. That made them all a little bit scared, a little bit hesitant and it’s what drew Calico out of his vehicle. He tells them to stop shooting, as he wants the man alive, but most of his men didn’t seem to be hitting the elusive soldier anyways.


The man takes the moment to finally notice Jessie and his comment makes him roll his eye, scoffing slightly. “Just because I’m usually seen with women around my arm doesn’t mean I’m not used to a gun in my hand” he explains. As Steven finally takes cover, Jessie takes the moment to walk in front of the gang members, who were slowly approaching his indistinct direction.


The man bails out before they make it, and Jessie aims his gun, suddenly noticing that the man seems unaffected by the bullets that do hit him. The flurry of gunshots might have got him confused though, and the elder man is unsure if he’s been actually hit or not. It’s the moment of when he stops to blow off the lock on the sewer lid that Jessie is sure that he is not being harmed.


So the man gets closer, taking large steps in his direction before he fires his first shot of the day, surprised with the mark it makes. Strangely enough, another bullet lodges itself in to much the same place Jessie had shot his, but the man still gets away. Down into the sewers, where a few of Calico’s men follow him, but Jessie remains up top, checking his gun with a critical eye. It was the same as any police handgun, yet a couple steps forward and it actually injured the man.


“Did ya see that?” he notes in Calico’s direction, proud of himself despite the fact Calico was probably about to yell at him for letting the man escape. Knowing the gang member personally though, he probably had a back-up plan…


o-o-o


Liselle seemed to have the worst reaction to the gun fire as she shrieked and looked around wildly before confirming that Jessie had indeed head off in the other direction. Hailey nodded, reminded of the way Sebastian often acted with her, typical of her to stick around the same kind of guys. The blonde picked at her nails, looking up when the redhead seemed to ask a question in confirmation.


“No, he’s not” she answers, wondering idly why these girls seemed so interested in her but remaining quiet as hugged herself against the cold. She was still wearing Jessie’s pants and that made her face slightly pull, everything felt wrong, she just felt…so sick and wrong. Hailey slide up on the wall, shaking her head as tears started to gather in her eyes, she just felt so stupid, so dirty.


She needed to go… she needed to leave lest they make her explain herself… pinching her nose to feign the cold air getting to her sinuses she shook herself off.


“Is that all you needed?” she wonders, her voice remaining strong as she forced her legs to do the same against her weight.

 

[xJobozx]

Xander doesn't bother to react as Kyle calls him a butthead, it's clear to him by now that his little brother hates him, no matter how much he just apologized, Kyle hated him. Not that he couldn't blame him, Xander was supposed to be the oldest, and even though Kat was his twin, he was supposed to be the man of the family now. He was supposed to look after all of them and he was doing such a great job now wasn't he? Chris was blind, had been shot and got in the middle of a gang fight. Katarina was self-harming, selling herself to men and kissing killers. And Kyle, Kyle had also almost been shot, and he despised Xander.


Then Katarina raises her hand to Kyle, and Xander's eyes widen. He can see it. He can see their mum. Their dad even. That first time, that first time when his dad had hit Kat, it's coming back to him, and despite the impending worry and flashback, Xander does move forward, his hand reaching out to stop her, she can't hit Kyle. God knows Xander wanted to very often - as siblings did anyway - but he never would. But then it doesn't matter that he tried to stop her, because she stops herself, that he is glad for.


But then she is crying, and has fled the car, then Kyle has left too, and then Chris has leapt out. So much for a calm talk.


Xander wrenches open the car, and has to quickly choose a sibling. Kat is still close by, and Chris is walking away. Since Kyle is running, and Kyle is planning to go join a shooting fight, he picks him. Sprinting after his little brother, he reaches out to grab his arm. But then Kyle is pulled away, into a car, and Xander's eyes widen as the gang member speaks, the car speeds away. No. No...not his little brother, not Kyle, he knew this would happen. This is why he didn't want Steven around! This is why he didn't want them to get close to him! Now his little brother was in big danger. No.


