Let's All Just Blindfold The Poor, We Must Remind Them What's In Store

The Behemoth Pulitzer

It was cold where jack was. The boy practically blinked and he was in a new building, a tall lavish beautiful building, filled with paintings and lined with gold. He didn't remember how he got there, time had escaped him. He could only think about Crutchie laying in a soft bed wondering where he was, or David staying out late at the lodge just to wait for his return. Or even Albert, scared and alone, barreling into the lodge telling them that Jack would be there any second.
On his wrists, he still felt the cold bite of the handcuffs. Snyder was still dragging him along. Jack could practically feel the soft carpet through his worn down shoes, he could smell cleaning supplies and cologne, he could feel the wasted money with every step he took.
Eventually, they came up to two large doors that towered over anyone who dare look at them. There was a red-headed woman sitting at a desk just in front of the doors, and she had to take a double take when she saw who was in front of her.
"Mister Snyder? You didn't book an appointment for today."
He nodded. "I know, but this is urgent."
She nodded back, then carefully got up and dissapeard behind the doors. She returned just moments later, holding open one of the doors for the two of them.
Jack wanted to fight back. This whole time he had no idea why he hadn't, it was as if the cuffs drained his energy along with his talent.
Snyder dragged him through the doors. There was a man standing there, looking out of a large window on the back wall. The side walls contained large bookcases, filled with more words than Jack had probably ever seen in his life.
There was a desk sitting just in front of the window, and on it was papers and quills and ink and photos of family and little trinkets, but it all still looked so minimalist compared to the hallways.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Mister Snyder?" the man asked, spinning around to face the other two in the room. He was tall, very well dressed and super familiar. And then it hit him. This is the president, how in the hell did jack get here?
His reality started flooding back to him, he tried to pull away from Snyder, but he just tugged on his cuffs. Jack couldn't control his breath, he had to get home, he was gonna get murdered here and every one would think that he left them.
The men didn't seem to care about the panicked state of the boy, and they continued to speak calmly to each other.
"This willful ruffian broke into the refuge, he broke out two dangerous kids and he viciously attacked my men."
Jack shook his head quickly, but his words kept getting caught, he couldn't even make a sound.
And from an outside perspective, this seemed trivial to bring up to the president. But, this was the first time anyone had even thought about attacking the refuge. Well, the first noticeable time, that is.
President Pulitzer turned his attention to Jack. "What's your name, boy?"
Jack still couldn't speak, he shook his head and moved his mouth, but he was dead silent.
Pulitzer slammed his fist on the desk. "Answer me boy!"
"Jack kelly!" he managed to spit out. Pulitzer straightened himself. "Snyder, will you please give me a moment with Jack?" he nodded and made his way out of the looming doors. What did Pulitzer want with him? Was this Jack's last minute of life? Well, it was better him than Albert.
"Calm down boy, I'm not going to hurt you. But,'' Jack gulped at the 'but'. That's always how it was with people like this, nothing could ever change could it? "I want you to tell me what's going on. You seem to have a problem with the refuge, no?"
Jack blinked, his voice slowly coming back to him. He took a deep breath, if Pulitzer really wanted to know, he might as well. After all, he was trying to make a statement wasn't he?
"Ain't it pretty sick that kids a' shoved in there, three to a bed, forced to live without folks or food or love, all cause theys different?"
Pulitzer made his way over to his chair as he listened. "By different, you mean dangerous right?" he asked, almost patronizingly.
"Wh- no! No- if we create the right systems then we can help kids contain it, or, or help them control it without being ashamed for being born!" he exclaimed, voice getting louder as he went on.
Puliters expresion didn't change, and he replied saying, "but you should be. Ashamed, I mean." Jack wanted to punch him. Or, we wanted to want to punch him, but his brain was screaming at him that Pulitzer was right.
"So, you were planning on making a change in this world then? Just by breaking into one of my establishments?"
Jack was starting to doubt himself more and more, but he continued. "Well, i jus' thought that, maybe if we's did somthin', then othas would take that idea an' help..."
