Castouts (Accepting new characters)

(dude you didn't even post for Kyle :P and Legend, you put Sheena instead of Katarina, lol...how weird, I have a Sheena, a Katarina, and an Angelina.)


Katarina is disappointed when Steven pulls away from her, and then when he further withdraws by refusing to teach her, she looks down, breathing in slowly as she tries to process this continued disappointment before he will see or Chris will sense it. It seems to her that he really doesn't want to help her at all, that he just wants to tell her one thing to do that will make her back off of him and leave him alone. Weights...what will WEIGHTS do to help her? Yeah, they're heavy, but weights have nothing to do with punching and hitting.


He thinks she's weak. He thinks she's weak and it's not worth even teaching her. He wants to leave the room and get away from her...that was what it was. He was probably right. She was weak...but...


But the more she was convinced of this, the more the first spark of anger stirred within her. If she was weak, it was time to change. If he didn't like her, she would MAKE him notice her. She would make him change his mind.


Without another word Katarina walked over to the punching bag and hit it, the punch tentative, and then, pausing, she hit it again. She has no idea of how to properly do so, has no form or technique, but she likes the hitting, likes the impact against her knuckles. She likes the pain, that people cannot look at her and call this self-injury. It only takes a few moments before she is whaling on the back, her technique sloppy and incorrect, but it improves slightly as she instinctively attempts to better the impact. Her knuckles sting, and she is beginning to breathe rapidly, but she focuses on the bag.


Thinking about Alice. Thinking about her mother's hand, wrapped around Alice's arm. Thinking about their father, bellowing in her face, his meaty fist reaching out. She pictures this and shoves her elbows into the bag as well, working herself up. She tries to lift her feet to kick as well but the weights considerably hinder this.


When she finishes up she is panting, sore, her knuckles skinned and throbbing, and she feels raw, as though someone touching her will hurt more than just muscles or skin. She leaves the room without saying anything to either Chris or Xander and slips upstairs, lying down on her back on the bed.


That's exactly what she wants to do to her mom and dad, when she goes for them. She doesn't care what Steven says. This time she will.


**


Girl?


For a moment Julian panicked, thinking that somehow Liselle and Lionel had seen Madison too in the park. Was Liselle just trying to make him admit it? She must know Madison...she MUST be her friend...


But then he realized what she meant- Jillian. Jillian was the "girl" Lionel was familiar with. The relief was almost enough for him to laugh, though he inched away from Liselle on the couch, not wanting her any closer in the moment than she made necessary.


"She's...he's...that's J-Jillian," he mumbled. "He's a boy...have you...have you s-seen him? D-do you know...when he g-gets off...I was supposed to m-meet him and I d-don't remember where."
 
*Steven walks away to make his calls and it's pure chance that as he makes it around the corner, his right arm starts stinging, he glances down at his arm to the bracelet his new handlers put on his to see it's been activated, meaning the poison has been injected and he now has a limited amount of time to complete whatever mission they're sending him on before the anidote is given. Moments later his phone buzzes, it's a text message, with only an address and a time. Steven knows this is a hit that he has no choice but to complete or die. He walks back out to talk to Kat but she left to go upstairs after he grabbed his bag, he heads up to talk to her before he goes out. Seeing Kyle enjoying himself watching tv, he stops and sits on the floor next to Kyle.* Hey squirt, how you doing? Listen don't you become a couch potato on me, I want you to start training tomorrow morning, we'll start about 6 am, I want you to get used to training an hour a day before school.


*Kyle looks at him confused* But we don't go to school, we can't go to school anymore they'll ask to many questions. *Steven pats Kyle on the shoulder and stands up* You don't worry about that, I'll take care of it, you miss school don't you? Hanging out with kids your own age. *Kyle nods grinning* Yes, I do I was really good in school, I really do want to go back. *Steven starts to move heading towards Kat and Chris's room* Then it's settled we'll get you back into school no matter what. Now I have to go to work I'll talk to you later. *Steven knocks on Kat's door to make sure it's fine to come in, not wanting to walk in on two girls in case they're changing or something.* Kat, I have to go to work, can you hold things down here for a few hours? *He looks at her and sees her hands, he opens his bag and pulls out the first aid kit in it and kneels down by her taking some anti-biotic cream out and covering her knuckles with it, afterwards he wraps them with some bandages* Kat, you're not suppose to bare knuckles those bags like that, you're suppose to used the gloves or at least the handwraps.


*Anthony took his time and enjoyed waterboarding Alice, but being a kid with smaller lungs he didn't take a chance on killing her, beside the kid didn't have any information to give. He left the girl on the floor of the bathroom and dragged his wife by the hand out to the other room.* Well that was some pointless fun but we're still no closer to finding the rest of the brats so what do we do now? Torturing her is fun for a little bit but she's killing my buzz, look at her she won't cry or scream, it's not as fun when they don't join in and do their part.
 
(I didn't even realize. I fixed it)


Chris was surprised by her sister. She seemed to be hitting the punching back with some force. She let herself feel the hitting of the bag and the way it felt. She felt like she could feel her own heart start racing just from feeling it all. She bit her lip though. What was Kat doing? She was going to hurt her hands wasn't she?


Then she felt her sister leave. She waited for a moment, maybe to say something to Steven, but he left as well. Chris was alone, like always. She sighed deeply, but she didn't leave the room. She stood against the wall for a moment thinking. This wasn't good. It seems that lately things were just going downhill. Even if they were safe here, their emotional health wasn't going to improve. Chris wish she could do something to make it go away. No more running. No she wanted to go forward and do something. Something so everything would change and they could all leave behind their past.


Chris finally disattached herself from the wall and moved to the bag her sister had been beating on. She placed a hand on it at first, moving it against the fabric. Then she drew back her own fist and punched it. And again. And again and again. It hurt to hit it since it was pretty heavy, but punching it made her feel better. She wasn't hitting it with the same force as Kat had, but she could feel her knuckles start to hurt.


"Damn it all."


----


He? That pretty girl was a boy? Liselle looked at Julian in disbelief. No. No away was that a guy. Although it made sense why he was so flat-chested. And why Julian seemed comfortable with him. He always got on better with guys than the girls in the park. It made her feel a little bitter too. Even a boy was prettier than her.


"Oh," she said lamely, not sure how to respond to that. "I didn't know. Is he... is he your boyfriend?" Liselle wasn't sure why she asked. Maybe she just wanted to see her friend happy. "Um, I am not sure. He's probably at work. If you want to go see him I can walk with you. I won't stay though." She raised her hands. "I don't want to be in the way."
 
(...actually I have a Sheena, Katarina, Angelina, and a Regina. how did this happen?! haha)


Julian's cheeks flushed further, and he gave a slight twitch of his shoulders that could pass for a shrug in reaction to Liselle's question. Yes, it was true that he and Jillian had established themselves as dating, but to say so aloud still gave him some embarrassment, not for himself or out of the shame he might have felt even a few days ago, but because it seemed to him that anyone who knew Jillian would wonder what in the word he saw in Julian. Seeing Madison had only reminded Julian of how obvious it was to everyone that he didn't deserve someone like Jillian, that he didn't deserve anyone at all.


True, Jillian might know what Julian had done with Madison in the past. Jillian had heard the words, perhaps even thought about it in images. But Jillian hadn't been there. He hadn't seen with his own eyes, and he could have no way of knowing how terrible it had really been- how terrible Julian had been. Julian would never be able to convey this to him.


But it was still true that Jillian considered him to be his boyfriend, however he didn't deserve it, and so Julian nodded slowly.


"Yes." Something about Liselle's expression made him think that she too was shocked, though over which part of it, Julian wasn't sure. Jillian being a boy? Julian being gay? Or did she too just think that they didn't go well together?


When she offered to walk him to Jillian's workplace, Julian's heart leapt at the possibility, and he swallowed, looking down as he tried to think it through more carefully. It probably wouldn't do for him to show up in the middle of Jillian working...he would be distracting him from his job, and looking too needy, too clingy. He might embarrass Jillian. He might even get him fired.


But the more he thought about it, the more this seemed to be exactly what he wanted to do, and so Julian slowly nodded, daring to meet Liselle's eyes for just a moment.


