WEIRDER STUFF - Rainbow Connection

[Coraline Hess]

Coraline let the conversation flow over her, frowning sadly at the apparent betrayal of Clara's trust and not wanting to picture what it'd feel like for Cade to do something like that to her. She honestly wanted to just circle back to the point where, ya know, the trailer apparently had given everyone but Lilly magic brain tumors. Or gotten them possessed. Or whatever. Still...

"I... don't think Eddy's a bad guy here. Secretive jerk, yeah, screw him, but since we're not all arrested or shot or labeled brains in jars at this point... It's easy to get someone messed with the law, trust me, even without Area 51 Men-in-Black conspiracies in play," she opened up, smile back with an apologetic tinge as her eyes settled on Clara for a second, "Maybe, just maybe, try honey first and *then* resort to hayhooks if that doesn't work out? Could work out. Less mess, more info."

Her fingers traced nervous circles on Cade's sleeve, waiting for the emotional backlash to her suggestion and musing that the ability to get her cat to listen to her sounded nice. If her personal ghost troubles were actually her... Oh lord did she have catching up to do to keep up with the group. 

[Cade]

All the revelations were threatening to break the icy calm expression on Cade's face, but somehow he maintained it.  "And we have a telepath in the mix too.   I was kinda wondering who was going to tick that box."   He looked to Sarah and smiled.  "So we've got a wide array of abilities between us all, with Lilly as our control? That's actually pretty cool."

He looked around at the others.   "And to top it all off, a 40 year old conspiracy, a graduated student who could well be a plant and part of said conspiracy, and a missing airman from the local military base.   Then there's some supertech power source for a run down camper in the woods, well away from pretty much everything.   All of this in the Vicinity of a small Montana town in the middle of nowhere."

He ran down a quick summation of everything, just organizing it for himself.   "So, One suggestion is to find this old civilian plane, another to go confront Etienne, and Lilly mentioned trying to find the missing airman, and barring that, try to get into his room."

"Well if we're splitting up Scooby-style, I'll join the party going to find the plane."  Cora's suggestion to actually try talking to Etienne was sensible, to him at least.  But he wasn't planning on being one who went on that little mission.

[Bannon]

"Good guy and bad guy are relative terms."  Jase stated calmly in reply to Coraline.  "Also false simplifications - we should instead focus on whether he is acting within our interests or for the interests of others.  It could be both, but if, for example, he is working for a government agency - or even a private one - then we cannot count on them to care about our individual freedoms or interests ahead of their own goals.  They could be perfectly capable of scooping us up and studying our brains in service of whatever their greater purpose is."  There was a silence as people considered that.  "Best to treat them without trust or the benefit of the doubt, and be ready to treat them as enemies at the drop of the other shoe."  He paused, then shrugged.  "At least, that is how I plan to proceed."

"So... You're going round there with a hayhook?"  Coraline asked, leaning against Cade for some comfort at the chilly look in Jason's eyes.  He smiled slightly and shook his head.

"I agree honey is a better lure.  I just do not think we should extend any trust to anyone not part of the Fellowship, and not Etienne in particular."  He glanced at Sean scribbling down notes, then at the clock on the cafeteria wall, then at Devin.  "It's a good idea to warn Marissa and Cassandra as well.  Best not to do so by text, but they need to know roughly what is going on even if they don't want to get involved.  That might need to wait for lunch."  He looked down the table at his friends.  "Time is almost up.  Shall we meet back here at lunch, or on the bleachers?  We need to plan who is covering what leads after school."  He gathered his book bag and stood, plainly intending to wait just long enough for a confirmation before he headed off to the start of semester assembly.

[Sara Hutchins]

It was hard to believe hard to comprehend. It was one thing when it was just her with weird memories, but now it was everyone else. Sara looked around the lunchroom at all the other kids, at the teachers. Were any of them... affected or was it just them. "There are others."

Bannon leaned toward her, "Others? With... this?" He made a swirling gesture with his right hand index finger pointing at the table surface.

"No. I don't know... but ... others with the phone text low frequency things. Sean said there were two other numbers. That means two other devices and two other.... watchers...spies, what ever you want to call them. And they may be dangerous."

"What makes you think they might be dangerous," asked Cade squeezing Cora's hand to reassure her?

Sara looked a little embarrassed, "I don't know but... the numbers all begin with 007."

[Clara Lys Wright]

Clara groaned. "Bond? Seriously? Are they spies or dorks?"

She shook her head, trying to get herself in a mindset for Calculus 2 after all this. Not like they'd be doing more than getting the syllabus today anyways, but walking in looking like she'd been hit by a train wasn't going to set a good impression. "How about the bleachers? Quieter, if nothing else." 

She gathered up her backpack and tray of mostly uneaten breakfast. "I'll see you all then. Try not to blow things up with your minds until then, okay?" It was meant to be a joke, but came out a little more 'mom' than she meant. She was tired and vocal inflection was apparently a chore now. 

[Jaunt]

"You'd almost qualify as a Bond Girl, Clara... but they dress classier."  He shot her a wink so she could absorb the full brunt of his snark.

"I think you guys are getting a little off the reservation, here.  I mean, c'mon, spies, secret agencies, conspiracies?"  Devin leaned into the table so as to keep his voice low.  "Look, I'm not trying to join camp Lilly here where I play the 'Doubting Mustafa' every time the obvious slaps me in the face, but... even I'm having a hard time believing that Shelly is some secret government plot or ploy... I mean, really?  Why?  It doesn't make sense.  None of this shit is making any sense, from the gifts to the monsters to Eddy."

"Even I have to reach a boundary where I step back and stop thinking like some teenager looking for an adventure.  So far, no matter who says what, no one tried to look for the obvious answer, just the mysterious one."  He shrugged.  "I make a big enough ass out of myself all on my own, I don't need to go trip up this Eddy dude and find out that we're all just a bunch of dumb asses."

