Larkspur [COMPLETE]

Larkspur Returns

Six months after Carmen had disappeared into the sunset, Eileen was browsing a piercing shop looking for a new jewel for her bellybutton. Not sure when I'll wear it though, mom's so particular about my crop tops. But a certain fake ruby framed in gold and flecked with purple caught her attention, small and sparkly, and it was only three bucks so she bought it. While walking home, her phone gave off a short vibrate from her pocket, slowing her steps she raised it to her eye and saw a text from her brother.

< Your pal in red is here again, with two redhead Boston twins, she says she needs your help. Eileen was surprised.

Help with what? >

< She won't tell me, so I cussed her out for it.

You didn't! >

< Not to her face, I just went to my room and screamed loud enough for her to hear through the door.

Eileen mentally slapped herself, what did she do to deserve such a rude sibling? Don't answer that. She thought to the universe. Picking up speed, she managed to hop aboard a streetcar and bounce along the streets. Upon reaching her street, she hopped off, waving to the homeless guy at the corner who gave her a tired smile in return, before running off down the block.

It was unusually calm on her street that day, as though the world was holding its breath, waiting. Skidding to a halt, Eileen practically sailed over the front steps and through the door, stopping in the archway leading to the living room.

Sure enough, there was Carmen standing in the archway leading to the kitchen and two redhead fraternal twins sat on the red couch to the left of the fireplace, the boy's face stuffed with her mother's famous chocolate chip cookies. She chuckled at the back of her throat before running to Carmen with open arms.

"Hey Carmen, how've you been?" The redhead rolled her eyes as Eileen engulfed her a tight squeeze before letting her go and looking her over. "You look nice." It wasn't a lie, Carmen did look a lot better compared to the last time they met. "So do you." She replied, taking in Eileen's knee-high denim jeans and purple tank top that said 'I'm not small, I'm fun-sized' across her chest.

"This is the dancing queen from your high school years?" Said the Boston female, Carmen smiled before draping an arm over Eileen's shoulder. "Yep, Eileen, meet Zack and Ivy, the two other members of my team." Eileen looked over the both of them; Ivy seemed like the type of woman who looked like a lesbian without even trying and Zack looked like Tom only older and a redhead, their energy was the same; young, careless, and terribly dense.

"Nice to meet you." Said Eileen with a bright smile and twinkle in her eyes. "Please, call me Elly." Zack's jaw dropped. "She's cute." Ivy was quick to elbow him in the gut, Eileen laughed as Tom came bounding down from the stairs and her mother came out from the kitchen.

"Elly dear, your friend has told me she needs your help taking down a very dangerous company." Eileen felt the color drain from her face, she knew exactly what her mom was talking about, she whirled around to face Carmen. "Before you say anything, let me state my case." Reluctantly, Eileen shut her mouth and sat on the couch beside Zack, noticing out the corner of her eye the way his face flushed as she did. "I'm listening." Carmen took a deep breath before beginning.

To sum things up, Carmen had been busy these past few months. Doing what you might ask? Taking down V.I.L.E. She had met the Boston twins at a doughnut stakeout in Boston two weeks after she left Eileen to her family, had gotten on the wrong side of a French agent, stopped Bellum from releasing a swarm of rice-eating spores on the plantations of Indonesia, and narrowly managed to snatch a valuable doubloon from V.I.L.E's clutches.