Jester Book 1: Abduction

Ch 15 Part 2: Nervous Teammate

As Jessie continued to hang her posters she was occasionally waved at by some of the younger patrons. Kids about her age who had heard of her or seen her working inside the junkyard with her mother. Being a celebrity at such a young age was taxing. Constantly trying to keep up an image. Actively attending functions and performing in competitions. Honestly, she just wanted to have fun building cool machines and discovering new equations.

She looked into her arms at the posters in hand. At least with her status as a young Brawler she could do something like this. Chester and Mandy had gone missing a while ago. The candy shop being shut down was ruining the mood of kids all over. She twice as much since Jessie couldn't see her favorite Brawler. She hoped that despite the sudden closing Chester would be seen performing in events until it reopened. Yet every Brawler that's disappeared has not been seen since.

Her mother told her that it was just special orders from the park staff. Brawlers going on missions and destabilizing propaganda born through rival attractions. Jessie knew that wasn't entirely true. Otherwise, Jacky wouldn't have come to Pam that night in a frenzy. She knew her mother was just shielding her as always. She didn't blame her for it. That's just what made her such a loving mother.

The final straw was when they put up Chester's poster. All the other Brawlers were presented as heroes hard at work or going on a leisurely stroll away from Starr Park. Chester's poster listed him as a thief. While not entirely false (she had seen his antics on various occasions) he would never allow the shop to close because of it. With a triumphant huff, she raised another poster to the sky. If it's only a little bit she'll help make sure that no one forgets how awesome Chester is. Even if coming outside alone was terrifying.

*jingle**jingle*

Jessie's inner monologue halted. She knew that sound all too well. It helped her fall asleep at night and would often appear in her dreams. It was always accompanied by the appearance of a certain candy man. She started scanning the streets and nearby buildings. She even looked at the roofs and inside the sewer grates. She couldn't find where the jester was hiding.

*Jingle*

This second chime gave her a sense of direction. She backpedaled until the alley came into view. It rested between two townhouses with a set of massive blue garbage cans sitting on either side. It had trash spilling out onto the cement and stunk worse than Ash's morning breath. She knew she heard Chester's cap n' bells coming from here. She just wished she was wrong.

She took a deep breath and gagged a bit before covering her nose with a pigtail. She took a step in and was shrouded by darkness. She looked back to the entrance and shivered. It felt like her exit was a kilometer away. Then she turned back and saw the end of this dark corridor. The house just ahead had no windows. If she were to vanish, nobody would know.

She looked around again for her favorite clown. Each brick seemed to laugh at her and morph into terrifying images. Snarling figures of monsters brought to life. The only sound stronger than their jeers was her heart. Its tempo sounded off in her ears like bass drums. Then suddenly everything went dark and she could feel her lungs lock up. A pair of hands clasped onto her shoulders causing her legs to nearly give out beneath her.

"Sshhhhh..." A soft voice cooed into her ears. A strong male's tone, like a father approaching his daughter. "Breath." Almost as if it were a command, she steeled her nerves and took a breath. As shaky as it was it was a relief. After a minute of silence, her body started to relax. The hand that pushed her little hat down over her eyes guided her to a plastic crate for her to sit in.

She leaned back and let her hair get stuck on the rough wall. After another minute of silence, she heard him say, "Okay. Now take your time with the hat. Don't want to overwhelm yourself."