[Lilly Pryor]

Lilly rolled her eyes at Devin's comment.

"You would totally join Camp Lilly and want to do all the activities, Jauntsen. And you know it. So just stop pretending." Lilly said to him with a wry grin.

[Bannon]

"It makes sense to me, Devin."  Jase looked at his friend.  "Look - we know the gifts are real and the trailer and its tech is real.  Those are facts.  Those of us who saw the creatures know they are real, right so far?"  Devin slowly nodded.

"So now we move onto other facts:  the communicator is a high-tech VLF device.  Sara found it while it was uploading an encoded message to someone to home in on it, and yanked the battery in time to stop it sending.  Sean did his mojo and found that the locations this thing has been operating from match what we know of Eddy's movements and go back further than we realised Eddy was in Shelly.  I imagine we could even narrow down the GPS coordinates and times to place Eddy in the Wrights Laboratory, probably when they were not there - assuming they are not part of his activities.  Is my logic acceptable?"  Jase asked sincerely, studying Devin, who shrugged reluctantly.

"Mebbe.  Yeah."  he said.  "But why would anyone spy on Shelly?"

"Easy."  Jase answered with his usual calm.  "Think about it - dimensional anomalies, super-high-tech at least a century ahead of it's time four decades ago.  And us.  Assuming they had reason to suspect any single one of those things existed, any halfway decent agency would be keeping a very close eye on this place.  And Eddy being at the medical center means he has access to all of our records - at least, all the ones that they have."  He tilted his head to one side and regarded Devin.

"Does that make more sense?"

[Jaunt]

"Couldn't be on team Lilly,"  Devin's tone was was his serious one, the he used when he stopped making quips for all the time it took to speak his mind.  "I don't tell people I'm their friend and the refuse to believe them when they tell me something, no matter how strange.  I believe them first, then I hope we find a way to prove the madness wrong."  It was evident that Devin and Lilly were not on the best of terms.

He tapped a finger on the table.  "I does make more sense... but guys, Jason... we're teenagers.  So we find some super secret... then what?  Why are going to go around poking a sleeping bear?  These guys have technology, probably guns, lots of ammo and the means of ruining our lives and the lives of our families."  He looked to Cade.  "Still think it's 'cool' now, Cade?  I mean, you're being awfully chill about all this, like it's just another Monday to you.  'Oh and we have a telepath too'.  Are you frickin' serious right now?  Is it just a game to you?  These people can seriously mess up our lives, and my sister didn't get any gifts.  Who's going to protect her when you guys go and piss off the wrong people, hmm?"

"This isn't one of your stupid weekend games guys."  He looked at everyone very seriously.  "There is no omnipresent invisible authority figure behind a screen waiting to save you when you do something stupid like mess with the government or murder someone or break the law looking for your so called 'truth'.  So, no Cade, this isn't cool.  It's very serious."

[Bannon]

"I agree, Devin."  Jase nodded, gently raising a hand to forestall Lilly's retort.  "I think you're right in every way, actually.  This isn't a game.  It's not fun.  It is a mystery, but a deadly one, potentially.  Several of us almost died, Marissa included, because we didn't know anything - how greater is the risk now we do?"

"On the other hand, we have to do something.  Eddy works in the imaging department - that means he has your brain scans from your seizure.  It's supposition, but if they were watching the people of Shelly for anomalies, who's to say they haven't already looked at you?"  Jase sighed then, shaking his head.  "So our options are to investigate, or to stand and wait like deer for the hunter.  Neither of them is ideal - we are just teenagers, like you said.  And we can't tell even trusted adults, because we'll just put them in danger."  He paused for a long time, thinking hard.  "We have leads to follow, but following them will mean risk.  Not doing anything will mean risk.  Pretending nothing is wrong will mean risk."  He looked at them all.  "I am actually at a loss how to proceed.  If I was alone, I would investigate, maybe even confront Eddy directly.  But I am not alone - and my actions would endanger you."  He shrugged, faint frustration on his face.

"I do not know what to do, and that bothers me."

[Lilly Pryor]

"Dude, really?" Lilly asked with a bit a surprise and what looked like maybe just a hint of hurt.

"Maybe if I repeat it enough times you will finally hear it one of these times." she sighed.

"The fact that you were so not our friend at the time is besides the point, just like even though you weren't mine or any ours friend, I and we all still helped you back in Bunnee's despite how you had treated us for years."

"I have said, pffft, I dunno, a dozen times now probably," she said with a shrug of her shoulders, "that I am not and have not argued that you believe you saw what you say you saw. It's clear as day that you absolutely believe it. I've never discounted that you believe it. I just have, just as you just said simply looked for some way prove it was something else. And thus far, I can't. Every explanation that I have considered has had pretty sizable holes. Even if it were a prank, people would have heard about it by now or posted it on Youtube for lolz or whatever by now. So though I am still hoping to find something to explain it all way, the only real option has been to believe you. The stuff about Cooper, the phone, trailer and on and on, and this stuff today, with the football and freaky abilities? Well, that just makes it all the more likely." Lilly said as she stood up and walked over to Devin, looking at him face to face with a stern gaze.

"So I have and do believe you, even though I hope it's something far more innocent and explainable. And I am you friend, or at least I have tried to be. If you can't see or accept that, then that's on you and your loss." Lilly said firmly to Devin. She was beautiful and at the moment more fiery too. More so than most of her friends had ever seen her, a mixture of hurt and offended on her dead serious face, eye narrowed slightly.

Lilly shook her head and rolled eyes, then turned and walked back to her seat and sat down, looking to Jase and the others.

"As far as what to do? I dunno. We've already broken the law... like.. lots of times, some of which is pretty up there too. So we can act like nothing happened and wait for the hammer to drop, which might never come. Or we can be proactive and at least try to know what's coming and prepare for it. Nothing here is normal. Not anymore. Not for us.