"Okay...th-thanks. That's...that's w-what I want."


**


"School?" Xander looks up, raising his eyebrows, as Steven came up behind him and Kyle on the touch, already tensing just at the other young man's presence. His general irritation with the man's existence, often provoked simply by his presence, increased when Steven completely ignored that he was sitting perhaps a foot apart from Kyle, talking to him alone, as if Xander wasn't also there with some input to the conversation.


Okay, fine, Steven was letting them stay in his house and use his money and use his stuff, very generous and all the rest. Although Xander knew HE didn't want to take the man's money or his house, for the moment it was necessary, and he fully intended to pay every penny of it back, whatever the rest of his siblings thought. But just because he was accepting charity from him, reluctantly so, didn't mean the guy had to make it obvious that he disliked and disrespected Xander's role in the family.


Not that his own siblings were doing much better with that. Kyle was talking with Steven like Xander had no say in what he, his younger brother, did at all, Kat had been the one to inform him they were going to the dojo in the first place, and Chris? Chris floated along with whatever the others said, unless she was running off for the millionth time on her own.


But when Steven started talking about school, Xander held up one hand, shaking his head. "Hey, hold on a minute here. School? Before we could transfer anywhere they'd have to have previous school records, you think we could ask for those without someone checking up on us and sending us straight home again? For all we know there's a criminal investigation out for us. It wouldn't be beyond our parents to report us for arson, or for other crimes if they really saw us on the news. And if we lose control of our powers in school, that could get really bad. Granted, Kat might be okay, but the rest of us? And Chris is blind, she can't go to a regular school. Besides, is it really smart for us to be split apart from each other all day? How are we going to train with you in the mornings if we have school at eight?"


Besides, he knew from experience what it was like when Katarina was in school with hundreds of different guys to get screwed over by, and he wasn't eager to repeat that train wreck. Not that he could say that aloud without sounding like a complete jerk.


Turning to his brother, he said, "Kyle, I know you miss school, we all do. Well, probably not Kat, but I know I do and you do. But it's not a great idea right now. Think about how it could go if our parents knew we were there. They could hurt all the kids there just to get to us."


When Steven walked away without discussing the matter any further, Xander's anger intensified. He stood up abruptly and followed him, and when he saw that he was knocking on his sister's door, he shook his head, his jaw tensing. Could he not just leave her alone?


Katarina sits up, surprised, when the door opens, expecting it to be Chris entering, coming to check in on her, or perhaps just heading to bed. But no, it is Steven standing there in the doorway, telling her he's going to work. Katarina is too tired at the moment to remember where it is he works, exactly, when the night club had gone through such chaos the night before and she would have thought it would have been shut down. But then, attacks and strange occurrences seem commonplace in the city lately, and so she simply nods, not challenging his words.


"Okay. Yeah...we'll probably just go to bed...is Kyle still watching TV?"


She is still wearing her weights, not wanting to admit to either of them that she can feel their strain in her legs already. She expects Steven to leave then, but instead his gaze falls to her hands, and he comes forward, expressing concern over them. Katarina starts to hide them, to tell them they are nothing, not wanting to Steven to get onto her about them and how not causing damage to herself, as she's promised him she would try to stop. But instead, he takes them and wraps them up for her. The longer he works on her hands, demonstrating that he cares if they are hurt, the more Katarina softens in her resentment and disappointment with him, until she finds herself leaning towards him, licking her lips slowly as she wonders...what would he do if she kissed him now?


She got no chance to test the theory, however, because Xander chose that moment to come to stand in the doorway. His eyes measured the distance between the two before falling to Katarina's wrapped hands, and he started forward towards her, his brow furrowing as he shook his head at her.


"Kat, what did you do now?"


"Nothing! I was training...punching bag," she said quickly, partly annoyed, partly relieved that he had interrupted before she could make a decision, and she hit her hands behind her back. "You don't have to look at me like any time I get hurt it's my fault, you know."


Though it almost always was, and this time pretty much had been too. But Xander didn't have to know that.


She could feel her twin watching her closely, still standing near her on the bed, and between the two men standing near, angled away from each other, as she sat down, Katarina was beginning to feel claustrophobic. She tried not to look at her brother, fearing that if she did, he would read in a second the secret of Alice that Steven thought she should conceal. Couldn't they both just leave?


"We...should probably go to sleep," she tried, though the statement sounded more like a question.


**


Alicia had stood back, watching Anthony sling Alice into the bathroom and throw her down into the tub with her eyes glittering with satisfied anticipation. She had stood in the doorway with her arms folded, watching as he shoved Alice beneath the water, as the child sputtered and choked, once, twice...but then something strange happened, something that made Alicia stand up straighter, uncrossing her arms, as she stared down at the pair, drawing in her breath. The third time that Anthony tried to put Alice under the water, he couldn't seem to do so. In fact, his hands were several inches away from her, and he seemed unable to penetrate an invisible bubble around her. She watched his shaking hands try to grasp Alice and to fail, she watched as Alice sat up, shivering and dripping, her nose running, but still looking up at them, not able for him to hold her.


Impatiently Alicia moved forward and shoved Anthony aside, reaching to grasp the child herself, but found that she too could not move her hands any closer than a few inches from her. Several times she tried with increasing anger to take hold of her, and she could not do so.


Finally backing up, realizing that Anthony had noticed nothing in his drunken state, and had only seemed to register that Alice wasn't crying, she left the child in the bathtub and allowed Anthony to drag her away with him, ripping herself from his grasp and turning on him as soon as they had left Alice's earshot. Seizing his shoulders, she put her face close to his, hissing up at him. "You drunken fool, you didn't even NOTICE what was going on in there! She has powers too! We couldn't even touch her! She put up some sort of protective shield, or something! We can't harm her when she does that...and who knows how much it extends out to, what if she can do that with her mind too! We're lucky she's young, we can work with that...that's probably how she survived the fire!"
 
*Steven looked over his shoulder at Xander and saw the anger in his eyes, finally he couldn't take it any more and stood up and spins around, standing only a few inches from him.* Ok Xander what the hell is your problem? You don't want you brother going back to school, you don't want me to help your sister who injured herself. Why is it that you don't want them to be happy? Is it because you aren't the one that is doing this for them? Are you so petty that you don't want them to have anything that you didn't bring them. I'm so sick and tired of you judging me, when all I'm doing is trying to help and the truth is if I didn't no one would. So why don't you grow the hell up!
 
(no Anthony post?)


Xander stood his ground as Steven came so close to him, standing in such a manner that he was clearly supposed to be physically intimidating him. Fine, maybe Steven was Mr. Macho, maybe Steven was bigger and could get hit in the back with a hatchet and walk away barely flinching, but that didn't mean that Xander was afraid of him. If anything, Steven was the one making himself look like a jerk.


"Get out of my face," he said through gritted teeth, forcing himself to keep his hands to his sides, to try to stay calm, though he could feel his neck muscles straining. "Let me remind you of a few things here, Mr. Heroic. Every time YOU try to make them HAPPY, you end up putting them in danger. YOU put them in that night club that got gunned down by all those gang members YOU seemed to know. YOU have some weird connection or debt to the guys that dangled my brother upside down by his ankles in a tiger cage. YOU are the one who's hurt my sister's feelings, and YOU are the one who won't be around picking up the pieces afterward when you break her heart. You think I don't want them to be happy?! Of course I do, but mostly, I want them to be SAFE. You dropping them off at school where everyone will figure out who we are and where we are and we'll get hauled back home by our parents WON'T DO THAT! You coming into my sister's room alone with her after everything that's happened is NOT DOING THAT! You think you can swoop in and be Mr. Hero and they'll forget that you caused half the problem in the first place, just if you flex your pecks a few times and show your bullet wounds from the machine guns a few times?"


He's working himself up now, his voice raising, and he doesn't care that Katarina is cringing, telling him to stop, that Chris and Kyle probably hear. He has to say what he needs to, however mad she might get, however Steven will try to make him look afterward.


