S.H.H.A.

The Cat, The Parrot, and The Grizzly

It happened too quickly for Marshmallow to decipher. Nothing made sense.

It felt like yesterday when she'd first heard about her abandoned cousins. The silly images she thought up of them before seeing the photos still fresh in her mind. If Ninja ever learned how giddy she was before reaching the city, the stoic girl's pale face would turn a soft pink.

So how did everything turn to chaos?

Ninja started a conversation with one of them. Cuddles, the apparent leader who wanted nothing to do with the sisters. No one could blame her. Her own family threw her out like unwanted junk just short of a year ago.

All she had left were her two siblings, one of which huddled in the corner and the other stood between them, stuck in the middle. Marshmallow knew painfully well what thoughts were going through Cuddles' head. The frantic mindset of an overprotective sister.

Then the redhead Marshmallow and Ninja had spoken to before barged in. That's when Marshmallow figured her cousins were in a much stickier situation than they had hoped for.

The redhead said things to Cuddles that made little sense. Marshmallow could tell they had a heated relationship, and based on the way Belle cowered in the corner like a hurt animal, Marshmallow knew their hostility came from more than a personality clash.

Cuddles labeled the fit man behind the redhead Jack but never clarified who the girl could be. Moaz also stuck out, and Marshmallow had a gut feeling he had an important role in the mess. Whatever "chance" he was offering the cousins didn't sound good.

"Does that make me important?" asked Cuddles, similar to how Ninja would taunt Gear but with a more serious air.

To Marshmallow, who often used her sisters to compare traits, Cuddles looked and acted nearly the exact same as Ninja. Her wide shoulders and confident air were the same. But her hair was shorter, her skin was tan, and her eyes were bright blue instead of orange. When she spoke, her voice and a little fire burning in her eyes dared anyone to retort.

A roar erupted from the redhead's lungs as she threw herself toward Cuddles. Without thinking twice, Marshmallow and Ninja both stepped to stop her, but the girl was too fast and locked onto her target like a bull chasing a flag.

All the sisters managed to do was buy Cuddles an extra second to push Scone back toward Belle and flee out the door. She dodged the man stationed there with less than an inch of leeway.

Scone eyed the redhead who followed, but she didn't attempt to help her sister. Instead, she stood protectively over Belle and stared at Jack with faint lines of worry creeping across her naturally calm features.

Jack blankly stared back before the redhead shouted, "Jack!" over the rain outside. He hesitated a second, glancing towards Marshmallow and Ninja, before leaving through the door he came in through instead of the one the redhead had taken.

Two thugs replaced him, both wearing scarves over their mouths and hats shadowing their eyes. Marshmallow and Ninja slid into place, blocking their view of Scone.

Hands ready to come up to guard, Marshmallow asked, "What's going on here, and why are you assaulting my cousins?"

The two men briefly appeared surprised with what little emotion they could express with their faces covered. Neither responded, and Ninja took that as reason enough to cut the conversation short.

Before either could react, she formed a fist and connected it with the closest man's face. The other thug tried to return the gift, but Ninja caught his fist in her palm. "Mind answering my sister's question?" she asked as she swiftly placed his arm in a wrist lock.