Like, we can still do some unobtrusive stuff though, that does not break the law but can still maybe garner some information. Maybe if we can get enough info we can protect ourselves and our families simply by having it and the ability to release it or something. I dunno." Lilly sighed 

[Jaunt]

"At the time?"  Devin just shook his head.  "Pryor, your friends needed you to believe them.  You chose not to.  However you choose to justify it to yourself is, like you said, on you.  I'm not going in circles about it anymore.  That night and how you chose to react is why we never made it past 'at the time'.  So I would not join camp Lilly and no, I'd not be wanting to do any activities."

He motioned a finger back and forth between them.  "We ain't cool like that, you and I.  So don't joke like we are."

[Lilly Pryor]

Lilly's eyes narrowed again and her irritation flared at Devin's words.

"You can't speak for me. Sara maybe could, with her new thing... but not you. And I just said that the fact that you were not our friend 'at the time' was irrelevant. I still believed you. I am not sure how you can't get that through your skull. I never chose not to believe. And how I reacted? You mean look for an explanation hoping it was something far more innocent because I didn't want anybody to have been subjected to those things?" she said and shook her head.

Lilly pointed and herself with a lone finger.

"And I made it past 'at the time' weeks ago. I put aside how you treated me and my friends for years, and have tried to be your friend for weeks now."

She then pointed at Devin. 

"You are the one still stuck in the past. Not me. One day, you might realize that. When you do, hopefully it will not be too late." Lilly said and rolled her eyes and shook her head.

[WS ST]

"Guys," Sara said standing up, "assembly's starting we can hash this out at lunch"

The kids quieted as the school principle took the stage and began his customary welcome to the new year speech. It was the usual stuff all of them had grown accustom to. He discussed the upcoming events and activities promoted the quest for academic excellence and introduced a few new teachers. Of mild interest was the Introduction of an Air Force Major Angelas who announced that the Air Force would be offering a JR ROTC program this year and that any interested freshmen, sophomores, or Juniors could register for the program by visiting the counselors office over the next three days. The last announcement was that starting the next day and over the remainder of the week,  Annual Flu shots and vaccinations would be available and were mandatory unless a Parent signed waiver was presented.

Spoiler

The flu shots and vaccination (tetanus, pneumonia, etc. while not common in large school districts, it is not uncommon in small rural schools where a single case of the flu could escalate and shut an entire district down. Shelly has been doing this for as long as any of you can remember.

As assembly ended the student body marched off in orderly fashion to receive their locker assignments and class schedules. Due to the length of the assembly the first class of the day was skipped and after visiting their lockers everyone made their way to their second period class. The grade sizes in Shelly were small, by national comparison, of the 136 high-school aged children, 18 were seniors, 51 were juniors, 32 were sophomores and the rest, 35, were freshmen. Many members of the Fellowship shared classes and would see each other through out the day.

As second period ended and the students headed to lockers, several students noticed a couple of Sheriffs SUVs in the front lot of the school. it took only a few minutes for for the entire school to know that something was going on.

Spoiler

it is 10:06-10:10 between classes if any one wishes to make a post in that time frame. if not i will post a post moving forward later

 

 

[z-Avalon Wilson]

Lona watched the fight between Devin and Lilly play out. Her instinct was to jump in and defend Lilly, but frankly of all of the girls in the group, Lilly was one of the best at defending herself. If she really needed help, Lona would have jumped in -- and she realized with a start, that’d she do the same for Devin. Mother fucker! They were supposed to be working together, and since they had, she had developed a small sense of protectiveness for him, just like all her friends. A very small one. Minuscule. Microscopic, even.

The assembly was as dull as ever, and this time Lona had a whole bunch of more interesting thoughts. She couldn’t possibly focus on the mundane aspects of school when she was dealing with… what? 

Did I become the party’s cleric?

She’d been trying not to think of it that way, because she couldn’t dwell on the fact that it was happening now and not six months ago. She couldn’t let herself think about it, not yet. She wasn’t sure she could handle that right now.

As Clara headed toward her third period class, Lona intercepted her and fell into step next to her. “Are you okay? Can I do something?”

Clara hugged the binder she’d been carrying to her chest and shook her head. Softly she said, “There’s nothing to be done, not yet. I’m just trying to get through classes.” She frowned at the half-dozen texts she’d gotten from various clubs and the track group, all asking if anyone knew why the Sheriff was at the school. “Have you heard about the Sheriff being here? Is someone getting arrested?”

“Hopefully Cody Sikes for being a criminal waste of flesh.” Lona said with a frown. She didn’t mention it, but it was far more likely that someone had fucked up and the police had shown up at the one place everyone knew they would be. She hoped it wasn’t one of her friends.

“I haven’t seen him yet today. Usually he’s latched onto Chet like a tick.” Clara frowned. With everything going on, the last thing they really needed was Cade’s dad getting super diligent when it came to the high school student body. She sighed, “We don’t need this right now. Not on top of everything else. Hopefully some freshman just got caught with weed or adderall in their locker.”

Lona didn’t comment on the odds of the Sheriff being unrelated to the Fellowship of the Scoobies’s activities. “Hopefully. I gotta get to music class. See you at lunch?”

At Clara’s nod, the two split off toward their separate classrooms.

[Bannon]

"...and that's the bell, so remember - sort yourselves out with lab partners for the coming semester and read the first two chapters before next lesson!"  Ms Lafferty called out above the hubbub as the first Chem class of the year ended.  "Well done on the surprise test - looks like you didn't forget everything from last year."  she added.  "And don't forget!  Lab partners are for working alongside, not for gossiping.  I do not want to see the usual suspects together, or I'll start exerting executive privilege."  She looked up as a familiar lanky figure (though he seemed to have gotten taller over the summer) swung past her desk.  "Jason?"  Jase stopped and wheeled to face her as though he'd been waiting for this - which he had.  He was expecting this conversation, and others like it to follow from other teachers now that he was not idling any more. 

