The Cycle of Endangerment

Hungry's

"Yo, Roxie. Who's that?" The 12 year old said, tilting his sailor hat as a greeting. James was stuck in a trance for a bit but looked at the 12 year old. "Oh, well my names James. What's your name?"

"Vetruvious." He answered. "But people call me V."

"I'm Porpentina. But people Call me Pip." The 8 year old lisped. The boy flipping burgers stopped for a minute. "Jacob." He said quickly, then realized the burgers were burning. The black haired teenager turned around and blinked. "Estelle." She said in a rather powerful but quiet voice. James pointed and said each of their names,"Roxanne, Pip, V, Jacob and Estelle. Ill try to remember all of this, I'm more of a person to remember faces." He snickered quietly to himself and pulled down his hood. His hair is long in the back, ending a little above his shoulders. It was a beautiful mixture of brunette and ginger, making a light brown with a taste of orange. James's hair was straighter in the back but curves in the front. He has dark brown eyes with a thin but long scar in between them, on the bridge of his nose. "A scar." Roxie said happily, and she pulled him into a large booth, sitting across from James. Estelle got up from her bar seat and walked slowly over to the booth, and V and Pip scooted their chairs up to the table. Roxie took out her notepad. "Oh, boy." Estelle said. "A scar! How did you get it? Where are your parents? Were you in a fight?" She began to rush in the questions. James rubbed the back of his head "By the rate your pumping questions out of me there will be nothing left to know" He chuckled "Well we can start with my parents. My dad moves to cities and towns for work but right now he's away. For a while" James began to tap the table quietly. "My mom works at a deli a few minuets away by car, she's working today."

"Scar, the scar. How did you get it? A vicious fight? A strange birth defect?? Ooh, details!" Roxie smiled. "Well, I believe I was three or four years old..." he looked around the huddle and smiled "...I was playing with a small train toy on a couch. I lost balance and my nose bashed into a sharp corner of our old coffee table with a loud SLAM!" James made a fist and slammed the table "There was blood everywhere and I needed stitches. I think my dad said it even chipped my skull slightly. I was then 9 years when one of my old friends and I got into a fight and it opened it back up a bit, but its fine now."

"Mhm." Roxie recorded as fast as she could, and Estelle looked rather disappointed. The two children looked at him in awe. "It must have hurt." Roxie gushed. James smirked "Yeah it hurt alright, but the best part of it is how lucky I am. This was only the first time I escaped the grips of death."

"First?!" Roxanne exclaimed, writing first in big letters.

Jacob emerged to the table, balancing plates on his shoulders and hands. He placed a burger in front of Roxanne, Pip, V, and Estelle. "And one for your boyfriend." Jacob joked at Roxanne, giving James a plate. Roxanne turned redder than her hair. "Jacob!" She exclaimed. James looked at Jacob and thanked him before taking a bite. He swallowed and mentioned "If any of you guys need help I don't have anything going on... Ever"

"Well.." Estelle began. "JAAAACCCCOOOBBBB!!" A girl busted in and it seemed like everyone groaned. The lady was 16, and the second richest girl in town. Her hair was blonde and seemed to be curled perfectly, and she had pink lips covered in clear gloss. Her eyes were baby blue and she was dressed like she was in Teen Vogue. She was what guys called "cute." She had a petite figure and she looked angry. "Jacob, imma need like.., your best thing on the menu or else!" She cried. Jacob groaned and turned back to the grill. The girl looked at the group huddled at the table, glared at Estelle like she was competition, and Estelle gave a rather scary smirk that would send shivers down your spine in return. Roxanne tipped her hat, and so did V. Pip just rolled his eyes. "And who might this be?" She said, her voice changing from mean to sugar, gushing over James and batting her curled eyelashes. "My names James, you are?" James smiles, something told James that this is going to be one hell of a trip. "What a cute name! I'm Marilyn, like the beautiful actress!" She spun a bit and smiled at him, obviously flirting. James nodded "Why thank you, Marilyn is a wonderful name!" He chuckled "Oh for the love of Christ." Estelle groaned. "Get a room." Jacob called. James pretend to be embarrassed and covered his face. "I think that's the thing you wanted help with, so I'm befriending her" he mumbled to the group. "That wasn't what.." Roxanne trailed off, obviously hinting that he was wrong. "Well crap..." James put his head on the table "What did you need help with?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Marilyn called. Jacob slid her a float and she just "hmph"ed. "Nothing!" Roxie said quickly. "If this is about Bee, then tell me or I'll tell my Daddy!" She said. James quickly drew a wall and behind it was a circle with devil horns and an arrow pointing to it on Roxanne's notepad. James then calmly explained, "I'm just getting a headache so I was going to leave in a bit, I didn't just want to get up and leave." He finished his burger. "Bye, Jamesy!" Marilyn called. As soon as she left, her demeanor changed. "Alright, listen up! My daddy is holding a dance with the last residents of the town before we move to a better mansion, and Noah Blake is going to be there! Noah Blake! Son of the richest family here, I need to get with him, we need to marry, so we can have adorable rich little babies and be better than everyone." She popped open another tube of lip gloss. "And it needs to be perfect! I need to be perfect!" She rushed over to Roxanne. "Listen up, weirdo. There's a newspaper in the city that my Daddy co-owns, I'll get you a job if you help me." Roxanne widended her eyes. "Really?!" She cried.

"Jacob, brother." She said to Jacob. "I need about.. 300 of your cute little pies on the double!" Jacob groaned. "Pip, V, your'e going to have to drive my Daddy's limo to pick up Noah and I." She giggled and shorted. "Estelle.. I hate you, but, help me choose a dress."

"No." Estelle rolled her green eyes.

"Yes, or my daddy'll send you out." She narrowed her eyes. Estelle groaned quietly, "I don't care." She said. "No way."

"I'm gonna have to invite you all too." Marilyn said. She rolled her eyes.

"No thanks, Marilyn, I'm going to look for Bee." Everyone froze and looked at Roxanne. Estelle placed a hand on Roxanne's shivering one. "Roxie.." Her voice went as smooth as sugar, her eyes softer than velvet. "Bee, she's gone. We can't find her.. Let the two police officers do it."

"Nope! I need to have a story. I'm doing it, if no one else will so be it!" She got up, grabbed her notepad and stormed out the diner, but not before pacing a few quarters on the counter to tip Jacob. He looked at her and she looked away. It was a code, those weren't just quarters. Roxanne opened her notebook, past the thousands of interviews with her good friend Beatrice, some of Noah Blakely, unfortunately one of Marilyn for her annual ball, and Estelle refused to answer questions besides "Do you have a secret?" She would always answer "Why, do you?" and that was that. Finally she rested on the page that James drew a wall. She needed to find it. She needed his help.