IncuBUST

This Beautiful Creature

Sissy yelped and nearly fell off the sofa when Barapha and I appeared in the middle of the living room. Once she had recovered, she cocked her head to one side and asked, "What are you wearing?" I glanced down at the shirt Barapha had loaned me. It was tie dyed with the Sweetwater Iceplex logo emblazoned across the front. It also came all the way down to my knees.

"Um, my clothes got a little dirty," I replied holding up a plastic shopping back with my sweater inside. She stood up and asked, "What happened?" She looked at Barapha, "Why did he bring you home? Where's my car?" She looked back at me. I glanced at the ground and replied, "The windshield was...vandalized a little. I'll call someone to pick it up."

"Vandalized," Barapha scoffed, and Sissy glanced at him. He snatched the plastic bag out of my hand and pulled out my sweater stiff with blood. As he did so he said, "These greasy little giltes threw water balloons filled with blood at us. One hit the windshield and the other hit Chase." He waved my bloody sweater through the air and Sissy gaped.

"That's a hate crime. We should report it," Sissy said setting her hands on her hips. Barapha shook his head and retorted, "No. What we should do is find the little bastards and--" The air grew frigid, and I set my hand on his arm. He exhaled slowly and looked at Sissy saying, "I wanted to freeze them solid, but your brother..." He reached out and stroked my face with his thumb, "He didn't want me to get in trouble."

I smiled sadly and mumbled, "It's not like I was hurt." Sissy nodded and crossed her arms over her chest saying, "Sure, sure, but that stain isn't going to come out with a wash and how much is it gonna cost to get my car towed and cleaned?"

"Seriously? That's what you're worried about?" Barapha snapped and he dropped my sweater on the floor before grabbed my shoulders. He shoved me in front of Sissy and said, "Imagine your brother, this beautiful creature, crying, shaking and covered in blood while those-those walking shit-stains called him a murderer."

"A murderer," Sissy repeated and her eyes met mine. We stared at each other for a long moment before Barapha asked, "Am I missing something?"

"It's just a coincidence," I muttered looking away from her.

"What's a coincidence?" Barapha inquired glancing between us. I shook my head, and she rolled her eyes saying, "Think about it. You kill Octavia's dad then she moves in with her aunt who isn't big with the acceptance when it comes to people like us. You fly out of a neighborhood that doesn't even admit Mythics without express permission. Maybe Charlene--"

"Charlotte," I corrected, and she shook her head saying, "Whatever. Maybe she told someone. Someone who decided to take matters into their own hands. You said she has kids."

"They would never--"

"And we know for a fact that there are members of The IL living in Watermill," Barapha added offhandedly, and Sissy gaped at him.

"The Iron Lance? The IL is in Octavia's neighborhood?" she asked in a hushed voice and Barapha scoffed. Sissy took a step closer to me and continued, "How do you know?" I pulled my phone out of my back pocket (my jeans hadn't suffered much damage) and opened up Octavia's texts holding the phone out to Sissy.

"Oh my gods," she whispered tapping on the image of the pamphlet and zooming in. She shook her head and shoved the phone back at me saying, "We need to get that poor girl out of that neighborhood."

"Hey, maybe you can ask her if she knows them. I remember their faces. I could probably conjure up some images for her to look at," Barapha said setting his hand on my shoulder. I shrugged his hand off and mumbled, "What good would it do?" I stooped to grab my sweater, stared at it for a moment before deciding it was hopeless and went to the kitchen to stuff it in the trash. I started down the hall calling over my shoulder, "I'm going to change."