Phoenix's Lies

How Badly?

River

The moment I've managed to process what I've seen I feel something inside me collapse. Tempted to give into it I take a second to breathe, pushing down the tears locked in my throat so I can carry on. Finish what needs to be done.

Ari gives me a look then when she's torn her eyes away from the screen, but she doesn't speak. Just looking back to the bloodstains we'd followed, eyes haunted now we knew whose they were and how they'd come about. Lo gives me a look as well, her eyes are sympathetic yet guarded. "You ok Riv?" Her tone is gentle and soothing. I don't answer her, rage simmering underneath my calm, silent expression. "Riv?"

"We need to talk to the others," Ari comes up to my other side and replies to Lo for me since I still hadn't wrapped my head around what had happened. "Talk to them and show them what we found. I already told Hunt to let Ash know. Said he'd talk to a couple of the others. We need to go back there and talk to them first before we do anything else."

Lo gives me another look but I still don't respond, not sure what to say to make this better, to give them an answer. I just walk back silently with them, phone in hand. It vibrates repeatedly as we do so but I don't look to see whatever the notifications say. Not wanting to see whatever I'm being sent until I can process what happened. What to do next.

The drive back is silent, neither me nor Ari say anything to each other and I know Lo said nothing before we split either, looping back to find Mads where he'd come with us but had become separated. Filling him in on what happened. He too offers me a sympathetic look but that makes me a little mad since I can't do anything with sympathy and I'd seen enough of it when El died. Having had it with sympathy for a good long while.

When we get back I've just about managed to process what I - what we - found and figure out how to respond. Sadness being locked away behind a wall of anger. Rage focused on the people responsible for what happened. A  little to myself in that respect, but I still don't choose to speak, needing to get a handle on my temper before I make the situation worse. Something that isn't helped by the continual vibrating of my phone in my hands. Ari and Lo both try to catch my eyes but I say nothing. Focusing on keeping it in check.

Ari leaves me after a few seconds of waiting, going over to talk to Ash, Michael, Hunt and a few other people who she'd told what happened. What we'd seen down those alleyways. The others keep talking in low voices but I just sit. Sit and think silently to try and figure out what the next logical step was. Finally looking at my phone once to see its messages I don't read and files I don't open which had been sent to me. Some from unknown numbers, some from Nix's phone which I now know has been cloned or they have a hold of since whatever the photos or videos are of that he supposedly sent me wouldn't be something he'd do.

Mads comes over to sit by me then and offers a hesitant smile, no doubt worried I'd react violently or in a fit of anger. "We'll find him. We always figure this stuff out Riv." He looks to where my phone sits face down on my lap and continues to buzz on and off at a regular speed. "Someone trying to reach you?"

"Nope," I bite the word out in anger, flipping the screen over to show Mads the notifications pilling up there. He'd been shocked a little at my reaction but when he saw what I had the puzzlement changed to disbelief and then settled into anger. "Someone trying to get me to respond. In a way that'll get me in danger."

He looks around, nervous, "Have you told the others?" I shake my head, turning the screen off where it's silent for a moment and flipping it over. No sooner have I done so before the buzzing starts up again. "Shown them?" I shake again, eyes narrowed a little in the direction of the wall, my hand burning with the desire to hit something. Or someone. "Riv they need to know. In case it's something we can do something with."