"ASSHOLES!" He shouts out at the car, and anger rises in him as he shoots out his hands. A blue jagged line, much like lightning, hits the back left tire and it pops. But the car still gets away. They still drive off, with Kyle, his little brother. He is breathing rapidly, chest heaving before a sob chokes up in his throat. Kyle. They were going to kill Kyle.


He looks to Kat, feeling as broken as she looks, and he strides over to her, taking her in his arms, hugging her tightly. "Kat." He whispers, his vision blurring with tears, and he feels just like the little boy who comforted his twin the first time their dad hit them. "Kat..what happened to us?" He holds back a sob, and you can hear it in his voice. He is still hugging her as he whispers, "I know...I know you want to give up Kat, I do too, but...but we gotta help them. They're our responsibility, we're the oldest, me and you." Xander is dropping his 'I'm the oldest' right now, he needs someone else to help him, to be the oldest with him. "I know...I know you don't want to, but we need to." He let go reluctantly still holding her by the shoulders as he looked into her eyes, his own watery but still darn determined. "Okay. You go after Chris alright? You talk to her, get her to go back to the motel." He swallows the lump in his throat, "I'm going after Kyle." He manages a weak, watery grin, "We'll switch siblings, right?"


He says this because it's usually Kat going after Kyle, and him going after Chris, it's how they work. But not today.


"I'll be fine, I'll get Kyle, and meet you back at the motel. I don't care if this talk failed, we'll do it again, and again, and again, until we can do it without screaming, crying, name-calling or running, okay?" He gives her another quick hug, whispering in her ear, "We can do this Kat, together. Even if Chris and Kyle don't want to open up just yet, I'm here, I'm with you. I'm sorry for how I acted the other day Kat, It's just that I'm your brother, I'm supposed to freak out about you kissing boys, but no more, okay? Just...just get Chris." He lets go, nodding at her with soft eyes. "Okay?"





He moves to the car again, not getting in until she says okay.


-----------------------------------------------


Natalia didn't respond to Rikarah with more than a simple nod. But then Castiel had an outburst. She doesn't say much, just watches him as he punches a wall. She doesn't bat an eyelid as he storms out, not seeming to care in the slightest as she turns back to the girls.


But then Rikarah is suggesting someone should go after him, and Natalia opens her mouth to suggest Rikarah does it. Natalia isn't one for feelings or apologies. "Yeah Blue, me and Lei can stay here with Rika, you need to go find Cas and tell him we're sorry for forgetting about Shira." Natalia rolls her eyes, "I don't do apologies Abi, you know that." "Well that doesn't matter, Cas is upset, go find him Blue." Natalia levels a glare at the child, but then after a few seconds of a staring match she groans and pats herself lightly, seeming to find something, she pulls out a simple pistol, checks it is loaded - right infront of the others - before she walks to the door, "Yeah whatever, I'll be back in a bit." She turns to look at the three, "Terabithia. Stay with Rikarah, don't go out alone again." Terabithia nods, it's too dark and scary now to go out anyway, and she snuggles against Rikarah as the door shuts and Natalia is gone.


She looks up at the brunette, "Do you have any food Rika? I haven't had any dinner yet, can we have dinner together?" She is still upset, but it is fading. Though she does manage a sniffle as she looks to Lei. "Do you want some food too Lei?"


--------------------


Lei watches the interactions between the people with curious insight, Castiel is clearly angry, mentioning that Shira is his little sister, and even displays violence before storming out. She is not very surprised when the wall breaks, as something this old must be clearly fragile, and only comments with a quiet, "Poor wall." She, of course, has seen many the life of wall, and does feel something for inanimate objects since they go through a lot more than many may think. Now that poor wall will forever have the memory of being punched.


