Jester Book 1: Abduction

Ch 16 Part 1: Conviction

Jessie bowed her head at the cabin entrance. Amidst the trees and awakening cicadas was a humble shack made of birch and oak. Its candlelight lanterns danced on the low wind pushing past them. The rustling leaves and silent critters gave a peaceful goodbye to the scarlet kid. She had visited Bo and Nita for the day. After the disappearance of Leon, they had closed themselves off to Starr Park. At least, as much as they could in the far northwestern corner of the complex.

Her visit with Nita had gone as she expected. The older girl was still livid knowing that her brother had suddenly vanished. Jessie had no clue where Leon had gone or why he disappeared. The wild bear cub of a girl was in a feverish rage as she started ranting openly about everything she knew. Bo quickly calmed her down before her lips got too loose. A fact that Jessie made a mental log of.

While she walked home she made sure to scribble down the interaction into her notebook. Bo seemed very aware of something. Nita must know too but he didn't want her to share it with others. Jessie knew she'd have to keep visiting them until she could get Nita to crack. Then she'd finally have some evidence to assist Chester.

Thinking about the clown made her knees weak. She thought about the meeting they had in the alley. How he'd suddenly comforted her during her panic attack, how he leaned on her for information, how he held her in his arms. She shook away such provocative thoughts. This was an important mission. There was no time for personal feelings. She had to help The Brawler Allocation and Retrieval team find out what happened to the missing Brawlers. Even if she wasn't an official member.

When she left the forest the sun was just reaching the end of its cycle. Now the moon was rising and the street lights were coming to life. She hoped that her mother would still be too busy in the warehouse to notice she was getting home late tonight. The girl made sure to keep her eyes on the road as cars rolled past. A few pedestrians gave warm hellos noticing who she was and hoping to get an autograph from the young star.

Their constant intrusions were burning up her batteries. She could feel her mind cooking as she tried to act interested. After another block of constant interruptions, it had grown dark. She felt a bit of frustration at the constant stalling from her adoring fans. Fans she never asked for.

The junker realized that the issue was her attire. She was wearing another one of her brown overalls and dirty yellow shirts. The same clothes she had in her posters for Starr Park. And of course, her extra-long pigtails were visible no matter the light level. She figured that she couldn't change clothes in the open, so removing the hairstyle should make for a good disguise. She tucked the crimson locks into her shirt and continued home. Its effectiveness was alarming. She was nearly invisible. The only time she was acknowledged was if she almost bumped into somebody.

At one point she bumped into someone and fell completely over. While on her butt she profusely apologized, "Sorry. Sorry. I wasn't looking."

A deep voice cackled, "Well... Well... Well..."

Jessie felt her stomach drop. She managed to look past her brim at her roadblock. In the middle of the night, staring down at her with a wicked grin, the anthropomorphic raven, Crow. He wiped off non-existent dust from his pants leg, "I'm just tryna enjoy a real leisure-like stroll, and look who I stumble into."

Crow bent down to pick the girl up by her suspender. She squeaked under his grip and recoiled away. "What are you doing out so late, princess?"

Jessie couldn't manage a response. She was choking back too many tears. It was just her luck. She was so close to home and he showed up. She managed to open an eye and look around. She didn't see his companion Bibi with him so at least that was in her favor. Crow noticed her focus shift and shook her violently, "Look at me when I'm talking to you."

Jessie could feel her legs trembling. She wanted to call out for help but that never worked. No pedestrian would interfere with a Brawler's quarrel. Her only hope was for a Brawler to suddenly arrive or for Crow to lose interest. The bird brought her around so his massive eyes could stare into her. "Haven't you heard? Brawlers are disappearing." He could see the sweat forming from each individual pore. "Your head would be worth a lot. You might be next." A sinister smile formed on his maw. A bit of water was leaking from her eyes, "Aw what's wrong princess?"

Jessie silently prayed for him to arrive. Her dark knight. Her hero.

Crow put his beak to her ear and whispered, "Gonna cry?"

She felt her fear suddenly halt. She was going to cry. The daughter of Pam Junkerton, ace intellect at the age of ten. Master of robotics at age four. She was a Brawler. A fighter. She remembered what Chester told her. 'You're the bravest Brawler I know.'

Jessie kicked away that self-doubt. Her worries flew away as she finally opened her eyes. A brave Brawler doesn't cry from some bully's taunts. If she was going to be Chester's right-hand woman then she needed to be strong. She looked Crow in the eyes just like he asked and defiantly stated, "I'm... not scared."

Crow brought her away from his face. He couldn't help but look shocked at her sudden swap in demeanor. He bit his tongue before throwing her back to the floor. She rolled once before repositioning herself to stare him down. While she lay sprawled out on the floor Crow just threw his hands into his pockets. "Pshh. Whatever." Crow turned his back to her, "Not like anyone would want to keep you. Brat."

With that, the midnight-clad Brawler leaped away. She tried to track him and his ascent into the night but he disappeared behind the rooftops. Jessie waited a moment before getting up. A single pigtail had fallen out from the scuffle, but she survived. Not only that, she thought to herself that this was a win. She actually managed to stand up to Crow.

She jumped to her feet and dusted herself off. The few people that watched along silently moved to help her but she kindly pushed them away. She didn't need any help. Not anymore. She had leveled up. Next, she'd find the missing Brawlers. She and Chester would save this town. Not as a hero and his sidekick, but as partners.