Caroline Lafferty was one of the sharper teachers at school - she'd tried to engage Jason in the Sophomore year, knowing he was smarter than he let on,  but had been met with the trademark bored silence and refusal to meet her gaze.  Now he was still mostly expressionless, but his eyes were regarding her with an expectant tilt to the brows and he was not slouching, instead radiating a laid-back intensity as he stayed behind from the general rush to the door.

"You didn't know there would be a pop quiz."  Caroline stated, meeting his pale eyes.  "You aced it.  You finished an hour long test in twenty minutes and scored full marks.  And there were two problems on there which I didn't cover last year."

"Is there a question in there, Ms Lafferty?"  Jason's lips curved, but his eyes stayed level on hers.  He tilted his head to one side, a charming crook to his smile.  "Or an accusation, perhaps."

"I'm accusing you of laughing on the other side of your face for two years of high school."  she shook her head at him.  "I'm also asking you to sign up to the Science Club.  We can leave aside for now why you were hiding this talent as well as why you've decided to stop.  Doubtless it's personal." 

"I appreciate that."  he replied he inclined his head without dropping his gaze. "And I will consider - seriously - signing up."

"Do."  she nodded.  "This is the stage where extracurricular activities can really help you, Jason.  You obviously have an interest in science - those two problems were a Kobayashi Maru for high schoolers.  They were college level Chemistry."

"Tricky, Ms Lafferty."  Jason remarked as he stepped towards the now-empty doorway.  "Extra points for the Star Trek reference, though."  Grinning, he wheeled again and headed out the door into the bustling hallway.

"You in trouble?"  Marissa fell into step as he started towards his next class.  He slowed and shortened his stride so she wouldn't need to half-jog to keep up, a small courtesy which she did not miss.  "Bedroom Eyes Lafferty want to spank you after school?  Or conduct experiments to do with warm caramel and skin?"  she grinned at him, getting a smirk in return as he shook his head.

"Just wanted to say well done on scoring full marks." he returned casually.  "Also wanted me to sign up for Science Club."

"Nice.  I'm not surprised at all, but nice."  Mari regarded him speculatively as he stopped by his locker to swap out books.  "You gonna do it?"  A chime caught her attention and her dark eyes frowned as she examined her phone.

"Not sure yet."  Jason shrugged as he rummaged in his locker.  "I imagine I'll have a pick of academic clubs to get into, but I don't want to lose all my free time.  Science is definitely top of my list.  First, though, I'm going to need to find a decent lab partner-  What?" he looked down as Marissa nudged his arm.

"Cops are outside."  she looked from her phone to him.  "Two Sheriff's department cars, just sitting out there.  And Cody Sikes hasn't been seen all day."  She narrowed her eyes, considering him.

"I've not seen Cody Sikes since the fair."  he stated calmly.  Marissa snorted and lightly punched his arm.

"Of course you didn't do anything to him." she said, covering her momentary doubts expertly.  "But someone might think you did if the story got out."  Jase pondered, looking up at the tannoy speaker nearby.

"If it is me they want to talk to, we'll know soon.  Oh, and there's a Scooby Fellowship meeting on the bleachers at lunch - you missed the breakfast one so we'll bring you up to speed on developments if you want to show up.  Meanwhile, I've got Lit. to get to."

"What a coincidence.  Me too."  The smarter prettier Jauntsen smirked at him as they started off once more.  "You can fill me in on what I missed there."

"Yeah, you've got to stop turning up wherever I am.  People are starting to talk."  Jase deadpanned, a sly glint in his eye.  "And then your brother will break my face.  I like my face."

"Dream on, caveman.  You are blessed to have my presence in the same building, let alone the same classroom."

"That's the word I was looking for.  Blessed.  Not the other one."

"And I'm calling dibs on you as lab partner."

"I was hoping Courtney was free."

"Asshole."

"Brat."

[WS ST]

INTERLUDE

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION

SHELLY MONTANA

The doctor came into the surveillance room a stony faced looked and eyes giving the Technician on duty a cold Clint Eastwood glare. "This better be good I was on the way to an appointment with a patient."

"It is doctor," the tech used his mouse and click  enter. "Monitor three sir."

The Doctor leaned over his hands flat on the console before the number three monitor. It held a somewhat blurry image taken from above it showed a bunch of teenagers at a table in a cafeteria he thought several of them had what looked like trays. "What am I looking at and why is it so blurry?"

"It will clear when it starts moving, but it won't be 4k we have been getting a lot of EM interference today. Watch the foot ball."

The image started moving, it took the Doctor a second to find the foot ball he was supposed to watch but then he did. "Play it again" The video played a second time. "The boy with the ball at the end there. Which one is he?"

"02A-38, Jason Bannon," the tech said.

The Doctor straightened, "Really...and this one, the one that had the ball originally?"

The technician manipulated the mouse and the video changes to a different angle. "We only caught a partial on this due to the angle." It showed a boy throwing a foot ball across the crowded cafeteria heading right at a boy that couldn't possible know it was coming. "The thrower is 02-06n and the kid that caught it is 02A-54B Dev..."

"Devin Jauntson. I know. The rest of these kids at the table see if you can clear it up and  identify them. I want to know if they are on Caspian's list.

Good work Dave," The doctor started toward the door and called back over his should, "And find out what is causing that interference. This shit is supposed to be the best available."