"I've taken care of them all my life, Steven, you've tried for two days. You have no right to say ANYTHING about me and how I care for them when you haven't had to for more than a couple of days. And as for you thinking no one would help them?! I help them! Because they're my family, my brother, my sisters, and I know them more than you ever will. It's not about me getting glory or whatever twisted crap you're trying to play it off as, it's because I KNOW them like you never will. I KNOW them. I KNOW what's bad for them and what isn't and you and what you do IS."


Looking down at Kat, shaking his head, he starts to stalk out the room. "Don't keep Chris out of the room or up all night letting this guy "help" you, Kat."
 
*Steven has had enough* You know what Xander, you're absolutely right, not my family not my problem, I'm done with this. Kat you can all stay here till you can get back on your feet, but you and your family stay on this floor, do not come upstairs for any reason, when I'm in the dojo please all of you stay away from me cause you might catch a stray bullet that bounces off me. Xander wants to be in charge of you all that's fine, I'm done with this! And good luck getting Alice back *He walks out of the room and pushes pass Xander and walks out the door slamming it behind him, He knew that last part was over the line but he's had enough of this brat.*


*Kyle indeed heard everything and despite his intentions of not fighting with Xander anymore he couldn't help but sound off.* Xander why can't you just leave things along? Why can't you just let us be happy for awhile before you go all Big Dog? Is it because you know Steven won't hit you, we can all see it you're just trying to get him to hit you so that you can say he started it. We all like it here Xander and you're trying to get us back on the streets and I don't know why. Steven didn't get me kidnapped either, I knew Calico was bad and I worked for him anyway. And you forgot you're the one that was driving when I got kidnapped, you're the one that let me get out the car when they grabbed me. I know Steven isn't innocent but neither are you. You didn't even let him explain how he could make it so I could go back to school, you never give him a chance without judging him.
 
For Xander, this is only proof of what he is saying. Steven is a hothead who can't even have a conversation without blowing up and insulting people, can't take a single criticism without throwing a fit over it. If he can't control himself long enough to calmly disagree with someone, how is he ever going to be someone safe for his siblings to be around? How is he ever going to be good for Katarina's already miniscule self-esteem when he constantly pulls away from her the moment Xander challenges him? And now they were banned from contact with him, when he was trying to be such a nice guy?


Steven couldn't play the hero, the martyr, AND the victim all at once, while also yelling and banning them from being around him. That just didn't work, and he didn't know why his siblings couldn't seem to see it.


"Kyle...you don't know what you're talking about. Just...please go to bed, okay?" he said in a tone even more tired than he felt, his shoulders sagging slightly as he turned toward his twin. Katarina was looking in the direction of the doorway, her eyes anxious, lower lip caught between her teeth as she sat up straight, eyes flitting between Xander and the door.


"Xander, he was going to teach me," she said quietly, but there was grief in her expression that Xander did not understand and was irritated to see. Couldn't she just let him go, already? What was so super special about him that Kat liked him no matter how nasty he was towards her or how much he pushed her away before reeling her in all over again? "He was going to teach me how to fight. To defend myself. I can't do anything, I'm no use to anyone, and he was going to help me finally be able to do something, and now...he's not even going to look at me. It was the one useful thing I could do, Xander."


She isn't yelling, as he might have expected; instead her voice is small, and she sounds defeated, sobered by what has just happened. He almost doesn't catch the significance of her last muttered words.


"Now how will I EVER help to get Alice back, now he won't help us at all!"


Xander's head lifted slowly, and he stared at his sister, thinking that he must have heard her wrong.


"What are you talking about, Kat?"


"We can't get her back now, now that I wont' be able to fight and he won't help us! You two will just, like always, and Chris-"


As she finally looks up at him, seeing the shock in his eyes, she finally realizes what she is saying, what she had not explained to either of her brothers, and her face pales, her lips pressing together into a thin line as she looks down, her voice dropping. "Oh...right...."


Xander strides forward slowly, noting how Katarina flinches, as though expecting him to hit her. Normally he would immediately back off, hating to cause her fear, but now he keeps going, even taking her by the shoulders, though he is careful not to squeeze. Nevertheless he feels her cringe and knows she is still at least partly afraid.


"What...are...you....talking about. Alice...Alice is dead, Kat," he fights to keep his voice steady. "What are you saying."


"She's not," she whispered, looking into her lap and blinking several times. "Rikarah...she called, she said, she saw her in the park, with Mom...Mom was taking her...she read Alice's thoughts or something...Mom has her, Xander. Steven, he thought I shouldn't tell you now...he thought-"


Xander didn't care what Steven thought. All Xander cared about then was the red sheen of fury that flashed across his vision, tinting everything he saw, fury towards his mother, towards Katarina, but most of all, towards Steven. Again he was interfering where he didn't belong, keeping from Steven what was important, keeping him from knowing about HIS sister, HIS family, controlling his twin into keeping only him in confidence...for all he knew, Alice could be dead now, with no one even trying to rescue her, all because STEVEN thought it wasn't important for them to know.


He released Katarina abruptly, barely hearing when she called out anxiously, wanting to know where he was going, what he was doing. Instead he tore through the house looking for Steven, screaming his name.


"IF MY SISTER IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU ARE GOING TO PAY!"
 
*Kyle moves forward pushing between Xander and Kat and shoves him back.* What's wrong with you, you're hurting her! And you're not my father you can't tell me what to do, you're a bully and you blame everyone for all our problems when it's all of our faults, you act like you could do something to mom and dad but for years they abused us and you didn't do anything! So stop acting like you're a hero, you're just a kid just like us who can't even feed us! *Kyle looks at Kat and takes her hand.* Ok Kat, you and Steven must have had a reason for not telling us and I bet it's because Xander is such a hothead that you were afraid he'll take off without thinking..Right..please say that's why cause you wouldn't keep something like that from us unless you had a good reason.


*Steven was in his car about to pull out when he heard Xander yell his name.* What a god damn brat I should have laid his ass out on the floor, but I know that's what he wants. *Driving to the location he was texted, he rolls his eyes at how old school this was, sending him to Grand Central Station, a locker for a cold drop, they must think this is the 50s. Steven opens the locker to find it's empty at first glance, but just then his phone rings, it's another text, with instructions to close the locker and enter a the combination in the text instead of using the key. He does as instructed and opens the locker again this time the back of the locker opens to a small compartment with a briefcase in it, with a note with another address on it.


Steven travels to the new address, it's an apartment building one of the new fancy ones with a doorman and everything, inside a woman in her mid 40s meet him, she smiles and gestures him to follow her to the elevators, once the doors close she finally speaks to him. Asking for the case and opens it up, inside the case are 4 pictures, Steven knows these must be his targets.* So it's come to this, I'm no more then a simple assassin for my country. *The woman pulling a small handgun with a suppressor on it and passes it to Steven then takes one of her own and closes the case.* Now now my boy from what I hear you're an exceptional assassin now I'll handle the security you take care of the targets. *Steven checks the weapon and steadies himself* Can you at least tell me what they did to deserve this? *She shrugs and laughs* Does it matter? Neither of us have a choice. *It's only then Steven notices the same kind of bracelet on her wrist, those bastards are doing this to other people.* Get ready *She says as the elevator comes to a stop, as soon as the doors open she moves, he barely sees the two guards just waiting outside the doors of the elevator with guns ready to fire, but she was faster and downs both with a single shot to the head, she moves out and fires at the two at the end of the hall, Steven follows her strangely insync with her moving to the doors and kicks it in, he doesn't hesitate he fires as soon as each of his targets lines up in his sights, the whole thing takes about 48 seconds from the elevator to the final kill. On the dining room table is two cases, one with what looks like a computer built into it and the other filled with cash, she takes the computer and hands Steven the one with the cash in it.* Grab the brass, and clear out, we were never here, take the case back to the station and put the cash in the locker, once its close the antidote will be injected and your payment will be sent to your account. *She doesn't wait she grabs her brass and leaves. Steven does the same.*


*He makes it back to the station and does as instructed, it's not until he's back in his car infront of his house when the bracelet injects the antidote. He must have sat there in his car for about an hour, just thinking about what he's done and what he's gotten himself into. And what if one day he fails and they don't give him the antidote, Kat and the others will be screwed.*
 
"He didn't hurt me," Katarina mumbles, but she doesn't look up at either of her brothers. She presses her lips even more tightly together when Kyle takes hold of her hand, staring down into her lap and blinking several more times in an effort to keep back the tears rising now as she whispers with great reluctance, "He said...Steven said you guys would just...I don't know, he said it would be better if we waited and let him get in on it, that he'd know what to do..."