Pulitzer let out a harsh laugh. One loud, patronizing note. "Oh boy, you say this like it's so easy. Your efforts are useless. You'll never get anywhere with this."
Jack couldn't breathe. Pulitzer was right. His brain was foggy, the only thing that he could think about was that Pulitzer was right, and this whole thing had been useless.
"Now boy listen to me carefully," he started, leaning on his desk. "You will go home, tell your friends that this little 'revolution' is useless, and that you will all go back to your daily lives."
Jack was trying to clear the fog in his brain, this couldn't be right, right? No, he could never turn on his boys like that, he could never turn on David like that.
"N- no I can't." he managed to whisper.
Pulitzer stood back up. "Do you think I'm stupid? I see those cuffs boy, if you do this, I will personally make sure you never have to go back to the refuge."
Jack continued to be unresponsive.
"And if you don't, I will have you and every single one of your friends sent straight to death row. Now look, you seem tough, but are your friends? Is the life of that crippled boy worth this petty revolution?"
How did he know about Crutchie?
"And that other boy, what was it, David? It would be a shame, if he was ripped away from his family, from his life all for this. It would completely be your fault."
He paused, it was as if he was scanning Jacks's brain for every insecurity he had. How did Pulitzer know his friends' names?
And I see that you know my daughter." seeing Jack's puzzled expression, he continued. "Kathrine."
Jack's heart stopped. No. He had never asked for Katherine's last name, but he wouldn't think that he'd needed to. And how does he know that they know each other? Kathrine's been gone for weeks!
But now, at this, his brain was almost non existent. His eyes were glazed over and he couldn't breathe.
"Now let me repeat myself. Right now, you will be escorted back to your home, and you will speak against this hopeless revolution, and then you will return here.
Jack nodded. "Yes sir."
-
Albert bursted into the lodging house, scaring the shit out of wiesl. He didn't even bother to stop when the man called out his name, he had to get upstairs to make sure everyone got back safe. Maybe Jack just escaped a different way, and didn't pass by him.
He slowly opened up the door to the rooms, to see everyone sitting around on beds. Race immediately ran up to him and hugged him tightly, yelling, "you asshole you've been gone fer hours whats wrong with ya!?"
He laughed quietly. "Sorry Racer."
He could see David waiting over race's shoulder. "Is Jack with ya?"
Albert sunk a bit in race's arms. "I was hopin' he was with you'se."
David felt like he was two inches tall. They've been waiting hours for Jack and Albert, only to not even have Jack return. What if he was stuck in the refuge and they had no idea?
"Hey, it's going to be alright David." Kathrine said, walking up next to him.
She had returned home a few hours ago. Her and Denton located the revolution, but they weren't able to come down for one or two days after Kathrine and Denton because they couldn't use the trains.
But, they were able to help. And they got Crutchie home! He was sleeping now, the poor boy was exhausted.
She might've been right, but it didn't make David feel any better. He kinda wanted to throw up, and disappear, and scream all at the same time.
But only minutes later, there was a knock on the window. David practically sprinted over to the window, and flung it openen. He hugged Jack with more emotion than he had ever hugged anybody, and he almost burst into tears at the sight of the freckled boy.
Jack gave him a light pat on the back in return, and moved passed him into the house.
"Jack!" Kathrine exclaimed, and all of the other boys began to run up to him and cheer. He put his hands up, signaling them to quiet down. They did, he must have been exhausted and they know the feeling.
Davey put his hand on his shoulder. "You should probably go to bed Jackie."
Jack shook his head. "No I's need ta talk ta youse' just... Sit please."
And the boys did just that. They crowded on the floor and in the beds, sitting around Jack. Kathrine and David were sitting together on a bed close to him, waiting for him to speak. Crutchie was sitting up in one of the top bunks, looking at him sweetly. He looked like he'd just woken up, and Jack was glad. He wanted Crutchie to hear this.
Or at least, he thought that he felt glad. He couldn't really feel right now, or even think. All he knew was that he had to shut the revolution down for Pulitzer.
