Jordy burst through the bedroom door as his uncle was getting dressed for Alex’s wake. “What the hell is wrong with you? I thought we agreed to do something that honored Alex, not use this as a recruitment ploy!” Rogelio didn’t bother to turn around. He could see Jordy through the reflection of the mirror. Jordy gave the silence a few more seconds before yelling, “Did you hear me? You could at least turn around or something!”
“I fucking heard you...” Rogelio looked at his other nephew through the reflection. “You don’t tell me what to do. You aren’t the head of this family, and it’s not a ‘ploy’ for recruitment. It’s to smoke them out...”
Jordy didn’t move from his spot. Instead, he put up his uncle’s rudeness because he needed to know what was going on. “Them? Who the fuck is them?” Only after Rogelio finished tucking in his tie did he decide to turn around. It was rare to see Rogelio LaGon dressed up like he was. The black tailored suit, crisp new black dress shoes with black socks and pimp striped tie. His white button-down shirt was also new and freshly ironed to perfection. “And why are you so dressed up? You look like you’re about to go on stage or something.” Jordy huffed as he watched his uncle adjust his new tie.
“The last time I wore a suit like this was at your daddy’s funeral... Have some fucking respect you little prick. I lost my Ace-one to those bitch Angels, and I think they’ve been under our noses this whole time. If you wouldn’t been so pussy whipped, then maybe you have seen it. In all of the recent fucked-up events, one of them has been there. You’re just too blind to see it.”
“Who are you talking about?!” Screamed Jordy. He started pulling his head back as he embraced himself to hear his uncle’s ridiculous answer.
Rogelio whipped around and stomped his foot on the ground. “Your Sky and her fucking cousin Ree! That’s who, you stupid boy!” He ran his fingers through his black and gray silky hair that was combed backward. Rogelio adjusted his suit jacket before making his way towards the door. It took all of Jordy’s inner strength not to stop his uncle from walking by him. There was no use in arguing with a monster like him. When Rogelio made up his mind, there was no changing it.
“You sound stupid and you fucking know it. Out of all people to blame... I can’t do anything right in your eyes. I’ve done everything you’ve asked me to do, and I still can’t satisfy you. I even agreed to marry Molly because you wanted me to and look at how that turned out. Like father, like son, can’t keep it in your fucking pants to respect anyone. All you do is use and abuse people. What happened to Trayvis and Windermere was your fault... You should have been here to tend to your fucking flock! Leave Sky and Ree out of this shit or...”
Rogelio lunged at Jordy pinned him against the nearby wall. “Or fucking what? You may find it hard to believe, but your brother was the only one I could truly trust. He found out Fuego’s bitch-ass has been stealing from us this whole time. To make matters worse, he was planning to assist the Queens in turning us all in. Alex asked me to let him take care of it. He wanted to see this treachery for himself first-hand. Fuego had devised a plan to trap the Child of Chaos without us knowing about it. My men told me Fuego was surprised to see Alex down in the dungeons and that’s why he gave him full control over the interrogation.” Rogelio pushed off holding Jordy and exhaled deeply. “I should have taken care of that shit myself. I blame my fucking self for your brother’s death! When I found his notes on Trayvis and Windermere’s death, he put together details the others haven’t figured out yet. Alex’s main two suspects were Sky and Ree... I’m not just closing my eyes and pointing fingers, boy. Every time something extra fucked up happened, those two girls were around.”
Jordy listened carefully and didn’t interrupt. He was still very skeptical and wanted to see the notes for himself. However, knowing the plan seemed more critical. “And how do you plan on ‘smoking’ them out?”
Rogelio once again fixed his clothes and ran his fingers through his gelled silky hair. “That, my boy, is none of your concern anymore. You need to stay here to tend to the bar and its customers. That’s an order... If I see you at the wake, I’ll kill you myself. I don’t want any interference tonight.” Jordy’s uncle proceeded walking out of the door and downstairs. Ishmael and the rest of his men were waiting at the bottom of the stairs for the leader to appear. His men stood aside making a path for Rogelio to walk through. “Let’s go make this shit happen...”