She hates when Xander is mad at her, more than any of her other siblings. Xander is her twin, Xander is the one whose approval she most cares about, who she feels she never quite measures up to, and for Xander to look at her as if she's not only disappointed him, but betrayed him, hurts her considerably. Her stomach is cramping, flipping over with sickening slowness low inside her as she looks up at her brothers, beseeching.


"I didn't...please, don't be mad...Xander!"


She bites the inside of her cheeks as Xander leaves the room, not bothering to reply to her. Blinking several more times, still barely keeping back tears, she pulls her hand from Kyle's, hugging herself tightly.


Xander completely ignores Steven's new rule about not going upstairs, running through each hallway and floor shouting the other boy's name, slamming each door open and shut as he looks for him. When he realizes that Steven has already left, he stands still, breathing more heavily than usual as his brother's words run through his mind. He cannot comprehend how his siblings, who used to trust him and look up at him, would now look to this Steven guy over him, after all they've been through together, all the times he's come through for them, all the times he's put them before himself and his own comfort. He could have left them all long ago. His life would have been ten thousand times easier if he had, if he hadn't constantly looked over his shoulder to make sure they were okay, that they would all stay together. He had quit school for them. He had stolen for them. He had not had a moment's peace in his life because he cared about their survival, and this was his repayment?


He took the steps back to his sister's room slowly, then came to stand outside the doorway for a few moments, just looking in on them without saying anything. He made himself relax his hands until they unclinched form their fists, then took a deep breath before speaking to them, making sure both were looking and watching him.


"Kyle, I have ALWAYS made sure we all were fed," he started off. "We haven't always had excellent meals, we haven't always had money to buy food, but we have NEVER not had food. We had a room FILLED with our food in the motels. Maybe...maybe I didn't do anything to mom and dad...but Kyle, what the hell was I supposed to do? Dad was bigger than I was. I did what I could. I'm sorry...if I didn't protect you enough. Any of you. But I've always tried. Damn it, Kyle, how many times did I step in front of you and take what they wanted to do to you instead of you? And you're going to call me a bully because I think a guy who doesn't know us or anything about us or what's best for us is wrong? You used to trust me, Kyle. What happened to that? And as for teh school thing...we can't go. Period. There is no way it's safe for us to be in one setting for hours every day, where they could easily find our schedule and location and take us out. They have custody of us, Kyle. If our parents showed up and asked to sign us out, no one could tell them no. We can't go to school. We can't live a normal life in public. That's just...how it is."


As he turned to Katarina, his voice softened, and he came forward, sitting on the edge of her bed. He waited until she looked at him, then touched her arm, holding it gently as he talked to her.


"Kat...I'm worried about you. I always have been, because I see what happens with you and all these guys. You want to have them love you, and that's okay, that's normal...but they don't treat you like they should. You deserve more. I don't care if he's saved your life or if he gave us this place to stay in, he's not treating you well. He pulls you in then pushes you away, and not always because of something that was your fault or anything you did at all. If a guy really loved you, would he punish you because of something I did? Look, Kat...I've been worried about this before, and I looked up before the signs of an abusive relationship. They're there with Steven. He is jealous of me and any other guys who look at you, he tries to isolate you from your family. He moves too fast, he was saying he loved you right away, Kat, that you were the best thing in his life, the first day he saw you! He yells and hits things when he's mad to try to scare people, he blames his own feelings on everyone else, he takes everything personally, he thinks he knows you and what's best for you and tries to control you...Kat, he told you not to tell your own family that your own sister was alive. Kat, he expected way too much commitment out of you from the start. He swings between being all over you, pushing towards a relationship, and then pushing you away when you didn't even do anything at all...it's not right, Kat...Rina. You deserve more," he concluded quietly.


Letting go of her hand, he watched her for a moment, seeing that she has closed her eyes tightly, as though she is that much closer to tears. Standing up, he looks to Kyle, then says in measured tones, "Alice is alive. That's what matters. We have to go help her."
 
(Wouldn't getting them back in school actually put them in more danger? I mean even if they use aliases, it would only take one look at their faces for their parents to pursue them whether or not they're sure it's them. And then you'd have them on a set schedule which would make them easier targets for kidnapping. And Alicia and Anthony wouldn't even have to abduct them. They could just walk into the school and say that they're here to dismiss the kids. I don't think schools actually check IDs on this. And even if that didn't work, Alicia could just mindwipe them.)


Theo looked at Rikarah and gave his politician's smile. "You don't have to worry. I have a beautiful wife, almost became Miss America 2000. Personally, I think she was much better than who actually won but I wasn't a judge. I didn't even know her at the time but if I did, she probably would've won Miss Universe as well." At the friends comment, his face was now in a concerned frown, making it look like he was actually worried and had to deal with this for years already.


"My son isn't the best of character. Many people just approach him for money or influence. Once in high school, a group of his so called 'friends' knocked him unconscious when they came over to play and stole many of our family's jewelery and heirlooms, including my wife's engagement ring that was passed down through my family for generations. Luckily, we found it in a pawn shop in the Bronx. Since then, I've made it a strict rule that Max has to allow us to perform background checks on all his potential friends and girlfriends. We can't let him be fooled again. He survived last time but he may not be so lucky the next."


Max couldn't help but roll his eyes at his father's story. It was all a load of crock but what he said about people approaching him with ulterior motives was true. Still, none of them had ever had the upper hand with Max, though some tried and paid dearly for it. With a childhood filled with kickboxing, fencing, archery and savate along with everything else little rich brats are supposed to learn, he wasn't what you would call weak. In fact the only person to ever defeat him, other than his own father and his dirty fighting style, was a domino. Among the normal, he was quite strong.


Feeling the awkward air in the room now, with half of them gone and the other half at an odd stand still, Max decided to intervene a bit. "Look, we should probably get Shira to one of the guest rooms. Sleeping on the floor like that isn't going to be good for her." Picking Shira up, he ascended the stairs followed by his father. Going into a guest room, he laid her onto the bed and covered her with the comforter. As he began to leave, he noticed how his father stayed behind. "Are you coming?"


"Yes, in a bit. I'm a little tired after work today." "Whatever, just close the door after you." Max knew there was something else to it but the remaining sting on his cheek reminded him to not question his father. After Max left, Theo continued to stare at Shira. The resemblance was uncanny. Removing the comforter only seemed to confirm his suspicions. Sure this girl was taller and more mature than the one he remembered but it had been over two years since he last saw her. Then he spotted the sign that confirmed it all. A burn scar, in the shape of a Fleur-de-lis on her thigh right under the hem of her shorts. A twisted smile formed on his lips. "You sneaky little vixen."


Replacing the comforter, he left the room making sure to close the door behind him. Descending from the stairs, he walked straight for the front door. "Well, I best be going. Your mother is waiting for me back home. Max could you see me out?" A little confused, Max did as he was asked and followed his dad out of the door, closing it behind him. "Have you done a background check on them?" "Yes . . . well, only Shira and some others. Hers came back empty though like Shira Disraeli never existed. I did the same for her brother and got nothing again. I think they might be using aliases." Theo smirked. "Try looking up 'Lucy in the Sky' and 'Dark Woods Circus'." "Dad, do you know someth-" "What about the others?" "N-no, I haven't had the time." "Well do it soon. We need to make sure that they don't work for them. Now bye and I expect to see you at the annual Christmas party in two months." "Uh . . . yes, father."


After his dad left, Max came back to the others masking his previous suspicions and confusion with a smile. "Well, since half of us pretty much left, it should be easier to decide the rooming arrangements. I'm okay with the couch for tonight. It's actually very comfortable. Cas can sleep in my room since it's the only one not upstairs and with two rooms to spare. One girl can sleep with Shira and the other could get one to herself or you both could share one." He motioned to Rikarah and Hailey. "But it's your decision. You might want to take a shower first though. My mom left some of her clothes here from the last time she visited if you'd like. And Cas can borrow some of mine."
 