[Coraline Hess]

Coraline had a love-hate relationship with the rumor mill. On one hand, vicious rumors could be born and spread in a heartbeat. On the other, she only had to confirm once or twice 'Yes, I am now dating Cade. It's wonderful.' and everyone who could be interested would already know. Saved on time and effort, and if anyone wanted to gush between classes, well... Who was she to complain? He *had said 'yes'* and no amount of weirdness was going to make her readily forget that. She let the pleasant chaos and bustle of first day classes bear her along, cracking opening books and notes for the first time. Academics was a distant third in her priorities right now, but her parents would spring shut on her extracurriculars or, even worse, her and Cade's next date, like a beartrap if she let her grades slip too far below their standards.

The whole world greying out once or twice as she forced herself to concentrate on the first lectures of the school year and not doodle in the margins of her notes was just a thing to endure. Pretty really, like she was the only technicolor thing in a black-and-white movie. Oooo, that was an idea for her audition video... Bad Cora. No. Focus on the class. The back of Cade's head in front of her wasn't helping her concentration at all, and the tall brunette sighed in resignation, soldiering on until the bell and the next break. She'd catch up with him in hallway, steal another touch or a laugh out of the morning...  

[Charlie Cole]

Charlie had wound up staying quiet during the discussion and then the argument between Devin and Lilly. Lilly had been firm for herself, which was why he had left that be. Also the matter of Etienne was too fervent and raging for him to offer thoughts. Honestly, they'd had a ton of questions posed - and none really answered still. Etienne, he still really didn't know, given how removed from the group Clara had been. Perhaps he wasn't really involved and they were misinterpreting something. Perhaps it wasn't really by the Frenchman's free will or knowledge.

Also, there was the mystery of powers developing. What Bannon did was cool, but also shocking and this threw a level in that Charlie had no idea how to explain. Devin, Sean, well, Lilly didn't seem to have anything. Neither did he, unless you counted an increasingly odd sense of something around him that felt more just disorienting or confusing (like he was coming down with something rather than comic-booky).

By now the story and quasi-joke of what he had indeed said under the spell of Lucifer's Reserve and Bannon's disclaimer that he had not engineered it to include oracular insight had gotten to Charlie. Once it was good for a laugh. Now it was just bizarre and confusing. And of course, he had school and the drama work to consider. He had to put something out of his mind and right now it was everything that had occurred before the assembly.

[WS ST]

Everyone was wondering what the Sheriff was doing at the school and that was the major distraction of third period and it got even more interesting when Todd Asper and Chet Walker were both pulled out of 3rd period Lit class soon after the bell rang. Around the the room teens exchanged glances. Courtney turned around in her seat and glanced looked at Marissa and raised her eyebrows questioningly. Mrs. Copeland sensing the unease decided to give the class a reading assignment. She had just finished the instructions when another knock came and the Office aid stuck his head in. "Courtney Adams, can you come to the office please?'

Courtney looked suddenly pale and with a bit of hesitation rose from her seat. "Bring your books."

 

In the main Science lab Mr. Hayes was laying out the goal of the semester and reviewing what had been covered in the previous year. It was almost half past the hour when a knock on the door interrupted Mr Hayes, Paul Dorset, who was an Office Aid stepped in, "Mr Hayes, I need to bring Devin to the office."

With a sigh the teacher looked at Devin, "Mr Jauntson," he made a sweeping open handed gesture toward Dorset, "better take your books."

Devin gathered up his things and joined Dorset in the hall. "What's going on man?"

"Don't know. Sheriffs here and a couple of deputies. Todd Asper and Chet Walker been up in the office with them since 3rd started, Courtney Adams got called in about ten minutes ago," Dorset said with a low voice as they walked the short distance.

Coming up to he office Devin could see all three teens Dorset mentioned sitting apart from each other none of them talking all three looked pale. He saw his mother behind the counter at her desk who looked very shocked at seeing her son. There was a Sheriffs Deputy at the door that led into the principles outer office, a woman in her twenties kind of heavy set with features that showed an Native American heritage. Devin didn't know her. "You Devin Jauntson? The sheriff would like to see you."

[Jaunt]

"You sent him," he pointed to Paul.  "To go get Devin.  He returns with me.  What do you make of that?  Prolly why you're a Deputy and not a Detective, huh?"

"Devin!"  His mom hissed at him through clinched teeth.

He just chuckled.  "Hi, mom."

The Deputy opened the door for him and Devin walked into the office.  There was the Principal the Sheriff and a whole metric fuckton of tension.  He sighed and rolled his eyes.  "So, what's up?  If this is some attempt to strong arm me to join the cheer leading team, I already told you, I'm not doing it."

[WS ST]

The principle cringes but Sheriff Alistair just sighs. "Not here to bust your chops Devin," he says his tone sort of conciliatory, "just want to ask you a few questions, that's all. If you feel like obliging me why don't you take a seat?"

Devin notices right away that the usual 'Im the Sheriff, your the kid' vibe Cade's dad usually has going was no where in evidence and that made him think that this might really be serious.

[Jaunt]

"Ooookay," Devin said cautiously.  "Kinda feeling like I'd prefer it if you were busting my chops."  He sat down and looked at the two with him in the office.  "Okay, so what's up?  Why the cloak and dagger bit?  Did something happen to my dad?  Is he okay?"

[WS ST]

The sheriff nods his head toward the door and the principle steps out of the office. The Sheriff sits down in the chair next to Devin after turning it to face him. "Nah as far as I know your dads fine. this is more school related i guess.

Are you friends with Colby Sikes?"

 

[Jaunt]

"I was," he said honestly.  "Him and the others sorta stopped being my clique the day I shattered Chet's nose... bout a month ago maybe?  Since then it's been nothing more than a few sentences here and there if I see them around town.  Last I saw him was at the fair with everyone else in the town.  Why?"

[WS ST]

The Sheriff scratches his temple. Devin looks around and doesn't see any recording device, plus didn't they have to tell you  if they were recording you..

