Chapter 6: Collapse

CHAPTER 6: COLLAPSE

He sat down slowly, rubbing the inside of his thumb as his back hit the soft chair behind him. The red fabric of a king's chair, his arms going slack as he rested them against their rests for gold lion's claws. The shades of the trees surrounded him, proving to be his magnificent palace in the before stages. He looks through the trees as if looking down them as halls, his fingers clenching the edges of the arm rests and his teeth grounding.
His lips moved: “It's not going as planned.”
He shook his head relaxing back against the chair. “No, no, it's going just fine. It'll all work out in the end.” He checked a watch strapped to his wrist, whispering the time and telling him soon, very soon. He smiles to himself and looks around his palace. “But how?” his own voice asks.
“We shall see, now won't we? Just watch.” He pulled out a gun from his side and placed it next to him, on a strangely bent branch that served now as an item holder.
“Jeramy!” he shouts to the trees. A teenage boy comes from the trees, bowing low, “Yes, Sir?”
“Commence the plan. Head out today. School starts tomorrow morning for you. Understand?”
The boy grinned wickedly, flashing canine teeth, “A bit of fun with 'em, then boss?”
The man laughed darkly, “Of course, boy. But first you need to find everything you can about that girl. Understand?”
The boy's grin grew wider, but the man shook his head. “Do not go too far, Jeramy. I will know and you will regret it for the rest of your days.”
Jeramy scowled, nodding. “Fine, boss. I should go pack.”
“Of course.”
And with that, Jeramy turned on his heel and left the man's sight.
“Oh, and boss?”
“Yes?”
“Why her?”

***

“And that's it for our live report. Thank you for joining us, back to you Mark.”
The camera lowered and Jeff turned and started to pack up. Jess turned to the principal and held out her hand, “Thank you for joining us, sir.”
“It was a pleasure, Ms. Anderson,” he replied while taking her hand and shaking it, “Can I expect any more visits from you?”
“No sir, I don't think so.” She smiled politely then let his hand go and turned to the van. Mr. Linkin smiled as he watched them get into the car and drive into the distance. Then he turned on his heel, “Dru, that was well done. But I think they forgot my name.”
“Sorry Mr. Linkin, still ain't very good at that.” The teenager smiled sheepishly then opened her mouth to say something else when another teacher approached.
“Sir?”
Mr. Linkin turned around and looked at him with a cocked eyebrow, “Akira?”
“Dave, it's the healer. Her father's been killed.”
“Killed? What!?”
Akira nodded, then glanced at Dru who smiled and walked away to her studies. “Yes, Dave, shot.”
“But he should-”
“That's just it, he should've survived. But he didn't.”
“You don't think-”
“No, I don't. That man wouldn't be going around killing randomly.”
“But if he was after Alex..?”
“Dave, he wasn't. He shot her father in cold blood. Alex was inside.”
“Alone?”
“No. I saw two others with her. One was Samuel..the other-” Akira paused, then the color drained from his face.
“We need to find out who the hell was with him.”
“You mean you don't know?”
“No!” Akira growled, “Of course that's what I mean, the damn figure was black.”
“So?” Dave's brow furrowed, his arms crossing.
“Black as in 1997.”
Dave's face paled to match Akira's. “Let's go.”