"Listen boys. This aint gonna work out. Al an' I almost died over there- and, and this aint gonna do nothin for us in the long run anyways. I mean, snyder's right, have you ever seen someone use their powers? It's fuckin' terrifiying like.. Says that youse got powers with electricity n such- whats if youse gets mad? You can't control youself, you could kill everyone in the room! I just.. We's just kids theres no way we can do this in a way that matters."
There was a silence. Right now, as far as most people are concerned, Crutchie is the only one with a talent.
And he spoke up, "so youse saying i'm dangerous jack?" he wanted to sound mad, and he almost did, but his voice was filled with overwhelming sadness and hurt.
"Yeah well, i saw what you did to Morris. I'd believe that you could do worse."
And at that, the boys lost their minds. They were screaming and yelling and crying at him, and he tried to yell over them to defend himself, but no one could hear anything. Kathrine walked up to him, David following close behind. He boys quieted down a bit once she began talking.
"Jack what are you doing? How could you just... just turn on us like this?"
"Turn on you? Right right, hey remind me of your last name again?"
She froze, terrified, and that was all the answer that Jack needed.
David moved passed her to face Jack. "You don't know what youre talking about." he practically whispered. He had to keep his emotion in check, Jack must have a reason for this... right?
Jack got in his face, and shoving a finger into David's chest, he said; "no, David. YOU don't understand. You have no fucking idea how it is to live with a talent, you have no fucking idea how hard it is, you have no fucking clue how these kids get treated by their families, by their friends and by the men that run this world. They've been through enough they don't need some privileged savior to get himself killed trying to prove a pathetic point ok? Sorry to break it to ya but this ain't as special as you think it is."
This was his breaking point. Davey felt his heart burst into a million billion pieces. He felt the hands of a traitor rip his porr heart in half, and he felt those same hands stab hundreds of blades into his back.
But he didn't say anything. He didn't punch him or yell 'YOU JUST DESCRIBED MY MISERABLE LIFE YOU ASSHOLE'. He wasn't mad at the only joy in his life who just made him more miserable than he'd ever been.
No. He was past the point of being mad. He was past the point of anger. What he felt was blind silent rage. He was shaking at this point. All of his hidden emotions burst to the surface, all of those years of his family calling him a monster, all those years of Sarah screaming at him for no reason and his parents shaming him for smiling or crying, all those years that he spent all alone. And just when he tries to do something about it, just when he thought he found the one, his world came crashing down. "get out" was all he could manage to say.
The rage and hurt in David's voice snapped Jack back into reality. How did he get here? He blinked a bit. This was a terrifying scene. David looked broken beyond repair, he looked like he could kill jack with his hands tied behind his back. and the boys looked scared. Jack's eyes darted around the room, and he noticed that things around the room were... floating.
They were all vibrating with the same intensity that David held in his eyes. All of the cups and books and pencils and pillows around the room looked like they could explode at any moment.
What did he do. Jack was scared, he never wanted to hurt these boys, what the fuck did he say?
Now wasn't the time though. He wanted to live to see tomorrow, so he slowly turned around and left the room.
David's eyes followed him to the door. They followed him out of the door to see the delancey's waiting there. And, grabbing Jack's arms, they disappeared from view.
David felt the tension in his body lower. the objects stopped shaking. He turned from the door to finally look back at the other boys, and they were all sitting there, terrified. He noticed the objects. He gasped and stumbled backwards, and the objects fell.
It was that moment that he realized what he had done. He let his emotions control him. No, after all these years? did his parents condition and neglect him for years, all for nothing?
He hadn't used his powers in ages, why now? And now, all of the boys were looking at him like he's a monster. the same look that his parents give him when he gets frustrated, the same look that Sarah gives him whenever he walks into the room.
Katherine watched David look like he was about to kill jack. She watched him realize that he used the powers she was unaware he had, she watched his face turn from anger to regret, and she watched him leave the room, leaving everyone in a stunned silence.
She didn't know what to do, she wanted to throw up. How could Jack do this to them? and Davey has powers! How many more of these boys do? No, that didn't matter right now. The revolution was coming tomorrow and they couldn't give up just because Jack had been blinded. But her first job was to make sure David was ok, and to tell everyone about her real identity.