"Tell me about the fair, the last time you saw him?"

[Jaunt]

"There's nothing to tell, really."  Devin shrugged.  "He was with Chet, Courtney and Todd.  I was with Tawny that night so we didn't hang out with them.  I know we all closed the fair down because I saw them all leave together.  Tawny and me met up with the Nerd Herd and left with them.  We all went our separate ways, Sheriff.  Ask Cade, he was with us at the fair all night." Realizing they may not understand who that was, he rattled off everyone's name he was with.

Devin could have come out and mentioned the attempted rape on Cora, but something didn't sit right with him and exposing the attempt meant exposing Jason's (which, in truth he wasn't there to see happen).  Also, kids handled kid shit and he wasn't about to snitch on Courtney, Chet or anyone.  Whatever Sikes did, they would deal with it later.  "Wish I could be more help, but I kinda cut ties with those guys.  Trying to be a better person, y'know?"

Spoiler

Details:[5d10 (7 8 10 4 10)] +1 En Lying Specialty.  +2 En Skilled Liar.

6 successes to lie to the Sheriff.

The goal here is to simply imply that everyone left the fair alive, safe, and with no bad blood and to pave the way to make other's stories look less creditable if they've narc'd already.

 

[WS ST]

Aliastair had hoped for more, needed more. "Alright Devin I appreciate you talking with me. why don't you wait out side until the bell then you can go to class."

He stands and opens the door to let Devin leave.

[Jaunt]

Devin nodded.  "Yeah, okay.  Sorry I couldn't be more help."

He sat down and looked at the others across from him.  Courtney was to his right and after a few moments she leaned over and whispered softly, "What did you tell him about the tree?"

Devin's expression went a bit pale but his poker face was on point.  He quietly whispered back.  "What are you talking about?  What tree?"

He could see the relief in her eyes as she gave a barely perceptible nod and sat back.

He knew the drill, no whispering, no signals... nothing to make the others think they were lying or covering for anyone.  He had to move, to get away from the others before they blew the whole thing.  A moment later he stood up.

"Hey, where you going?"  Asked the the deputy.

"To see my mom," he replied and didn't bother to even stop.  The Sheriff's deputy were dicks, he didn't like them at all.  He approached Misti's desk and offered a soft smile.  "Hey, Mom."

They talked for a minute, going over what was discussed in the office all the while Devin was typing out a text while he innocently looked like he was talking with his mother.  //Guys.  Missing an NPC from the kingdom.  Major problem and might not be able to continue the campaign unless he's found.  Need to meet up ASAP so we can check to see if anyone remembers where it coulda been left.//

[Bannon]

Meanwhile, the reading assignment in Lit. was going about as well as could be expected.  Ms Copeland didn't even try to stop the low murmuring of conversation, merely now and then reminding the louder voices that they were supposed to be reading.  In truth, the yanking of three of the Shelly High elites from the same classroom was giving everyone some issues.

Jason was somewhat troubled - the one thing that Chet, Courtney and Todd had in common that might warrant the sheriff speaking to them was Cody Sikes, who he had threatened with explosive exsanguination at the Fair.  Had Cody broken down and told a parent about the threat, who had in turn called the police?  Doubtless if that was the case then the bully would not have confessed his own wrongdoing, but Jase had enough witnesses of decent character, including Cora, to indicate that whilst he was not a saint, the worst he could be accused of was taking extreme measures to prevent a sexual assault.  In Montana, that could even get someone a medal.  So instead he focused on murmured conversation with Marissa, who was sitting beside him in apparent total disregard for the rules of high school social standing - which itself drew more than a few stares.  It was also pleasant to sit with her - despite his concerns about the Cody situation and the worry that he could be called out any second.  Though the topic of conversation was serious, there were moments of levity.

"Oh my god."  Marissa said, restraining a laugh.  "You didn't?!  I bet Lilly squawked when that happened."

"Definitely took her by surprise."  Jason agreed with a slight smile, his eyes on the text before him as he spoke out the corner of his mouth.  "She was right in the middle of saying 'I bet it's magnets' too.  Credit to her, she didn't completely freak out."

"Or kick your ass."  Mari retorted with a grin.  Jase nodded.

"Or that.  But the interesting thing was that some of the others reported weird sensory input too.  Clara could feel what I was doing.  And Sean seems to be attuned to electromagnetics."  He went on in brief explanation of the powers the other Nerd Herd had exhibited.

"Cade is Crocodile Dundee now?  Doesn't seem like the same sort of thing to me."  Marissa mused with an adorable nibble on her lower lip.  At least, Jase catalogued it as adorable.  He shrugged.

"Perhaps he's just discovered a knack and is reading more into it.  Lilly hasn't reported anything."

"Good.  I'd be really pissed if she got gifts and I didn't."  Marissa said with a narrowing of her eyes.  "Bad enough that my idiot brother and the Valedictobot have them.  Not to mention you."  She nudged him gently, causing him raise an eyebrow in response, but keep his amusement to himself.

"But there's more."  And he went on to tell her about the trailer, the atomic generator, the super-advanced radio, Sean's cracking the VLF communicator, the strong theory that Etienne - Eddy - was in fact a spy and finally the discovery that the files were red herrings and only the photos were worth studying.  Marissa made a disgusted noise at the last piece of data.

"All that time we worked, and it was all for nothing."

"Perhaps not.  If we hadn't studied everything so thoroughly, I probably wouldn't have had the breakthrough last night.  Research is like that sometimes- no such thing as shortcuts and a lot of work done doesn't directly play into the end result."

"Hmm.  An old aircraft tail number and Eddy the spook are our leads. So what are we going to do next?"

"That's what the lunchtime meeting is about."  He gave her a smile that reached his eyes.  "You in?"

