Wren always knew that everyone expected everything of her. That's how it had been for 12 years of her life now, always having to pull everyone out of trouble, expected to save them all time and time again. So she wasn't all that surprised when she heard someone calling her name for help.
It did surprise her, though, when she realized it was Jesse calling out for help.
It was late at night, so Wren automatically knew that whatever it was, it couldn't have been good. "What did Jack do this time," she thought to herself, putting slippers on and pulling her sweater over her nightgown. Everyone around at this point was fairly used to Jack constantly terrorizing Jesse. It's just how it was at this point, and honestly, it was a miracle that Jesse hadn't killed Jack yet. The thing was though that Jesse usually just handled it by himself; he wasn't exactly one to reach out for help. So whatever it was that Jack did this time, it had to have been bad.
As she started thinking more about it, the quicker she moved, grabbing her stardust and almost spilling some in the process. She also knew that Jack tended to enjoy working on projects of his own, and perhaps this was one of those times and it went out of control. Which is why it absolutely surprised her when she finally arrived and didn't see Jack anywhere.
Jesse was completely backed into a corner, shaking, with a facial expression that Wren couldn't quite pinpoint. It looked like fear, which was foreign to see for him. In front of him was Fletcher, with his back to Wren, just standing there.
She couldn't quite figure out what was going on and why Jesse looked like he was on the verge of tears. It was just Fletcher, perhaps the least threatening person to ever exist. Besides, weren't they best friends?
Jesse's eyes finally landed on Wren, and before she could think, he had dashed up to her, gripping her shoulders with a frantic intensity.
"FIX HIM. YOU'VE GOTTA FIX HIM."
"What?" Wren was still trying to process what exactly was going on.
"Fletcher, please, fix him," Jesse desperately pleaded, which was not something she ever thought she'd see.
She looked behind Jesse to see Fletcher now staring at the both of them. Instantly, she knew why Jesse was reacting the way he was.
Fletcher looked about the same as he always did, but something was definitely off. His irises were red, his pupils dilated, and he was smiling, but it wasn't the usual type of smile he wore. This one seemed twisted, sinister. A chill ran down Wren's spine.
"What's wrong, Jesse?" Fletcher asked, in a voice that didn't quite sound like his own. It was more mechanical, with a hollow, tinny echo.
In an instant, Jesse was hiding behind Wren, pushing her slightly closer to Fletcher.
"What happened here?" Wren asked, her voice steady despite her fear. She didn't dare break eye contact with Fletcher. She wasn't sure what had happened to him, but she didn't want to see what he would do without eyes on him.
"I think Jack happened," Jesse responded, his voice tight with fear, also not daring to take his eyes off Fletcher. In response, Fletcher moved slightly closer to them, causing the pair to back up.
"And where is he?"
"I don't know and I don't care just FIX HIM."
"I can't do that unless Jack is here as well," she was starting to get annoyed with his demands, no matter how reasonable they were. "So unless you want Fletcher stuck like this, I suggest you go find him right now."
Jesse nodded and took off without any questions, leaving her and Fletcher alone to just stare at each other. She gripped onto the Starfire stone around her neck, pondering what Jack could have possibly done that caused this. Yeah, Jack's projects could be a little unhinged at times, but this was something else. Something dark.