*Kyle stands up tall in front of Xander and crosses his arms over his chest.* You're wrong Xander, he pushes us away because you keep attacking him, you're the one that's jealous of him, because of me and because of Kat, how can anyone get close to us when they don't meet your standards, I bet you don't have a problem with that Rikarah woman, we don't know her at all but she looks at me and gives me the creeps, she's probably some serial killer but you're to busy thinking with your pants, as for dad beating on me you think you're protecting me from him, it was me taking beating for you, if you didn't take out the trash I took the blame, dad ran out of beer and was bored, he look for you but I always made sure that I crossed his path first. You think you're the only one that sacifice you're wrong, I was working for a drug dealer to make money. But you know what really makes me mad Xander is now that something is happening for the better, you can't just let us enjoy it for awhile because you didn't do it. *He takes Kat's hand and pulls up her sleeves showing the scars* You both think I'm just a kid and I don't notice things but I've know Kat has been hurting herself long before Steven came around and so did you Xander but you never tried to stop her but I was there when Steven asked Kat to promise she would stop hurting herself, and I heard Steven talking to Kat about her hands from the other room, she hurt her hands punching a bag downstairs and didn't remember to wear gloves, that wasn't his fault but he was here taking care of her, you weren't you didn't even notice she was hurt. Steven can't be around us because everytime he tries you get in his face. Kat I love you but you let Xander push you around, you never stand up for yourself and you never speak up for Steven, for someone that likes him I don't get that at all. Xander I love you but you're wrong about Steven I know he's got issues but you don't even try to get along with him, not only is he letting us live here for free he didn't get you arrested for stealing his car. Now I'm going to bed cause it might be the last night I get to sleep in a real bed with clean sheets and not have to worry about being woken up by some one trying to rob and kill us.


*Anthony sits back down on the edge of his bed, he leans over and sticks his head between his legs* All this time we were hoping for some sort of results with these damn kids and now we can't even report it back to WimCorp because we don't have all the brats and we can't just take this one in cause they're blow both our brains out, take her and send someone else to find them..In my case it will be hard to find someone to replace me and my uncanny skills but they could probably replace you with an ad in Craig's List.
 
(ok first off...no one would look at a 98 pound pixie girl who hasn't shown any aggression or violence towards anyone at all and automatically think "serial killer," that is completely knowledge of the rper you have going on being transmitted to character :P second off, gonna establish here and now, neither Kyle nor Xander knew about Kat self-harming, that was established from the first two pages of the rp when Xander discovered her. And it says in the sign ups that Xander did indeed take Kyle's hits for him. Just clarifying this for all reading.)


Xander could not believe what he was hearing. Yes, he knew that Kyle tended to be something of the "hothead" he had described Xander as being. He knew that when his brother got upset or emotional, he usually started yelling the first thing that came to his mind, no matter how inaccurate it was. But this...his brother standing there and saying, with his sister there to hear too, things that weren't just distorted by his perception or by his emotions, but that were completely, totally, fully untrue, without one aspect of accuracy to them, left Xander almost speechless. Any anger he had felt before was now tempered by his shock as he just stared at Kyle, at first unable to gather words. He saw Katarina cringe, yanking her arm from Kyle's grasp and pulling her sleeve down the best she could with both hands wrapped up, her face crimson, eyes bright with both embarrassment and anger as she glared at Kyle with surprising passion for Katarina. Still, even when Katarina spoke, Xander hadn't yet gathered words of his own.


"Kyle, don't you EVER- EITHER of you- do that to me again," she ground out, and again Xander was surprised by the heat in her tone. "Maybe I'm not...maybe I've done things...that were stupid, or...this is my body. You don't...don't you EVER use it against me just to, to, to make a POINT about who's right, or to...you can't embarrass me to make yourself look good again, don't ever do that to me again!"


"Kat-" Xander started, but she wasn't finished. Looking at Kyle now, she swallowed, then said in a slightly less steady tone, "I never told you. I never showed you. It's winter, Kyle. I've worn long sleeves every day. How would you know what I was doing. You...Kyle, you never said a word, how would you know."


Xander can't tell if she's hurt that Kyle would know and say nothing, or shocked by it; there is a look in her eyes that for once, he cannot interpret, a piece of his twin that can still continue to take him by surprise. But he has found words too now, and he turns to Kyle, his voice calm, not loud, but still carrying heat in its undertone.


"We're going to get a few things straight right now, Kyle. I NEVER knew about what Kat was doing to herself. Never. I found out the same morning that we met Steven. I never knew. And if she says you couldn't have either, then you either knew and kept it to yourself, like you're accusing me of doing, or you're not remembering right, or making it up entirely. As for Mom and Dad? You think I don't blame myself every single day for all the times they hurt you all where I couldn't stop it or wasn't there to see? I'm sorry if you ever took a hit that they meant for me, but you know- you HAVE to know, you HAVE to remember- that every time I was there, every single time, if they were coming at you, I did everything I could to block them and distract them so they would hit ME instead. You have to know that, Kyle. Don't you remember how I would get in Dad's face and scream at the top of my lungs at him, knowing he could punch me in the throat, just so Kat or Chris wouldn't be hurt instead? Don't you remember me AND Kat grabbing at their arms, putting ourselves in between, and telling you and Chris to run?"


He took a deep breath, trying to calm down again as memories of his father's drunken face, contorted in anger, of his mother's vindictive smile flickered into his thoughts. "Look, Kyle. Steven has done some nice things for us. He has. But family comes first. It always does and always will. If I don't like the way he treats Kat, then that's between me, Steven, and Kat. It has nothing at all to do with you. It had nothing at all to do with Rikarah or anyone else, though I don't know how in the world you can look at someone who's like eight inches shorter than you are, when you're pretty short yourself, and think "creepy" and "serial killer" when she's never been anything but nice and helpful to all of us. You have no right and no reason to get in between."


He took another breath, then concluded, "Kyle, we are wasting our time arguing over all of this. Our little sister is out there, with our mother. She's alone and she's scared, and she could be hurt. She's alive, Kyle. YOUR little sister, alive. We have to get her. You can either help us or you can go to bed and be mad at me, but that's what matters to me right now. Alice."


**


Background checks? Seriously?


Rikarah eyed the man suspiciously, but said nothing. She had never heard of such a ridiculous and over the top rule in her life, especially for a son who was at least 19 or 20 years old and was a man in his own right. Still, if that were a truthful statement, she had better be on her way in the morning, and most likely the others should be as well. She was not about to stick around for a rich man who might find out just who she really was.


"I am very tired," she said shortly. "If you will excuse me, then I will go to bed for the evening. Unless, of course, you would prefer to first strip search me to make sure I am not carrying any automatic weapons or anything of the like on my person."


She gave a slightly sarcastic smile, then headed in the direction that Max had indicated her bedroom could be. She has no personal interest in the "Amber" girl, so she chooses Shira's room and slips into bed beside her.


In the morning, she will definitely have to leave.


**


"You shut the hell up," Alicia hissed, and in frustration, reached out and slapped Anthony hard across the face, not so much to attempt to sober him up as because she simply wanted to do it, because she just knew how good it would feel. She barely felt the sting in her hand as she bent over in front of him, her face close to his.


"I'm not taking her back to that place until every last one of them is in our hands. You know damn well the only way to reel them in is to let them know that we have Alice, to hold her over their heads so the goody goody little troop will come to try to get her back. We have to find them, or send out some sort of sign to them so they know. Otherwise..."


Her eyes clouded over then as an idea came, and she nodded slowly. "Madison. It's too late now, but I know she could help us out. She's a teenager, she has to be able to make her way in with one of them..."