Then Natalia leaves, being persuaded by Terabithia, and Lei is left alone with the two people she wanted to talk to in the first place. But before she can ask about her daddy, or try to see Terabithia's past, the older child is speaking of food, and Lei is ironically reminded by a growl from her stomach that food would be a good idea about now, so she nods politely, "Yes please."


----------------------


Natalia has gone out, in the night, pistol at her side, and is searching for Castiel or Shira, either will do. Of course, it isn't long before she spots a body laying on the ground. Poor person, she thinks, they're either dead, or homeless. Then again, Natalia was homeless too, so that statement was a bit irrelevant.


She wanders over to the body, only to see it is infact Castiel, with a bleeding leg and closed eyes, who is the body. She shivers slightly in the cold, and drops down to kneel beside him. "Sh*t Castiel." By the looks of the marks and the wound inflicted, it looked more like a car hit him rather than a stab or shot wound. "What ever happened to looking before you cross the road?" She muttered this, wondering what to do. She was sure she wasn't strong enough to carry the boy back, though they weren't far, and she didn't particularly want to drag him.

 

[Faith Eliza Cord]

Rikarah watches the battle of will between Terabithia and Natalia, predicting almost immediately that the little girl's wishes will win out over Natalia's. She almost smiles when she is proven correct, and turns her face back towards Terabithia just in case Natalia sees her amusement. Try as the older girl might, she simply cannot hide that she cares for her.


She continues to hug Terabithia, mildly surprised to realize that she sort of enjoys the child's warm weight against her. Rikarah has never been one to give or receive genuine affection more than rarely, but this is not unpleasant.


"I set it down, Terabithia, it is in the containers on the floor by where Castiel was standing," she tells her, inclining her head in their direction. "I am afraid it is cold now but it should not matter much. Lei, you are welcome to eat too, but leave some for Castiel, Shira, and Natalia."


She sets Terabithia down then and goes to retrieve the food, opening the containers for the little girls. They contain fried chicken, corn, biscuits, and coleslaw, and as the girls begin to divide food, she looks at Lei, addressing her neutrally. "So Lei, tell me, how long have you been alone?"


**


Katarina's body slumps heavily against Xander's when he comes to her, wrapping his arms around her, and she continues to cry with gulping breaths, leaning her forehead into his chest. She can hear his heart racing, his uneven respiration as he too fights tears, and she clings to him, feeling entirely weak, as though there is nothing left in the world she can do anymore, for anyone.


She tries to listen as Xander makes her look him in the eye, as he tells her he is sorry, that he needs her help. She tries to listen as he reminds her that their siblings are their responsibility...she knows that, she knows it all too well. He is telling her they'll split up and get them, they'll make them talk, make this work...but Katarina is unconvinced. She has never been able to get through to Chris before, what will make her able to now? Kyle hates Xander, and her too now...they've lost them. They've lost them for good, and it's probably what they deserve.


Xander pulls away from her, gets into the car, waiting for her reply...but she can't do it. She can't do it, she can't make Chris come back. She can't even think straight, let alone manage a miracle like that. And what if Kyle ended up dead because Xander got himself kidnapped too? No...she doesn't want to split up, she doesn't want to try and fail alone.


She shakes her head, wordless at first, and then slips into the passenger seat beside Xander, taking in deep breaths to try to stop the tears before she can answer. "No. No, I...I won't, we shouldn't. We...I'm not splitting up, not now. If something...if something happens to you...you're all that's left, I can't do it. No...we're both going."

