Supernatural

40

FEBRUARY — SQUARE ONE CLUB — 3:02 PM

Teddy sat in the staff room, staring at his table. He was drenched in guilt, wondering if Vip had killed Alexis yet. He should have done more... Insisted, somehow, or done more than try to talk him out of it.

As usual, he was alone at his table. Nobody wanted to sit with the SN, a sick freak of nature who should have been sold, not kept. Camden had plenty of bodyguards, most with special jobs. Some watched the doors to make sure everyone that came in didn't contain any weapons—something Vip was exempt from—some watched the people in the club to make sure there weren't any fights, some ensured the money was given to the club after buying a SN, and finally, the best of the best watched over the supernaturals.

One of those with the same job as Teddy was Brocker. Brocker was the most muscular among all of them, with bulging arms triple the size of Teddy's scrawny ones. He had a bald head and thick black eyebrows. He stood at what must have been at least six foot five, and had the most threatening air about him. Nobody messed with Brocker. He himself had his own table, like Teddy.

He had once heard the man had taken several hits of electricity from a SN and survived. The thought seemed impossible, yet from what Teddy had seen from him, he didn't doubt it.

FEBRUARY — UNKNOWN LOCATION — 7:21 PM

After dinner, Pepper took Tyler back into her room. She shut the door behind her and stared at him, her steely eyes full of determination. "I'm leaving," she stated.

He stared at her in disbelief. "What? No."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "I didn't ask for your permission. I'm going to go find that guy who contacted us before. Maybe he could help us."

"You can't go! It's dangerous out there for us!" He said, his eyes screaming urgency. "If you get caught—"

"I won't," she assured. "I can handle myself, Tyler. Don't go worrying about me just because of... Recent developments. I remember the address for the bar he had given Monica and Marcus. I'm going tonight and I need you to distract Monica and Marcus."

"How do you even know he'll help us?"

"It's something, Ty," she said.

He bit his lip. "And if he's not there?"

She looked up to him. "I'll come straight back. And go the next night."

He sighed. "You're stupidly stubborn."

"And you're just stupid." She shoved him, lightly and jokingly.

"Hey!" He laughed.

FEBRUARY — SIPHON'S BASEMENT — UNKNOWN TIME

Alexis had been staring at the door ever since Sav left. Any moment, she'd come in declaring she had defeated the bad man and that they could leave. Maybe they could find Rylie, and they'd escape to another country and start a new life.

She looked at the boy in the corner. She had basically given up on initiating conversation between the two of them, but now, with Sav... She had nobody to talk to.

"Hey there," she said, tentatively and gently. He flinched at the sound of her voice. "I'm Alexis."

He didn't respond, and attempted to hide himself in his corner even more. She sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you. We're the same. At least tell me your name."

Although he was hiding where the light couldn't shine, she saw his mouth open. "A... Am-brose." His voice cracking. It was hoarse.

"Ambrose?" She repeated, delighted she was making progress. "How old are you?"

"S-seven."

She giggled. "You can't be seven! I'm seven! You look like you're..." She squinted her eyes and scooted closer. "Ten. Maybe even eleven."

He didn't respond.

Another silence settled.

Alexis heard footsteps from outside, and her heart skipped a beat. She looked over at Ambrose, who was shaking and once again trying to press himself into the wall as though it'd swallow him up and hide him. She was beginning to think it was a good idea, and hesitantly crawled away from the door.

Multiple footsteps, all thudding down steps and down the hall. She heard the bad man's voice arguing—his black suit that only showed his mouth sent chills down her spine—seemingly with his companions.

She heard the lock turn and then the door was busted open. People with guns and protective gear ran in, the only woman being a girl with long dark brown hair and piercing brown eyes.

"Which one is it?" She demanded of the bad man.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The girl."

Alexis' eyes widened as the woman walked towards her. All guns were pointed at her, a couple at Ambrose, although he didn't seem to be considered a big threat. "No, no!"

The woman brought out a pen, although it looked different, and stabbed it into Alexis' arm. She gasped in pain but felt drowsiness surround her and easily fell into the woman's arms, unconscious.

"Happy?" Michael asked, looking with envy at the little girl in Madilyn's arms.

"Extremely," she replied, beaming mockingly. "It's what you get for betraying us." She handed the girl over to another man who took her up with the others.

"I'm not allowed to pursue outside things?" He crossed his arms in annoyance.

"We shouldn't even let you keep the speedster!" She shot back, accidentally raising her voice. "We shouldn't be giving you our SNs in the first place!"

"Right. The leftovers." He scoffed, and whipped off his mask to reveal a head of blonde hair and brown eyes glinting in annoyance. His eyebrows were furrowed, his jaw line sharp but soft at the same time. He had a small nose, and small ears. His face was freshly shaven.

"Don't you forget who we have," she said seriously. "He's still in the camps, but the more you try to trick us, the less likely he'll make it out alive."

His face became redder. He looked like he was going to explode with anger. "Enjoy Morgan then, Madilyn."

"I'll enjoy killing her if that's what you mean," she said casually, walking towards the door. "And I'll enjoy killing your brother if you cause us anymore grief."

"Don't you dare harm Casper," he warned, curling his hand into a fist.

"I don't think you're in any position to make threats, Michael," she said, crossing her arms, amused as she leaned on the door frame.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. "When will this be over? When can I have him back?"

"Maybe when you prove yourself trustworthy." She shrugged. "Unfortunate that you just got rid of all your hard work because you wanted a zero."

With that, she left, and she heard an angry roar and the sound of a fist hitting a wall so hard it cracked. She smiled.