(I've got an idea. Madison is 14...so is Kyle...let's put them together!!!! Madison is a pretty girl flirting with Kyle, probably his first girlfriend....this could totally work)
 
*Kyle stomps pass Xander, not looking at either of them* I heard you Xander but like you said what can we do about it, she's with our mother, no one will say anything to her or do anything to either of them cause we can't prove to them they hurt us. If we go to the police they'll just make us go with them and you said so yourself you're not strong enough to beat dad, so for all your talk you can't do anything, we can't get her back without getting in trouble. So we should just all go back and take whatever is coming to us, cause what's the point, thanks to you we're going to get kicked out of here and then we'll be on our own again but if we just go back, at least we'll be with Alice..She won't have to suffer alone...No one is gonna help us, no one cares about us anymore so what's the point?


(Steven was gone a few hours, let me know when you move forward so I can have him come back in. And you idea with kyle having a girlfriend is fine, by the way Rka always just stares through people, she may be nice to Xander but she's never even smiled at Kyle, she looks at everyone rather coldly and judging, that's what I meant about her being creepy)
 
(I say time skip to next day starting next post)


What Kyle was proposing was unacceptable. They couldn't go back to their parents. It wasn't happening. Xander would never let them all return to certain harm in that way, and there was definitely going to be harm coming to them all if they ever saw their parents again. They couldn't go back...but he couldn't think of anything else to do now. All Xander wanted was to head out and look for Alice, but it was growing late, everyone was upset, and he honestly had no idea how to start.


It felt so wrong to just go to bed, and he knew he would never sleep. But what else could they do until morning?


"We'll talk about this later...but we're not going back. NEVER," was all he said before heading out the door. "Good night, Kat."


It would certainly be fun to share a room with Kyle tonight.
 
*Kyle went to bed and stayed there for about 15 minutes, he was to tense to sleep, he got up and tip toed out of the room, he decided that if Xander woke and asked him, he would say he's going to the bathroom but he's going downstairs to the dojo. There he looks around and sees the punching bag Kat was probably working on and decides that if he's ever gonna be stronger he should start tonight and starts punching the bag. It's nearly morning when Steven walks into the dojo, he hadn't sleep, he just sat in his car most of the night since he got home. He intended on getting in a good workout but when he comes in and sees Kyle on the floor next to the bag sleeping, he exhausted himself working out, Steven kneels over him and scoops him up and carries him upstairs, into Kyle and Xander's room and lays Kyle back in bed and covers him. Just then Kyle stirs a little and speaks to him.* Steven don't kick us out, Xander is a jerk and he's mean, he's gonna ruin everything and make you hate us then kick us out. *Steven realizes that Kyle is just a kid and technically so is Xander and it's pretty pathetic to let Xander push his buttons like he does. He needs to keep his temper in check for the sake of Kyle, Kat and Chris, maybe even tho Xander is a complete tool, Steven cares about him to.* Look Kyle don't you worry about that, I'm not gonna kick you out because Xander and I don't get along all the time, things between me and him get out of hand sometimes and I promise to do better, we're just stubborn that's all. But we both just want to make sure you're all safe and happy....I'll try harder to not fight with him I promise...But still maybe I should give you all some space to adjust to here, maybe not come around all of you so much?*Kyle looks up at Steven* You can't do that, we need you around and even if Xander won't say it, he needs you too, they have my little sister Alice and we don't know what to do...Why didn't you want Kat to tell us that Steven? *Steven taken aback by that question, surely he thought there would be more anger but he still has Xander for that.* Kyle, I thought if you all knew about her you would rush out without a plan and get hurt, I admit that I was wrong about doubting you, I should have know better that you could handle knowing, again I'm sorry.* Kyle frowns and turns away* No, you were right to not tell us. We don't know what to do but we can't stand the thought of her being hurt by them, I said we should all just give up and at least we'll all be together.


*Steven, pats Kyle on the head* You feel like you're helpless and don't know what to do and who to go to right? I know that feeling I felt that way when I found out about my parents, I had to take sometime and think about what it is I need to do and what it is I'm willing to give up. When I started going after Calico, I'd decided that I would give up my freedom and maybe even my life to get them justice...Look I told Kat to give me a few days to look into your parents, my new bosses may be able to help me track them, I'm still hopeful but if you and the others decide to do this on your own, I won't stop you. Now you need to get some sleep and so do I, it's been a long night for me. *Kyle rolls back over and looks at Steven.* I'm not sure what we'll do, maybe our mighty king Xander will come up with something. *Steven gets up and heads to the door but turns back.* Kyle you shouldn't be so hard on Xander, he's doing the best he can with what he's got....He's pretty damn strong if you ask me. *He leaves the room, Kyle looks over at his brother's bed, at first his eyes are hard but they soften as he slowly closes them.*
 
Max shook his head at Rikarah's strip search comment. "Nah, I don't roll like that. Usually the girls do that themselves and I usually prefer someone . . . taller. No offense." After Rikarah went upstairs, Max helped Cas into his own bedroom while Hailey was free to do whatever she wanted. This rooming arrangement was probably best since Cas wasn't exactly able to walk up and snoop around his room. The blond came back with a blanket and his laptop before settling down on his couch.


Opening his laptop, he wondered if he should search Rikarah and Amber like his father had said. But he was really curious about this "Lucy in the Sky" that might have something to do with Shira. Plus he didn't have any other information to narrow down the search on the other two girls, not even a last name. So for now, all he could do was to look up the hints his father left him. Typing in the first term didn't seem to do much. What could his dad have meant with a Beatles song? He tried it with the "Dark Woods Circus" term next.


There were fairly few results with this one but they seemed to do the trick. The Dark Woods Circus was a traveling family that would put on shows for the public for tips. The Hargreaves went from city to city and certainly made quite an impression with the people, with a lot of local articles featuring the talented family. One thing struck Max as strange though. In all the pictures of the performers, there were a few children who would disappear from the family and some that seemed to be added on. Some stayed with the family the entire way though. One of them being the "Lucy in the Sky" that Max assumed his father was referring to.


Max's eyes widened as he looked at more pictures of the little acrobat. The girl looked exactly like Shira, albeit smaller but they were near identical. He scrolled down the screen to find the most recent article of the circus family, some evidence that this girl was not the same on that slept just upstairs. The latest one was from two years ago so he had no idea where this Lucy was right now, which meant that it was very possible the two were one and the same. But how? Was it a case of amnesia? And how did Cas fall into this? Did Rikarah and the other theatre girls know?


He eyed the headline of the article with a slight sense of dread. "Circus Nightmare Strikes Springfield" Out of curiosity, Max clicked the link and when the images filled his screen, he instantly ran to the bathroom. It's been quite a while since the blond had last threw up like this. Last time was after a frat party two years ago when everyone was celebrating the end of finals.


After rinsing his mouth, Max crept back into the living room, almost afraid to picking up the laptop that had fallen to the floor when he ran. However the need for information overwhelmed any sense of fear he felt at the moment, so getting back on the couch, he picked it up and forced himself to read.


Springfield, Massachusetts apparently was the last stop for the Dark Woods Circus. They had been welcomed with open arms as everyone came to enjoy their shows. But as children went missing, fingers began pointing at the traveling family. Then on the night before the police were going to issue a warrant, the chief's son, Adrian, went missing as well. Screams and gunshots were heard from the Hargreaves household but no one wished to check on them in the middle of the night. The next day, when forces came to investigate, they found something that seemed to come out of the nightmares in the basement.


Cages with children, along with some of the missing ones, and a room of adult patrons, all dead. The children had all been shot while the adults all seemed to have dropped dead. The authorities had suspected either cult activity or an underground prostitution ring. The only people not accounted for were Lucy and Adrian. As Max scrolled through images of the deceased, he found his stomach giving up on him once again, particularly at the images of the children. What was going on in that basement? There was one child in a straight jacket with a face that resembled a zombie, one girl whose face seemed half melted off and others that Max couldn't bear to look at.


Shira couldn't be Lucy. No child could be as stupidly innocent as her and come from this sort of background. Or at least he thought, until he reached the bottom of the page where a picture of the police chief's son . . . Cas. Feeling overwhelmed by the incoming questions in his mind, Max decided to quit for the night and sleep on it. Making sure to delete any evidence of his search, he turned the laptop off and lied down to sleep. Questions still swirled around his head but perhaps the most prominent one was "How did his father know to search those terms?"
 
