UPRISE

029

Noah's dangling foot creates a long path trailing through the snow. Jasmine feels her feet go numb, but she drags him along. He floats in and out of consciousness, so she has him count as high as he can to make sure that he stays awake.

He gets to his number, 404, when they get back to the house.

The door opens, and Harper and Corbin rush into the room from the lounge. Harper darts up to Noah, kneeling in front of him and touching his dangling ankle. Dried blood coats half of Noah's face, having dripped down from his temple and his nose on to his neck.

"What happened?" Harper begins.

"My Dad's done worse," Noah grunts. He tries to take a step forward on his own, but he stumbles only to be barely caught by the others.

Pluto, Wren, and Reagan make it up the stairs. Reagan stops on the staircase; his feet feel like they are glued into place. As Jasmine removes her coat, he can't take his eyes away from the red splotches across Jasmine's neck. His feet give out beneath him, until his is sitting on the ground. Something far away is ringing.

"What happened?" Corbin won't drop the question. He can feel himself burning, and he is five seconds away from grabbing Edison and whipping him against the wooden floors.

"Thatcher and Connery," Edison tells them.

Wren moves around Pluto to go check on Jasmine. He takes her hands in his, leading them closer together. His hands wipe at the stain of a tear on her face. "Are you alright?"

She nods, even though she isn't. Nodding keeps her from crying. It's easier to focus on Noah than to focus on the pain in her neck. The side effects of choking can manifest even days later. There could be a bomb inside her throat.

"What the fuck do you mean, Thatcher and Connery happened?" Corbin shouts. "That's not a fucking answer!"

Pluto would move to go calm Corbin. Instead, she looks to Reagan shaking on the ground and kneels down next to him. He looks up at her, watching the small movements of her shoulders. Syncing their breath is impossible. Syncing their breath isn't even likely.

She wraps him in a hug. From there, Pluto stares up at Noah, and at his beaten face. All she can do is hug Reagan tighter.

"You shouldn't have come out here," Edison's voice is dry and stern. It is still like a lake, with a wicked undertow. There is an edge to him that does not poke the surface, but that they are each acutely aware is there.

Now, Corbin can't take it. He grabs Edison and pushes him against the doorway. Harper lets go of Noah to go get Corbin off of Edison. Wren jumps in as well, tearing the raging boy back.

"Just give us some fucking straight answers!" Corbin screams, making Reagan's body shake even more. Noah flinches at the sound, pulling his hands up to his ears. "Noah's beaten to shit, Jasmine obviously got choked, and you look fucking untouched. You tell me what the fuck happened, and why you didn't stop it, right now!"

He tries to shrug out of their grips, but neither Harper nor Wren dare let him go, even though Wren has half the mind to beat the shit out of Edison too. He has never trusted the man, not for half a second.

Then, he remembers that Edison Darby saved his life.

"Thatcher and Connery, and the other Golds are some of the most dangerous people that any of us will ever meet." Edison pulls out his band and scratches the red polish away. It gets under his nails, and it almost looks like their blood is on their hands. "Thatcher is subject number 1, and Connery number 6. You don't fuck with people that high."