A few moments later, Jordy slowly walked down the stairs thinking about what his uncle had said to him. It was bad enough that Rogelio wouldn’t allow him to go to his brother’s wake but now the only woman he’s ever truly cared about... He felt in his gut, Jordy was missing something. His uncle knew too much about his relationship with Sky. But how? They were careful and discreet... As Jordy turned the corner, to enter the bar area he saw Miles wiping down the counters. A wave of betrayal flooded Jordy’s mind as he approached his longtime friend and coworker, Miles. “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"
*
“Where in the hell is Oki?” Kahree peeked over the roof edge one more time before giving up. “I told that girl, one hour and why isn’t she here yet?” She let out a huge sigh in frustration. Tying up her black straight hair into a bun, Ree waited for Sky to finish setting up the last cherry bomb bottles around the edges of the buildings. She started to notice a small crowd was gathering below in the middle of Townsquare. Where the fuck are you, Oki? Kahree whispered to herself.
Day was turning into dusk and traditional for the KFM the evenings was their preferred time to put on their events. Sky crawled over to sit next to Ree. A creepy feeling started to emerge in the pit of their stomachs that something happened to their Skinner-partner-in-crime friend. Instead of pondering what could have happened, Sky had to talk to Ree as well as Jaca about a plan-b. “We can’t sit up here all night," Sky said. “We’re going to have to come up with a different plan.”
Kahree leaned her head against the brick wall. There was enough wall for the girls and Jaca to hide behind while on the roof. They placed the boxes that were filled with body parts on top of each corner of the buildings surrounding Townsquare. Kahree took a deep breath before replying to her sister’s request. “You remember that one city, Adler on the planet Togoma?”
Sky leaned back against the wall as she combed through her thoughts about this Adler. “Vaguely. The town where the leader poisoned everyone because he thought the ghosts he was seeing told him to do it. Why do ask?”
“I made him see those ghosts... For weeks, I made him see his dead loved ones. They convinced him that his towns' people were evil and should all die. The man was weak and easy to manipulate, but this case was the first and last of its kind. It took a lot of brain juice to pull that off... Hiding in the shadows, sneaking into his bed chambers at night, convincing him through nothing but fake visions led to over two hundred people dying.”
This was news for Sky. The girls were never told about each other's missions, unless they chose to tell it. “You were responsible for the Alder Massacre... I didn’t know that was one of ours. Everyone believed that man went crazy and took out his own people. Afterwards I thought the Star Counsel stepped in.”
“The point of me telling you this is because you and Luna were not the only two who had ‘leveling methods’.” Kahree turned and grabbed Pierre’s lifeless head from a nearby box. She manually moved his mouth up and down before saying, “I am the Child of Dreams, I can make Ro and his men see what I want them to see.”
Sky quickly covered her mouth as she tried to resist the urge to throw up again. She looked down at Pierre’s head while her sister played with it. “Can you not do that?”
Again, Kahree noticed something was ‘off’ with her sister. Lately, there’s been a lot of ‘offs’ with Sky, but Kahree can’t really put her finger on it. “Since when do dead bodies bother you?”
Before Sky could answer, Jaca popped his head above the small wall to see Rogelio, Ishmael and the rest of LaGon’s men marching towards the statue. It was the people in tow, who were being pulled by chains that stood out to three the most. “Isn’t that your friend and who are all those people?” Jaca asked as he sat next to Sky. All three peered over the edge, looking down towards the statue only to see their captured friend and most of the working-class sector. Oki and the others tried her best to keep up as Rogelio held the beginning of the chain link they were attached to.
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“Shit! What do you want me to do, Ree?” Sky asked as she slammed herself back against the wall.
Kahree grabbed her sister’s shoulder and said, “Do exactly what I say, and everything will go back to the original plan. Come closer, Jaca. Here’s what I want you two to do.”