Kyle had heard, of course, when Steven came in with Kyle, and their conversation started. He had kept his eyes closed, feigning sleep, but really listened to every word between them. It had not been unexpected for Kyle to bash him, after their fight, and considering how Steven was definitely twisting his thoughts towards Xander. Some of it was true to some degree. Xander couldn't provide for them like he wanted to, as hard as he had tried. They had to scrounge every day for food and warmth, and he had never been able to keep them fully safe, as hard as he had tried. Kyle was too young and immature to see or understand that. All he saw was the results, and the results were not ones Xander himself were happy with, ones that kept him up at night worrying about.


He couldn't control his powers or Kyle's. He couldn't keep Chris from being blind or from running when she was upset. He couldn't make Katarina happy and hadn't known she was hurting herself...and twice now, he hadn't saved Alice.


He expected Steven to agree, but instead, he is stunned when the man tells Kyle that Xander is doing the best he can, that he is strong. STRONG...Steven, He-Man Bullet-Deflector Steven, thinks XANDER is strong? The thought is astonishing enough that Xander barely notices when Steven leaves, and long after he hears Kyle drift off, he remains quiet, thinking about it.


Maybe in the morning, he will try again to work things with Steven. Then with Kat and Kyle...and what he could do, he decides, is meet with Rikarah, have her tell him in person exactly what he saw. Maybe she could take them where she saw it take place. Rikarah would help them more than Steven could, she had actually seen what happened. And whatever Kyle said, he liked her. She didn't kiss the ground Steven walked on, she actually listened to his ideas, and she was pretty...very pretty. Smart...


As he finally drifted off, he wondered what Kyle could possibly think was creepy about Rikarah.


**


Katarina too had taken quite some time to fall asleep. Long after Chris had joined her, and Katarina had refused to talk to her, sick of confrontations for the day, she had lay back in bed and thought about what everyone had been saying. It was all so confusing and provoked so much emotion in her she didn't know what, exactly, she really was feeling.


Xander didn't like Steven, that much had been obvious from the start. He didn't like her with any guys, and had always made it clear he didn't like her having casual sex, or jumping into relationships, but Steven in particular drew his wrath. They were both so mean to each other, and that was hard for her, putting her in the middle not knowing who to stick up for or who to be loyal to.


Xander was her brother, her twin. What he thought mattered to her and always would. She would always love him just a little more than she loved Kyle or her sisters, whether or not that was fair. He was the one who was there for her the most, the only one who had ever really tried to protect her, the one she could count on or turn to all her life. But Steven...he had done so much for them, more successfully helping them than Xander ever could. He had also gotten them in trouble a few times, but that she could dismiss as part of the roll of dice.


And he loved her...didn't he? He had said so...he said she was the best thing that happened to him.


But Xander said he wasn't good for her. Xander said he didn't treat her well. He did though- sometimes. Katarina knew that he was sometimes very, very nice to her.


But sometimes...sometimes he got mad and yelled, and told her he wasn't going to see her anymore. Sometimes he got mad at her because he was mad at her brother. Sometimes he wouldn't touch her at all. She didn't understand, and the more she thought about it the more confused she got.


Xander said she deserved better. Katarina didn't believe that for a second. She deserved a lot worse than Steven...but...


And her brothers. Always yelling, always fighting over her and Steven...they really did make her so mad. How many times had either of them brought up her hurting herself? How many times had Steven? Putting it out there like it was okay for them to talk about where everyone could hear, even if everyone did already know. Shoving up her sleeves for everyone to see...what made them think that was okay? What made them think they had the right to do that to her, ever? Like she was a point to prove?


She was troubled as she fell asleep and dreamed only in nightmares. When she wakened in the morning, she was reluctant to get out of bed, knowing that the next day could bring nothing better.


**


When Rikarah awakened in the morning, the first thought in her mind was how to make her exit. Of course, she had the excuse of work this evening to be getting to, but she would rather not see Max's parents, or even Max, before leaving. She dressed quickly and quietly, so as not to awaken Shira, but as she cleaned herself up in the nearest bathroom and prepared to leave, this was not to be. The telephone rang, and when it was given to her, with the information that it was Xander, for her, she picked up, not surprised, but resigned. Of course Xander would want to talk to her about Alice.


She agreed to meet him in the park, along with whichever siblings would come in tow. As it was this gave her excellent reason to leave, and as she headed out the door, she nodded towards Max in acknowledgement.


"Thank you for allowing me to stay the night. As it stands, your father does not seem terribly fond of me, so I do not believe I will stay again."


**


Madison had a 4.0 GPA so far in the ninth grade, and nearly perfect attendance. She also had such a stellar reputation among her teachers that she was sure a forged note from her mother, detailing her illness, would be regarded as fully genuine if she took Alicia's request seriously and skipped out of school today. She was to be on the look out, she had been instructed, for a teenage boy about her own age, short and slightly stocky with black hair and blue eyes, by the name of Kyle. And apparently, she was to lure him in as well.


Madison had been given no more instructions than that, but she had come up with some on her own. She had decided then that it would be best for her to look as though she had a legitimate reason, such as homelessness, to be in the park at her age in the morning, and so she had worn messy clothing in layers and messed up her hair, as well as carrying a backpack. Setting out, she had looked around herself as well as she walked towards the park, looking to make sure no boy meeting his description was easily seen about the streets. If she didn't encounter him in the park, she would migrate elsewhere; this could take quite some time in a city this size, but usually, Madison was lucky. Street kids tended to stay in the same general area.
 
*Steven hardly took his own advice and went to bed, instead he went back to the dojo and started working out, he took out all his anger and disappointment in himself out on the equipment, it's amazing that he didn't destroy another bad, somehow he was able to keep control enough to actually get a decent workout in, so much that he loses track of time and when he finishes it's nearly noon and he's exhausted, dripping with sweat and out of breath, he collapses to the floor, he tries to relax and push himself into meditating. Trying to calm himself and push last night out of his head.*


*Kyle woke up about 8 and decided to stay in his room, it was far to depressing to deal with everyone today, and he really has no energy to start arguing with Xander again he does regret some of the things he did and said last night but mostly the stuff about giving up and just going back to their parents but he doesn't know what else to do, Alice is with them all alone, they owe it to Alice to go and be with her after what they..he did to her, Kyle knows that he's the one that should do something. He should go and try and find them on his own and try to save Alice, if he fails at least he'll be with her and none of the others will have to be in danger.*
 
When Xander awakens, Kyle is still in his bed, though he seems to be, from what Xander can tell, still awake. Xander dresses himself, frequently glancing over at him, and then leaves the room, making the call and arrangements to Rikarah. Then he returns to the bedroom, staring down at Kyle before speaking aloud to him, his voice quiet, subdued.


"Kyle? I know you're awake. I just want to say...I'm sorry about our fight. I'm sorry if you think I've failed you. You're probably right. But I'm trying."


He hesitated, then added, "I'm going to get the girls up and have them meet us in the living room to talk about what to do today. We still have to tell Chris about Alice."


He left the room then, knocking on the girls' door and sticking his head in to say to them, "Kat, Chris, get up if you're not already and meet us in the living room."


By the time the girls emerge, he is restless, his legs pogoing up and down where he is seated as he tells them when they come in and begin to sit, "Chris, Alice is alive. Rikarah saw her with Mom. We're going to meet Rikarah where she saw her and figure out what to do."
 