 

[Macal Cord]

*Steven drags himself through the alleys avoiding the streets as much as possible, finally the motel is in sight, slowly he makes his way across the street and parking lot, his vision now blurry from the lost of blood and the crappy patch work he gave his wounds in the alley, he doesn't notice the car in front of him as he bumps into it and stumbles back a bit before forcing himself by will alone to make it to the door of his room, but that's as far as he gets before he collapses to the ground, with one final effort he manages to get to a sitting position against his door. The wounds in his shoulder have opened up again and blood is running down his arm, he knows that if Calico or someone found him now he'd be dead and maybe it's time for that to. His war against Calico has hurt to many innocent people, and honestly he doesn't have anymore fight in him, so he's ready to die and leave these people in peace. So he closes his eyes and decides to wait for someone to come finish him off.*


*Calico walking up on Jessie, he had stood back and watched all the bullets bounce off of Steven, he wasn't quite sure what to make of that, in fact he's down right confused but Jessie, this worthless scummy pimp did what none of his gang could do he hurt Steven, somehow. He was in such a shock he completely forgot that he said don't shoot. He reaches for Jessie's gun and examines it. Then looks up at Jessie and grins* How did you do that? Nothing was hurting him and then you did it. How? How is a worthless toad like you able to do what dozens of my people couldn't?

 

[amdreams]

Max went over to Chris as the blind girl approached him, forgetting how cold he was and how long he had been waiting for her and her family to get home. "Chris? Did you walk all the way here? You'd think your siblings would want to keep tabs on the blind one or all people. You were careful though, right?"


As he was paying attention to Chris, Max felt a tug on his shirt. He turned around to see Shira trying to get his attention. "Is there something wrong?"


Shira pointed in the direction of one of the doors. "That dead guy wasn't there before. I think it's a zombie."


Max was a bit puzzled so he looked in the direction of her finger. It was Steven! And he looked horrible. Blood stained his clothes and his face was kind of pale. The man's armor must not be so invincible as Max had assumed. Max ran to the man and shouted back to Shira. "Get the medical kit from my car. It should be somewhere in the back seat." This didn't look good. Steven had two bullet wounds in his left shoulder and it looked like own went completely through him on his right side. Shira came back with a large bag and Max went straight to work. He started by giving Steven a small dose of morphine to dull the pain. One of the perks of being the heir to a pharmaceutical company, you got access to the good stuff.


Max then removed the bullets from the holes in his shoulder. He stitched them up and placed some gauze and alcohol on them. He then turned his attention to the through and through in the man's side. Luckily, the bullet seemed to have missed any vital organs so all Max had to do was clean the wound and stitch it up. All in all, Max had expected more damage considering how Steven had made Max promise to talk to Kat. But in a way, he was relieved by the man's survival. At least he didn't lose a domino.


Max wanted to wake Steven up so that they could get him to an actual bed to rest in instead of the concrete floor. He shook the man and tried calling out to him but it made no difference. "Man, the guy sleeps like a rock."


Shira, watching Max's efferts, pushed him aside. "Let me try." She took one look at Steven and slapped him right across the face. She didn't really know what else to do in this sort of situation. When Snow White wouldn't wake up in that movie, a prince had to kiss her awake. But Shira didn't know any princes, so she went with the method in the Grimm fairy tale version. Steven was probably choking on a bit of apple and she had to smack it out of him. "Wake up zombie. We need news of the epidemic spread." Max's jaw dropped. She really thought Steven was a zombie? And she actually slapped a wounded man across the face. Granted, it probably didn't hurt since she was just a little girl, but still. She raised her hand to try again but Max quickly held it back.


"Um, Shira. You shouldn't really hit someone when they're hurt."

 

[Macal Cord]

(LOL I like her)


OUCH! WHAT THE HELL! *Steven snaps awake and looks completely lost* Where am I and who hit me? *Suddenly he's feeling the morphine* Oh wow I feel loopy. *Reaches up and starts touching Max's face* Hey you remind me of this rich snob I know but you're much prettier then him..Help me up cause this ground is hurting my ass. *He braces himself against the wall and tries to push himself up but he's weak due to a lost of blood and can't get to his feet but his head is slowly clearing up.* I remember now I need to go home..Take me home please take me home. *Steven reaches into his jacket and pulls his id with his address on it and puts it into Max's hands before he passes out again.*

 

[Legendless]

Chris recognized the girl's voice as the one named Shira and she smiled a little. She also felt a little jealous which surprised her. Did it matter who Max decided to spend time with? She knew it shouldn't.