As the three huddled, they didn’t notice the last capture was Arkaminus. The rebels chained him to the giant statue. Large spotlights beamed down to the center from different angles, so there were no unseen spots. Rogelio slowly walked up to his prize procession and made sure the chains were tight around Arkaminus’ arms. “We may have not found a way to kill you yet, but we for sure know how to kill your Angels...” The LaGon rebel leader smiled from ear to ear as a surge of confidence jolted through his body. “I should have thought about this from the beginning, dangling you out like a piece of meat. All I had to do was wait for a bite...”
Arkaminus said nothing as Rogelio walked away, laughing at his comment. The Ancient Star then turned his attention to the innocent working-class individuals. They all sat on their knees for the rebel leader also chained together. There were three rows of about thirty people who were caught in the crossfire. The rows created a small half circle that surrounded the statue. Each of their backs faced the buildings surrounding them. The spotlights shining so brightly, those who captured could barely see outside where the light beams. Nightfall had given the audience a perfect cover of being in the shadows.
When Oki looked up to get a better view of the Ancient Star, to her surprise he was already looking at her. A low voice appeared in Oki’s mind saying, “Do not worry, daughter of the planet Hades. The Angels are nearby on a rooftop, and I believe they have devised another plan. Be prepared for your original plan will also come into play soon after.”
Oki gently nodded her head without saying anything back. She then slowly looked over her shoulder to one of the rooftops she thought the Angels would be on. The spotlight was too bright to see anything clear, but she could hear the people in the crowd gathering around. The whispers became louder and that’s when Oki decided she had no other choice but to use her powers to get a better picture. At a moment's notice, Oki had the ability to tap into her powers without needing to fully transform. Her eyes turned yellow and black as she tapped into the expert sight abilities of a night owl. She could have fully transformed into the bird, if she wanted to, freeing herself from the chains. Oki wouldn’t do that... She would never leave the people behind she considered family. Piercing through the shadows, Oki could see where her partners-in-crime were stationed. All she had to do was wait for the sign...
Once again, Arkaminus looked up towards the rooftop to his right. He could see a thick purple mist radiating from above then pouring down the side of the building. No one below could see this purple mist, not even the rebel leader himself. The crowd clapped as Rogelio walked down the stairs to greet his followers. Some even yelled out words of affection as he raised his arms to quiet them. “Thank you, thank you everyone for coming to my special event in honor of my late nephew, Alex. I know you all are not used to seeing some many up on this platform near my father’s statue however this night is a special night.” The crowd cheered again as Rogelio continued, “Behind me are some you all may recognize. This is the majority of our working-class sector. The ones who do the jobs we businessman and women don’t want to do... Well, ladies and gentlemen I found out these individuals are trying to take us down. They want to destroy our way of life by working with the Star Counsel right under our noses.”
The crowd booed and began to get rowdy. People in the crowd started throwing trash and even glass bottles towards the chained workers. Rogelio raised his hands, getting the crowd settled down as he continued his speech. “Now, now... we’ll get there but first I want to introduce you all to someone very special." He turned around and pranced up the stairs in excitement. “This my lovely companions is an ancient... Yes, this man or thing right here is something very special to the Star Counsel, and tonight we’re going to kill it!”
Blowing smoke up everyone’s ass just then, Arkaminus rolled his eyes then shook his head in disappointment. He knew Rogelio and nor anyone in the KFM has the ability to kill an ancient. Their plan was failing and the only hope the KFM had was killing the Child of Fire and Child of Dreams. Having their powers could still tip this whole ordeal in their favor.
Sky and Jaca stood at the end of the crowd before fully walking in. Jaca moved a bit nervously before whispering, “Are you sure about this?”
“I trust Kahree’s plan... And after all this shit, I’m not sure about anything anymore.” Sky replied before making her way through the people.
Rogelio once again put up his hands to quiet the crowd. “Yes, I have done the impossible for you, for us and for our freedom! I do all of this in honor of my...” As soon as Rogelio combed through the crowd, he saw a glimpse of what looked like his nephew Alex. Slowly, as instructed, Sky moved through the town’s people, but she didn’t look like herself. Rogelio did a double-take, shaking his head like he was clearing something out of his view. Again, he tried to finish his speech. “I’m doing this for my beloved nephew Alex LaGon. My heart has shattered into a thousand pieces thinking about his death...”