Although Max woke up, he probably wasn't fully awake until right before Rikarah left. The girl seemed to be in a hurry to get out of there and honestly, Max didn't blame her. She seemed like a smart girl, too smart, so she must've figured out that the Kennedys were not people you wanted to get involved with. "I'm sure you're just imagining it, but I can't force you to stay. Still, you can help yourself to something in the kitchen to eat before you go. There should be some things you can just take with you." Still, with what seemed like all the potential dominos leaving him, he supposed he would have to concentrate on the one he managed to keep. Then he should go to Steven's dojo to see what equipment the place needed.


~~~~~


Cas woke up at around seven or so, having been used to doing it for so long at the theatre. The first thing he noticed was that this wasn't the same room he had been using for over a year now. It was clean, and white. Ah, that's right. They spent the night at Max's apartment. The warmth of an actual bed brought back memories of his old life, only making him dread going back to the theatre again. But he didn't have a choice. It was best to avoid people when you're hiding.


Cas did his best to support himself as he got up but the softness of the mattress proved a worthy foe. After about ten minutes though, he had finally managed to get up, feeling as fatigued as when he had first went to sleep. Just great. This bum leg was already proving to be a pain in the ass. He looked around the room a bit while he tried to catch his breath. It seemed like a normal room with a closet, side tables, and a rather impressive computer. Something caught his eye though. The far wall had shelves filled with so many trophies and medals, it looked as if the wall itself was gold.


Using the walls and whatever furniture he could find as support, Cas hopped over to that part of the room. Science fair awards, kickboxing and fencing championships, even debate team awards, etc. Cas didn't know Max other than his name but if this wall said anything, it would be that Max was a pretty accomplished guy. Staring at everything, not only hurt his eyes from the sunlight bouncing off all the metal, but also served to lower Cas' self esteem quite a bit.


The Asian never really accomplished much. Being the wrong type of Asian, his grades in school had never been spectacular although he was better than average. He had never really enjoyed sports so didn't bother trying. His father had even tried to teach him Kali and other forms of self defense in hopes that Adrian Tian would become a police officer one day, but Cas had never taken those lessons too seriously either. Back then, Cas believed his life would be the same boring thing everyone else was going through. If only he had known back then the sort of lifestyle he would eventually lead. Then maybe he would've taken those lessons seriously or even have avoided the Hargreaves entirely.


But this was no time to be regretting past mistakes. Cas hopped out of the bedroom and down the short hallway to the living room just to see Rikarah leave. "Is Shira still asleep?"


The sudden voice made Max jump a little. He looked over at Cas or was he Adrian? He was a little thinner and taller but he really did look like the young teen in the photo. There were so many things Max wanted to ask for the sake of knowing what the hell was going on but be knew anything he asked wouldn't be answered. "Y-yeah. She's still asleep or at least I think. I didn't exactly go check. Did you sleep well?"


"Yeah. Better than I've slept for a while. Sorry for taking your bed. As soon as Shira wakes up, we'll be out of your hair."


"Well, it wasn't that much trouble. In fact, you guys could stay here if you want."


Cas was tempted to take the man's offer but it was too much of a risk. Max, being this wealthy, was bound to have connections to someone who could tell him about Shira. Even his father said that they needed background checks on these people. And his father himself was a reason no to stay. "N-no. I don't feel good mooching off of you like this. Plus, I think your father scares Shira or something. I wouldn't be a good brother if I just let her keep fainting like that, would I?"


"No, I suppose you wouldn't. But at least let me give you some things for that leg of yours. And while Shira sleeps, you can go take a shower. I don't know how many times you'll be able to do that in your . . . home. I'll give you some of my clothes to wear."


"Oh . . . okay then. Thank you. I . . . I guess I'll do that."


~~~~~


A poorly lit room and the faint sound of circus music. A two headed clown . . . A singing satyr . . . A zombie . . . Shira looked around as kids and teens linked arms and began circling her like a game of Ring Around the Rosy. Their bodies soon became tall shadows with glowing red eyes. A faint laughter sounds through the air and gets louder and louder until . . .


Shira woke up in a cold sweat. She had a nightmare . . . or at least it felt like she did. She actually couldn't remember what it was she dreamt last night. Weird . . . Looking around the room, she recalled being in Max's living room. Then there was an old man and . . . the rest was blank after that. Bringing her knees up to her chest, Shira tried to remember what the dream was about. But all her efforts were in vain as she only gained a painful headache.


(Yeah . . . I honestly have no idea what to do now so I'll continue this in a later post . . . )
 
*Kyle doesn't jump up right away when Xander tells him to, he takes his time even going to the bathroom and washes up, then to the kitchen and grabs a bowl of cereal before finally coming to the living room and sits down with his back to the group facing out the window.* Ok so what do you want to talk about Xander? *He's trying not to blurt anything else out to avoid as much drama and yelling as he can, but he has no hope for them getting anything done especially when it comes to rescuing Alice.* What are we going to do?


(I'm sorry I got nothing tonight my brain is pudding)
 
Rikarah nodded in response to Max's offer of food and thanked him, going into the kitchen and searching through the cabinets for food which was easy for her to stash on her person and carry along with her. It was true that she got an adequate amount of food, working in the diner, but it was also true that she might soon enough no longer have a job there if she felt that it were necessary for her to move on from this city or to relocate. Having extra food would never be a bad thing.


She chose several easily carried items such as crackers and fruit bars before walking out the door and beginning her trek back to Central Park, where she had told the DeSantos she would be meeting them. She took her time in walking, sharply observant of her surroundings. If she were to see the woman again, as well as Alice, then she didn't know what she would do, but she would want to look within the woman's thoughts this time, to gain more information.


She was not quite sure, still, why it was that she was doing this. It would have been easier and wiser for her to simply ignore what she had witnessed and to move on and away from this all, to better insure she would remain safe and anonymous in the city. But the DeSantos have her interest, even her sympathy. They deserve better than how they have been treated. And if she is unable to retaliate against Calico, perhaps she can strike out against their mother.


**


Xander waits until the others have been seated and are looking in his direction before he answers Kyle's question. "I just told you that, Kyle. We're going to meet Rikarah in Central Park where she saw this happen and talk to her about it, figure out where to go from there. If she really thinks about it maybe she'll remember what she saw in Alice's head in more detail, and we can figure out where Alice is. Maybe...maybe if we get all of us in a group, and some of the others too, it can be like the zoo. If we could get you back from a guy with super powers when you were dangling over a tiger's cage, surely we can get one little girl away from a pathetic drunk and his wife. Right?"


From the way Katarina looks at him, she isn't so sure, but she doesn't say anything, picking at a cuticle. Xander turns his attention to her then, lowering his voice. "Kat, I'm sorry we were fighting last night, okay? We'll try to get along better."
 
Xander are you forgetting that it was Steven that stayed behind so that we could get away? Do you really think any of us would be here if he hadn't held Calico and his men back? *Kyle shakes his head.* Look I know you were all there and you all helped save me but, we would all be dead if he hadn't gave himself up for us all to get away. We can't do this, all they have to do is show up with family services or the police and they'll just give us back to them.


*Speak of the devil Steven comes up the stairs and through the living room, he stops for a moment to see everyone gathered but decides it's none of his business, not wanting to get into it with Xander again, he decides to give the whole group their space.* Sorry, just wanted to grab an apple and a bottle of water, then I'll head upstairs to my room, just give me a second to get out of the way.
 
Kyle had a point, one that Xander didn’t want to admit out loud in front of his siblings. Without Steven giving himself up things very well could have ended differently. Still, what else could they do? Giving themselves up to their parents wasn’t an option. Xander would give himself up and let his siblings go free if it came to that, just so Alice would have someone else there to take some of the brunt of the inevitable abuse away from her alone.





He didn’t even want to think about what she might be going through even as they sat there discussing possibilities, how angry his parents must be, how they must be focusing all their anger on her alone, trying to force answers out of her she wouldn’t have. She was only seven years old. They HAD to help her, somehow.








“We were doing okay,” he defended himself to Kyle. “Rikarah and Natalia were helping. I mean, I guess Shira and Castiel won’t be much help, but Max and the others…we might have figured it out…and that shadow kid…”





He doesn’t know, of course, that Natalia has left and that Sebastian has disappeared, that few would now be able to help them.





Katarina listens, her eyes shifting back and forth between her brothers before she speaks up quietly. “Why can’t we ask Steven? I mean…I know he’s mad, but…if he wanted…”





Her voice trails off as Steven enters the room, and she looks down, suddenly busy playing with the knee of her pants. When Steven behaves with avoidance, intent on exiting their presence, she speaks up before Xander can.








“Wait…Steven…please don’t be angry with us. We need…Xander won’t ask, but-“





“Kat,” Xander starts, but she holds up one hand, her voice carrying an edge now.





“No. Alice is more important than any arguments or jealousies or pride or…anything. Our sister needs help, Steven. She’s only seven. Will you please help us get her back.”
 
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