But her thoughts on if she was jealous and why were thankfully cut short before they could really even form. Shira had pointed someone out. When Max comfirmed it as Steven, Chris got confused. But she was thankful that Max seemed to want to help him. It seemed they both had worked past their anger from earlier. At least she wouldn't have to worry about them trying to kill one another again.


Chris moved around and finally just sat herself down in the backseat of the car that she managed to get open. She was really tired. Chris laughed when she felt Shira slap Steven. She quite wanted to do that herself to the man, but she curled up in the car as she waited for them to be done with Steven. He sounded okay and Chris hoped he would, for Kat's sake at least. She couldn't imagine what her sister would be like if Steven died or anything.


"I'm sorry," she found herself saying suddenly. "And I'm okay. I know how to get to places if I have to by myself."


----


Jillian nodded. He wasn't sure about that topic, but it made sense. Still Jillian would rather not get into the whole sinner thing with Julian. Especially concerning what he claimed to have done. Being gay was not a sin, but murder?


Jillian pulled back his hand, but kept close to the boy. It was different than Lionel. Jillian felt that he could actually talk to Julian without worry and treat him more as an equal than a child.


"It's not so different from being a guy. There is less expected of you, at least in terms of being strong and not looking like a wimp. People are more accepting of a crying girl, but it's more than that. Maybe it's just me but I've always felt more in touched with people as a girl or when I present myself as one. It was always easier to get closer to people as a girl. As a boy though I tend to want people to rely on me, I will admit. I am always more assure of myself.


"Still I am just one person. I just tend to show myself as female and I tend to feel female more than I do male." Jillian shrugged. "It's hard to explain. Oddly enough I never felt uncomfortable in my body. It's why I was always confused if I am just a cross-dress or a transsexual."


Jillian then looked at Julian with a small smile. "It has made getting dates very difficult. I have yet to find a guy who is fully accepting of me."

 

[Faith Eliza Cord]

Julian listens to Jillian closely, and even nods slowly. He finds it strange to realize that he can understand why Jillian would feel the way he does. It's true...it seems to much easier for him, to be a girl. Julian finds girls to be frightening, mysterious, more powerful than he could ever hope to be...he couldn't think otherwise, after Madison. But if he himself was a girl, it would be so much easier...he could behave however he wanted, and not worry about being harshly judged.


Everyone was always acting as though he were feminine...kids at school, even his own family. Julian had never felt manly, or even very masculine. He was scrawny and weak, shy and insecure, and had none of the traits that were associated with masculinity. Why couldn't he have just been born a male?


"That...makes sense," he told Jillian quietly. "I...I kinda wish I was a g-girl."


He pauses, then, blushing, looking up at him quickly, adds, "I...I don't m-mind. That you are...like you are."


Almost immediately he regrets it. Why had he said that? It sounded like he was FLIRTING!


...was he?


**


Inside the car, Katarina is silent, waiting for her twin to start to drive. It is not an option for her that she go with him, it is simply how it is going to be. She will not be alone, not anymore....in all ways.


As she slowly regains some control of herself, her thoughts growing more coherent, she begins to feel the familiar self-loathing and disgust that she is so accustomed to for this newest failure, this newest display of her weakness. Chris gone...Kyle taken...both Steven and Kyle in danger, almost certainly dead or to die. Again, her fault. Always.


But as she thinks this, a new thought occurs to her, and she slowly sits up, lifting her face, attempting to harden her expression. She has to straighten up...she has to. She has to be a better person, a stronger person. Xander is right...they are all each other has. They are both the oldest, and without them, where will their siblings be?


