Flatline ((Jughead Jones)) 3

9

Life as a Serpent Queen was anything but easy. It was also very eventful and for that I wouldn't change it. What it did mean, however, was that when someone needed speaking to, that myself and Jughead were present and were there for it. It also meant that all problems came to us and we had to solve them.

"Minetta's trashing Tent city, Jug, looking for Archie." Jug and I had both walked through as cops were scattering everywhere looking for some clue that Archie was there. I had my suspicions it was a threat more than a search, and I knew Jughead did too. Still, we had to be calm and we had to think of our next play. I learnt this from the Blossom. It my was my Blossom side. It didn't matter about the odd battle being lost, it was the war that we wanted to win, and we would do anything to win this war.

"I propose a manhunt of our own. I need every Serpent on the ground searching for Joaquin, I want no stone left unturned." He ordered, and our two right hand men were stood up, conversing with the two of us. I was sat in the arm chair behind Jug, listening to the whole conversation.
"Serpents don't just shiv other Serpents. What had gotten into him?" Sweetpea asked. I was the one to open my mouth before Jughead got the chance to process the question. All three turned and faced me, listening to what I had to say.
"According to Archie, Joaquin did it for Warden Norton. And the Warden also called Archie the Red Paladin, before apparently offing himself with cyanide and Fresh-Aid." I explained. Jughead moved to sit on the arm of the chair, his arm wrapped around my shoulders as he looked back at the two.
"He also worked at Riverdale High, before the detention centre. We need to know if he was playing G&G with or for someone." Jughead finished, and it was clear SweetPea had caught on to where we were going with this as he connected the dots that Joaquin is now the only person who would know.
"Be careful though, it seems he's rolling with a new gang." I warned, and Fangs guessed it was the Gargoyles. With that, it meant that our two soldiers were rallied and sent to rally our other troops and begin our first counter attack against the Gargoyles. Another upside to begin the Queen, I had people who didn't mind doing the legwork that I was physically unable to do.

One thing that I hate about hospitals was the plain walls. After my last Physiotherapy appointment, I was glad to see the back of the plain walls. It made everything look sad, and even the slight colour looked old and dull. It didn't help things come across as cheery.

The next thing that was horrible about hospitals were the people. I didn't mind them when they were on a one to one basis and I couldn't fault their service and skills, and I am forever grateful to every single person who saved my life after the attack, and to all those who helped me walk again. No, it wasn't the team of people looking after me I didn't like. I hated the fact that everyone walked around with a frown. I hated that the hospital was overcome with bad news and heartache and tears of happiness or despair, but they were still tears. It lead to the staff, if they were having a hard day, having to force a smile when they walked in on a new patient, and I hated having to sit in the waiting room and watch them stand outside the door, trying to pull their face into a smile so they appeared approachable.

"Miss Cynthia Blossom." A nurse called and I followed her into the therapist office. My physiotherapist had spent the past half an hour evaluating me and testing me doing different exercises, waiting to see which ones caused me pain. Then he sent me back to the waiting room while he consulted with my doctor so they could plan what was going to happen next.

I sat down in the chair I had become familiar with, noting how, although so many people sat in that chair on that day, and every day before that, it didn't seem any more comfortable, the leather any more soft. It was still as rigid as the first time I sat in it.

The man took a deep breath, then turned and faced me with a smile. The smile seemed genuine, but I was the last appointment of the day so he was probably ready to head home to his family. When I entered he had been typing up notes and filling in different boxes, meaning that he didn't have to do that after I'd gone. Whatever he was going to be telling me, it would be quick and to the point.

"It seems that you are having no further issues, your pain is evidently reduced from the last visit. Which means this is the last physiotherapy appointment that you'll be needing. Physically everything is healing, so I can't see any reason you should need to keep coming back." He explained. I focused on one thing as he began to explain the exercises again and trying to tell me which ones to focus on. He said 'Physically'. From my nightmares, mentally I was far from safe and far from even slightly healing, but at least my body was moving in a positive direction.

When I got to Jug's, I entered as usual, my eyes searching for my boyfriend, only to find him sitting on the floor, his hand handcuffed to the refrigerator. It seemed like his father's radical style of parenting, and I immediately smiled as he asked me if I was hungry.
"FP is sometimes a genius." I laughed at him, taking a pin out of my hair, and kneeling in front of him to set to work on the lock that was keeping him attached to the door handle. Betty had spent some time when I was in my wheelchair teaching me about picking all sorts of locks. At the time was the only way I could think of for getting her to speak to me, to reconcile, and not focus on what had happened. "Go on then, why the imprisonment?" I asked him.

"He doesn't like me playing G&G. I spoke to Betty, and it turns out your mother said Daryl Doiley poisoned the chalices." He told me and I rolled my eyes. My snake of a woman was hardly one for being honest.
"Well isn't that a little bit convenient." I replied and Jug nodded in agreement. As I released the lock, Jug rubbed his wrist, glad to be free. We both knew that Dilton's dad had been dead a good few years, so it figures that my mother would suggest the one person that we couldn't speak to.
"What's Betty's next plan?"
"She's pulling Mr Doiley's autopsy report, then probably going to speak to Mrs Blossom again." I pulled out my phone at Jug's response and messaged Betty, telling her that I had her back if she wanted to interrogate the Blossom witch any further.

"We're getting close to something, Thia. I can feel it." I pulled him into a hug. Jughead then cupped my face, pulling it closer to his so he could place his lips on mine. I wanted so badly to just have a casual, lazy Sunday with him once more, but I knew that wouldn't be happening any time soon. Not with Archie. Not with G&G.
"What did the doctor say?" He asked me, pulling away from the kiss, and pushing a piece of my bright hair out of my face. I grinned up at him, telling him that I didn't have to endure any other sessions of medical torture, that I was free, and that I was healing. He picked me up and spun me round, causing us both to erupt into a fit of laughter. It was good news, probably the only shred of good news we'd be getting for a while. Our moment, however, was interrupted by a message from Fangs, telling Jughead that they had found Joaquin. I sent Jug on ahead, telling him that I had Wrym to feed. This interrogation, he could handle on his own.

I had barely held the rat to Wrym when I heard my phone ring. On the other end of the line was a very panicked Sweet Pea, asking me to come to Tent City, that Jughead had told them to call me in to deal with whatever had occurred. From his tone of voice alone, I knew it wouldn't have been good. The moment I hit the red button, Wrym striked at the rat, causing my whole body to jump at the unexpected movement. Laughing at my own reaction, I closed his tank and let him digest his food, finding too much pleasure and comfort from a deadly snake.

With my Serpent jacket on my back, I was at Tent City barely ten minutes later. Outside both Fangs and SweetPea were waiting for me, both looking unnerved. I raised my eyebrow at them as I neared and they lead me through our Serpent set up, and to the centre. In the armchair we had placed, the one that was often occupied by Jug, a blue sheet was draped over something.

I moved forward, and pulled the top of the tarp away and revealed a very dead Joaquin. The sudden sight of a dead body made me step back, and I felt like his eyes were following me, even though I knew they weren't. He had blue lips, and the same brand as Archie on his forehead. Taking a breath, my eyes never leaving the body in front of me, I tried to think of what I would have to do now.
"Does Jug know?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw them both nod.

Joaquin was a Serpent, and even though he may have become a Gargoyle, he would always be a Serpent, and one of the longest members of our generation. It was sad to see one of the members of the gang, a friend to many of the Serpents, sat dead in the centre of our camp. It seemed no one knew how he got there, but whatever had happened, his death would be ruled a suicide and the case would be closed.

Putting the tarp back over him, I turned to the two boys standing behind me.