Then it happened again. Rogelio stopped mid-sentence and followed what looked like a spitting image of Alex. His nephew wasn’t the only deceased loved one who began walking amongst the crowd. Rogelio saw his deceased wife, Jordy and Alex’s father, Trayvis Jr and Windermere all walking towards him at the same time. Kahree was controlling the scene... The purple mist filled the air among the crowd without them knowing it. The stage was set, and the Child of Dreams was performing her best move above all others.
Rogelio gulped before saying, “This can’t be...” He turned to his son which was on his right and noticed Ishmael as well as all of his men were frozen in place. “Ish? Ishmael!” Their eyes were blank, and they looked more like statues than people. “Something’s fucking happening! Ishmael snap out of it!” When Rogelio turned his attention back towards his audience, what felt like a hundred pair of eyes stared back at him. The crowd’s eyes glowed bright white, something he was quite familiar with. When a Star Child died, their eyes glowed bright right before fading into the darkness. What remained was the very essence that made them special in the first place.
Outside Rogelio’s mind, Ishmael and the others noticed the sudden change in the leader. To them, he was the one who was standing still. Frozen in place like a person experiencing stage freight. Ishmael walked over to his father and said, “Pa? Are you alright? Hey, what’s going on with you?” Just then, the son of the rebel leader saw the same hallucinations. He thought the same as his father, and it was his cousin Alex walking towards him. “How is this possible?”
Instead of stopping to greet his cousin, the ghost of cousin whisked right past Ishmael almost like he wasn’t standing right there. Sky disguised as Alex and Jaca switching from Trayvis Jr and Windermere walked past their enemies and straight towards the captives. Ishmael couldn’t believe his eyes... Only then did he understand what was happening to his father. Rogelio’s son reached out for Alex’s shoulder and was shocked when he actually touched flesh. Ishmael didn’t grab his cousin’s shoulder but Sky’s instead. She quickly turned around and sucker punch him right in the gut making him drop to his knees coughing. The people in the crowd didn’t know nor understand what they witnessing. From their point of view, the leader of the KFM as well as his son was losing it...
Once Sky freed the other captives, the original plan was back on. Oki quickly transformed into a small mouse, freeing herself from the chains. Having most of the working-class chained up however was not a part of the plan. Oki had to quickly unchained her people before trying to safely get Arkaminus free as well. That plan was not going to work... Individuals from the audience switched to Rogelio’s soldiers and began attacking Oki. Sky and Jaca quickly noticed the commotion and decided to take this a step further.
Sky looked up to the building Kahree was stationed then screamed, “Now!” Clapping her hands above her head, a large shockwave filled Townsquare. The boxes Sky’s cherry bombs were sitting on flew into the air along with what was inside. Chucks of body parts plopped down on everyone below, causing an immediate reaction. People from every angle of the Townsquare started screaming and hollering while wiping their faces clean of blood and guts. The explosion snapped Rogelio and his son back into reality. Their Essence Stone tattoos lit up like Christmas trees once they realized they were also covered in someone else’s blood.
Once Oki got her people to safety, she quickly came back to return to the fight. Transforming into her last creature for the night, Oki turned herself into a Grande Bear. Ripping through the rebel leader’s men, Ishmael and Rogelio didn’t have a chance against Oki had to offer. Only Ro moved out of the way while his son caught most of the blow from her long-extended claws. The hit made Ishmael fly into the air, landing against a wall. The whole night turned into complete chaos after Sky set off her cherry bombs.
The screams could be heard all around the city, drawing some in while others tried to escape. Even Jordy and Miles could hear the loud bangs and the screaming from the bar. Both quickly dashed outside to see what was going on... There wasn’t much they could see from their point of view. Both of them stood still until Miles said, “Go... I don’t know what the fuck is happening over there but someone with some sense should be there. For the record Jordy, I didn’t tell your uncle anything he didn’t already know. I don’t agree with what he is doing. This shit has got to stop... Go, dammit! I’ll cover for you.” Jordy nodded then disappeared into the crowd... He headed straight for the middle of his city, Townsquare. The last place he should be in right now...