She has to take better care of them. She has to take better care of herself. No more hurting herself, no more hurting other people. No more screaming, no more letting Kyle scream, no more letting Chris run...none of them could run. They had to be better, all of them, and it had to start with her. No matter how hard it is or how much it hurts...she has to. Has to.


She takes in another slow breath and then looks over at Xander, almost calm. "Who are we getting first?"

 

[Kagura]

“…How was he able to survive?” Jessie asks Calico in the same beat, “I’m not really sure, but I noticed how the bullets were practically bouncing off of him, and…just like that” he notes. “A few steps closer and I was able to shoot him” he explains, trying to shrug it off. “Two of your people also got him…did anybody else get closer?” he wonders idly, looking back at the men surrounding them. Jessie barely had any comment about being a worthless toad; worthless toads didn’t do more work than their lazy bosses.


Of course…Jessie couldn’t say that when the man in front of him was holding his gun, “Maybe I’m just lucky” he surmounts it to.

 

[Macal Cord]

*Calico is not amused with Jessie's explanation* There is no such thing as luck, you did something to him, you've proven yourself useful to me after all, for now on WhiteBread you're with me, you will be at my side when I face him later and you will give me the advantage and I will kill him slowly then I'll pull his heart out of his chest and crush it...Damn I'm hungry who's up for a slice? Jessie lets go.


*In the car Kyle bits down on the man who grabbed him on the hand* Oh you guys are sooooo gonna get it now, Steven is gonna kick your asses! And not only him my big brother is gonna beat you up to...Although maybe not I kind of made him mad at me but he's still gonna help Steven kick your ass! *Suddenly Kyle goes quiet as much as he knows Steven will come for him he's suddenly hoping his big brother will come get him like he usually does but maybe this time Xander is to mad to come save him and he's really scared now*

 

[Kagura]

The boss calls him on his lousy explanation, reminding him there was no such thing as luck in the world. Then the man requests, more like orders Jessie to stick to him when he faced Steven Aaron again, as he had proven himself worthy. Jessie wasn’t too sure about that, but he had no say in the manner, Mike would direct his girls to where he was.


Pulling them along with Calico next to him would be harder, but Jessie was always up for a challenge. When the man asks if their hungry, he just nods, following behind Calico when he calls for him.


If only Jessie knew how he had did that…

 

[xJobozx]

Xander frowns as Katarina climbs in the car with him, declaring he can't go alone. She's coming with him. No.


"No Kat. You...you can't." His eyes widen slightly, and he is clearly worried now. "Calico..." He trailed off, looking to the side, not meeting her eyes, "Calico's dangerous Kat, he...he told me if he found out I was lying about Steven, he told me if he found out I was covering for someone, then he'd...." He can't even say it. He can't say it. "He said he'd do stuff to you." He swallows, meeting her eyes now, "And even though he still doesn't know if I was lying or not, he could still do stuff to you Kat, and I'd probably blow up a building if he laid a finger on you, and then none of us might get out.."


He shook his head, "Kat....I don't care if he beats the sh*t out of me again, I can't let him hurt you, or Kyle. So please go find Chris so I can go get Kyle."


His resolve was strong, but his tone is pleading more than demanding; he doesn't want another fight.


--------------------------


When Rikarah sets her down, Terabithia looks to Lei, Abi is slightly taller, and does look older, so after rubbing her raw eyes she manages to make conversation, "How old are you? You look littler than me." Lei looks to the ginger girl, taking a moment to respond, her voice and movements careful, such a contrast to Terabithia's unguarded tone and manner, "I'm five years old. How old are you?" Terabithia smiles lightly then, proud that she is older than the girl, even if by one year, "I'm six, you look five but you don't sound five, I'm still older than you though, does this mean Blue will stop calling me little?" Lei smiled lightly, as odd as Terabithia was, she was quite amusing, maybe it would be nice to have a friend. Of course finding her daddy was still her priority, but surely having a friend along the way couldn't hurt?