***

The girl Kat laughed loudly, throwing her head back and nearly tipping her hand so that the precariously topped lump of ice cream leapt right off her cone to slither down the near-lava sidewalk. The kid Sammy grabbed her hand and straightened it, laughing.
“You know, you're ganna end up without an of the ice cream.”
“Hey, you know what, you should just be proud I can actually find out where the damn frozen stuff is without smothering my face into it.”
Sammy grinned and removed his hand, “True, I should be..”
Kat punched him in the shoulder-how, Alex wondered-and shook her head, tilting her head and sticking her tongue out to find her ice cream before starting to lick it clean once again. Alex hung back slightly, but joined the two when Sammy beckoned her closer. The two bought Alex ice cream to try to take Alex's mind off her father, but Alex couldn't even manage a fake tear.
Is that wrong?
Alex shook her head, and smiled at Sammy. “Thanks for the ice cream. I've been craving chocolate.” That got a laugh out of Kat, who undoubtably guessed why, what, with her own cone topped with everything chocolate and then some.
“Nothing's better than a good friend, than a good friend with chocolate,” Kat said, moving over so Alex could sneak in between the two. Alex cracked a smile, then replied, “Chocolate's a girl's best friend after all.”
“Touché,” Kat laughed, “you know, I've been wondering where we were actually going..?”
There was a split second of pause, Kat glancing at Sammy, her brow muscles working above her black sash to cause her none-existent eyes to look confused. Alex shivered and Kat grew tense.
“Um, well, what do you wish to do, Alex?” Sammy asked, breaking the strange silence and turning to look at Alex. She shrugged, “My house'll be a mad mob of news reporters..so rather not head that a-way.”
“Kat?” Sammy asked.
She shrugged, “We could head to my place.”
“Won't your parents mind?” Alex inquired, brow furrowed. “My dad always got mad if people were over and I didn't tell him.”
There was another awkward pause as the two kids before Alex shifted uncomfortably at the mention of her father.
“No. My parents aren't home.”
“You know, you always say that when people ask.” Sammy chimed in.
Kat grinned, “Cause they aren't ever home, dork.”
Sammy rolled his eyes. “I'm rolling my eyes, Kat. You know what I meant.”
Kat shook her head, “No, actually I don't.” She turned slightly on her heel and headed down a different street. “This way, guys.”
“I mean that-well, when are your parents home?”
Kat shrugged, “Not often.”
“Where do they go?”
“And how do you know where you're going?” Alex pipped up.
Kat pointed blindly behind her, nearly hitting Alex in the face. “There's a weird bump, indent thing back on that street. It's shaped like a hand. Step on that and turn about forty degrees to the left, and head down that street for about a hundred paces, and then turn to the right, and if there is a apple tree in the front yard, then I'm home.”
Alex quited, returning to her ice cream, feeling somewhat idiotic.
Well.
“And your parents?” Sammy again.
“Is that a car in your driveway?” Alex said. “Are your parents actually home?”
“I don't know. Can't see.” Katara grumbled somewhat annoyingly. Alex scowled at the blind girl, then headed towards the house. Kat continued straight before Sammy grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the house before she reached her “hundred paces, then turn right...”
“What's your parents' car like?” Alex asked, looking over the black pickup.
“It's a convertible. Silver. Hood's always down.”
“This is a pickup truck.” Sammy murmured.
“Katara? Ah! Dear girl, Katara, so sorry about-”
“Dr. Vain? Nine.”
“Oh yes, so sorry.”
A man stood in the door way, the screen door now wide open, the skinny man with black hair that matched his truck grinning widely. He was quite tall, with sharp features that made Alex wonder on his age.
Is this her dad? No, it couldn't be. She called him “doctor.” Then who is it?
Kat untangled herself from Sammy's arm and ran towards the direction of his voice. He raised an eyebrow and stepped to get in her line of running and embraced her. She leapt upon him like some kind of beast, the man twirling her around, Kat's mouth close to the man's ear, her lips barely moving. He smiled kindly, and set the giggling Katara down. Alex glanced at Sammy who had a pang of jealously in his eyes, even if this man was older and obviously was more of a father to this girl than anything else. Alex stifled her laughter.
“Nine point two?” This Dr. Vain asked. Kat nodded, “Nine point two later. Six?”
“Six in quiet. Come, I believe you smeared your ice cream in my hair.”
“No! I would never-did I? I'm sorry.” She said quickly after a look from Dr. Vain. Alex's brow furrowed, Is she like, telepathic? But...if that was so, why use random code? What the heck is going on?
“Come on in guys, this is my doctor, Dr. Vain. He operated on my eyes to fix em.”
“Fix them?” Alex asked before she could bite her tongue.
“Yeah.” Kat said, slowly, as if Alex were retarded. Cold fingers danced upon Alex's back. Kat went stiff. She opened her mouth to say something, then turned and went inside. Sammy was right behind her, with a courteous smile and hello, my name is Sammy, to Dr. Vain. Dr. Vain looked over at Alex, who still stood like a stuck-dumb teenager.
Oh wait, I am one.
Then she saw it. He, too, undoubtedly saw it too.
Alex turned on her heel and ran for her life.