[Marissa Jauntsen]

"I don't know," she whispered softly.  She crinkled her face in hesitation with a hint of indecision.  She turned the page of her book and tucked a strand of hair behind her ears so it didn't block her view while spoke to Jason.  "My popularity has taken a serious hit since I started hanging out with you guys, and out of a hundred and fifty six in our school... I'm practically a nobody now."

"Last week people hated you," Jason said.  "This week people love you.  Both weeks you still got paid, so who cares?  You haven't lost the throne, Queen Bee, you've just shifted the power curve.  Incited a regime change."

"The Nerd Herd... help me run this school?"  Her eye brow curved up in skepticism but when there evil grin began to curve on her lips he knew she was open to the possibility.  "Wait, no.  I mean there are standards, Jason.  You can't be respected unless you look respectable.  You guys are slobs and outcasts.  Even Clara, who has the most fashion sense of all of you, dresses like she's trying to get into an Ivy League thrift shop."

The page of her book flipped once again.  She wasn't reading it but it kept it looking like she was doing something other than talking.  She lazily shook her head in defeat.  "Yeah, fine.  Fine, okay, I'll join you guys for lunch."  Her phone lit up on her desk, resting directly behind the person in front of her so their head would obscure it.  She looked at the screen and her expression grew puzzled.  "It's Deej.  Look."

He presented him her phone and his text was on her screen:

//Guys.  Missing an NPC from the kingdom.  Major problem and might not be able to continue the campaign unless he's found.  Need to meet up ASAP so we can check to see if anyone remembers where it coulda been left.//

[Bannon]

"Guess something has happened to Cody."  Jase narrowed his eyes as he put two and two together.  "They pulled Devin out of his class too.  I thought it telling they took Chet, Courtney and Todd.  I had assumed Cody had tattled about our little run-in at the Fair.  Judging by this, though..."

"Do you think he's...?"

"If he is, they don't know it.  Or they'd be doing interviews at the station, parents would be called, and the State Police would be involved.  He's missing, is my guess."  Jason passed her back the phone.  "And probably has been for at least 24 hours for the sheriff to be involved."

"All that from one text and a visit from the sheriff?"  Marissa stared at the phone, then Jason.  "Not that I can pick apart the logic."

"I'm fairly confident in the reasoning.  There are procedures when a murder is being investigated, and they are not following those.  Sheriff Alister is very by-the-book - it's why he gets re-elected."  Jase gave Marissa a sly smile, his pale eyes twinkling.  "See?  Nerds can be fun."  Mari gave him a long, measuring look, meeting his stare.

"Maybe my taxonomy is off and you're not a nerd.  Nerds have pocket protectors and like to show off their math prizes and talk about their level 80 paladins and can't talk to girls without spazzing out.  You're an anomaly..."  her dark eyes softened for a moment as she studied his face, then sharpened once more.  "A scruffy one.  Kudos for showing your hair a comb, but you still dress like you raided your dad's closet."

"I've grown an inch since summer began."  he returned, with a shrug.  "Why waste money on good clothes when you won't fit in them by Homecoming?"

"That is such a nerd thing to say."  Marissa shook her head, sounding disappointed, but she smiled sideways at him as the bell rang signalling the end of the third period.

[WS ST]

The next class was full of tension. Those kids who had been taken to the office returned for their fourth period class, Chet and Todd visibly shaken by whatever they had been questioned about. Courtney was pale but her self assurance and outward vibe of superiority quickly came back as she warded off any questioning of her little bitch corps, and Devin, well Devin seemed unmoved by whatever had transpired and he out of the four seemed like his normal self, but his new friends perhaps due to their own burgeoning abilities noticed that his quips seemed to be off a bit as if his mind was on other matters. Sometime during the 4th period the sheriff and the deputies left. Rumors, origins unknown, started to be whispered. Colby Sikes had been killed, Colby Sikes had Killed himself, Colby Sikes had been abducted, Colby Sikes had runaway after killing his parents and was missing. colby Sikes was going to shoot up the school, and so on. But they were all rumors of Colby Sikes.

When the bell rang signaling lunch, the members of the Fellowship made their way either alone or in  groups of two or three to the football and track field, where they found Hutchins already waiting for them since she had shop classes all morning and they were right near the field. Because of her having these classes she was the only one of the Fellowship that didn't know about the Sheriffs visit to the school or any of the rest.

Sara, uncharacteristically, actually waved at the first of them to arrive, and motioned them to join her up where she was sitting on the highest tier of the bleachers.  

[Sean Cassidy]

Sean was in the back corner of the computer lab sitting, talking softly with to Kimberly Kiebler next to him, as the teacher went through the outline and expectations for Advanced Computer Applications, catching up with her after she had spent the summer with her grandparents in Florida. They didn't hang out outside of school, but were friendly enough inside it, often lumped together in various classes over the last several years since both had developed earlier and more amply than most of their peers.

"Jesus, Sean!" Kim whispered, blatantly giving Sean a good look-over and noting curves more dramatic than last time she saw him, more obvious in better fitting clothing. "Did you shake out every last bit of fairy dust from the boob fairy?"

Sean chuckled wryly. "Stupid hormones. I'll trade you a couple of cup sizes for a couple of inches of height, Kim." Kim had already been tall, but along with a great tan, she'd come back from Florida nearly as tall as Coraline. The average female height at Shelby High has to be notably higher than the national average, Sean idly thought. "I should see about programming a version of Venmo for height and boobs."

"Heh, yeah, but no thanks! I'd share some height, but I got boobs enough," Kim giggled. "I look like a telephone pole with a pair of water balloon tacked on. But you, you look great Sean, with those hips and ass and waist to balance you out." She gestured, taking in his clothing. "You still dress like a geek, but I guess you ain't hiding the curves anymore? By the way, love the hair."