She did respond to Abi, shaking her head lightly as her brown locks of hair moved with her, "I don't think so, you're still quite little to her you see." Terabithia shrugged, "Oh well, at least I can call you little." Lei shows no response to this, her expression neither of disapproval or approval; what Terabithia calls her doesn't really matter much. Then Lei is being asked a question, from Rikarah this time, and she looks up to the older girl.


Alone? How long has she been alone? Lei frowns at that, looking down a bit. How long had she been alone? Not more than a year, she knew that, for she was five when her mummy was killed, and she was still five now. She didn't really keep track of the days, just of Calico. She looked back up, her frown gone now, "I don't really keep track, I'd estimate about four months maybe?"


Terabithia, as she begun to eat the food Rikarah had given them, was amazed by Lei. The way she spoke, the way she moved, it was all so grown up. She knew big words that Terabithia couldn't even say, and she was younger than Terabithia! Terabithia felt a bit of shame and looked down at her food as a slight blush crept over her cheeks; would Rika like this new kid more now? Because she knew big words like Rikarah did?


--------------------------------


Natalia sighed, looking at Castiel's immobile body. What on earth should she do? Take him back to the theatre of course. But how? He wasn't exactly a large teenager, but neither was Natalia, and Castiel was a boy. Ignoring the fact that this is Natalia's explanation for almost everything that she couldn't do of course. She sighed and did the only thing she could think of. Dragging him.


She grabbed Castiel's hands, pushing aside her discomfort at human contact with a guy - even an unconscious one, and began to pull lightly in the direction of the theatre. This should be fun.


(Faith, quick question? Would it be okay if I let Natalia absorb powers from passing by NPC's? Like right now as an example, would it be a bit too much if I made an NPC pass by and then Natalia absorbed their power from talking to them?)

 

[Faith Eliza Cord]

(maybe, Jo...I just wouldn't want it to be a regular habit, it seems awfully convenient if Natalia can pretty much take on any power you'd like her to, any time you'd like her to...)


Rikarah listens to the chatter between the little girls- well, mostly Terabithia- in continued quiet, tuning out most of what Terabithia is saying because she is watching Lei. She does not again attempt to invade her mind, instead listening to how she responds.


For a five year old to be alone for months at a time is very wrong, in her mind, unacceptable, even if this five year old is the child of Calico. Even if this child is clearly capable of caring for herself, she should not have to, and Rikarah smiles at her, reacting with calm to her answer.


"I see. It appears there are many children in your situation, more than I realized, if you and Terabithia are anything to go by. Terabithia is fortunate to have Natalia, and now you will have us here for you as well, if you would like, Lei." She keeps her voice light, then turns to Terabithia. The child is blushing, and as Rikarah recalls her awe over Lei, she wonders if Terabithia is jealous.


Smiling at her, she ruffles her hair lightly as she continues to eat, her thoughts returning to Castiel and Natalia. She hopes they will find Shira, because Shira is another of those she considers innocent. It would not do for Castiel to find her...perhaps she should have gone after Castiel after all, rather than Natalia. But it would not do to leave the children alone.


**


Katarina swallows as she sees Xander's anxious eyes, his fear for her, thinking with discomfort of his words. Calico wanted...to do things to her? When had he said that...why would he? Her stomach twists at the thought, and she grips her knees, looking down before raising her eyes again.


No...no, she had made up her mind. Whatever happened, they couldn't split up anymore, any of them. She wouldn't send Xander to Calico alone, and she wouldn't go after Chris alone. Katarina couldn't stand to be alone anymore, not in any way.


"No," she said quietly, but with an unusual firmness. "I'm not letting you go to him alone, he'll hurt you as much as me. I won't be alone anymore, Xander, and I won't let you be either. We can get Chris first. We can get Chris, and gather up other people to help us get Kyle...Max maybe, and Steven...we'll all go together. But I'm going too."