"Thanks," Sean said, cheeks colouring faintly as he flicked an errant lock of hair back with a finger, then gave Kim an ostentatious shrug. "And, yeah, it's not like I can really hide them, right? Stuff happened over summer and I realized I could keep being embarrassed and miserable, or start accepting it, maybe embracing it a little."

"Woohoo. Bikinis and little black dresses next, maybe some makeup, or heels? There's some height for you." Kim teased, nudging Sean in the ribs with an elbow.

Sean gave her a small grin - that sort of teasing from Kim didn't bother him, not when they'd both been teased and harassed by others in much the same way. Having someone to vent with who understood was always a relief, and Kim had never seemed to be weirded out about his condition. She'd been curious, but not prying. "Have you been talking to Laurie? Baby steps, I'm taking baby steps."

"With your dainty little feet, you have to. But better that than these clown shoes I have to wear."

Sean only really paid half a mind to Kim talking about her time in Florida and complaints about clothes shopping and the teacher going on with the outline. Talk about hiding had Sean thinking about his friends' - and Devin's - talk before the first day assembly. They could be cautious about any overt displays and investigations, but he thought actually hiding was already too late. And it was serious, but he'd rather know what was going on, instead of trying to keep his head down in the sand. Ignorance wasn't bliss.

With Eddy at Marias, that would likely mean they already had his extensive medical file on hand. He frowned, glancing down at the most obvious symptoms of his condition. If there was a genetic proponent, beyond or in addition to being affected by some manner of radiation or other exotic particles to the development of these... abilities - not that he had super spatial sense or telekinesis - would he trade them away if it meant he could have had normal male physical development? It was a question he couldn't answer. Yet.

"... and for those of you who took Computer Applications last year, you'll remember Sean Cassidy," the teacher said, catching Sean's attention with his name. "Sean will be a TA for the class once again." The teacher gave the class a rueful smile. "So if you have any questions, please ask him first."

"TA, more like T&A, amiright?" Bobby Howe laughed, giving the guy next to him a high five.

Sean rolled his eyes - like Bobby hadn't said the exact same thing last year - but the teacher slapped her hand down on her desk with a sharp smack. "Bobby Howe! I expect everyone to treat everyone else in this class with respect and courtesy, no matter gender or appearance or sexual orientation. This is your last warning, Mr. Howe. Please apologize to Mr. Cassidy, who has graciously offered to assist in this class."

Sean hadn't offered to TA just to be nice. It was an easy A for him,  in this class, they actually got to build a computer and he always had fun doing that, and he could essentially use the class for independent study or do homework for other classes.

Bobby got up and shuffled over to Sean, his eyes down. "I'm sorry, Sean, I didn't mean anything by it," he mumbled, glancing up at Sean from under lowered brows. His lips quirked in a half grin. "Just meant to enjoy the scenery."

"I never expect otherwise," Sean replied wryly, keeping his voice low, though Kim was obviously listening in. "But if you think my T&A are nice, you should see my cock and balls."

"Argh! You ruined it!" Bobby exclaimed in mock despair. "I was trying to forget that part." He gave Sean a nod. "I can't promise I won't look - if it looks, walks, and and sounds like a duck, it's duck enough for me - but I'll try not to be an obvious mouth breather about it."

"What a gentleman," Sean said, sharing a look with Kimberly, then giving Bobby a warning smirk. "Try a little better than that. I can make this class hell for you."

Bobby gave Sean a little salute and went back to his seat, thinking, you already are...

With his phone in his satchel - so not a purse, but because pockets in girl jeans were essentially decorative as far as Sean could tell, they might be able to hold a quarter - and going around half the class, the teacher taking the other half, determining the other students initial proficiency level, Sean missed Devin's text. He only noticed it at the end of class, and with the rumours that were already spreading, he mind spun near the same logical conclusions Bannon had.

He waved at Kimberly as she went one way down the hall and he went the other, walking briskly to his locker to grab his lunchbag then the field, finding Hutchins already there. He scrambled up the bleachers, straddling the top tier to face her, giving her a nod and a 'hey' and unzipped his lunch bag. Pulling out a sandwich, he cocked his head, studying Sara.

"You don't know, do you? You haven't heard anything about the Sheriff? Or Cody?"

"No. Wait! What?" Sara said, looking around, broad shoulders tensing.

"I'm not sure, exactly. Just wait until the others get here." Making sure there was no one around to overhear, Sean got Sara caught up on the little he'd heard or inferred from the rumours. "Devin might know more. He sent a text."

[Clara Lys Wright]

Clara spotted Lona coming out of her Intro to Medicinal Sciences class and flagged her down. “Hey, do you understand this at all? Or has Devin finally cracked?” She held out her phone showing the text Devin had sent to the group.
 
Lona read it, her eyebrows rising. “Uh, well, if he’s cracked, then he’s somehow using D&D terminology correctly while out of his mind. Which isn’t a requirement for the game but certainly helps. So this must be about Sikes.”
 
Clara rolled her eyes and let out a snort of impatience. “Oh, boo hoo. The little degenerate would-be rapist skipped class on the first day. Shocking.” She pursed her lips, reigning in her utter disgust of Sikes, and gave Lona a sly grin. “So, did you actually bring it?”
 
Lona smirked and patted her lunch bag. “Got it right here.” Clara’s eyes widened and Lona shook her head. “It’s got it’s own bag. No way am I letting it touch my food.”
 
“I’m surprised you don’t have it a lead box, personally.” The usually reserved Student Council Vice-President quipped, obviously tickled by the situation. 
 
“We don’t own one. I looked.”
 
Clara actually full-on laughed at that and wound an arm with Lona’s. “C’mon, I’ve been waiting for this for a week now. And do it with, y’know, presentation. You only really get one shot.”
 
The pair made their way outside, climbing the bleaches to find their own seats. Once settled down, Clara asked the others present, “So, anyone else know what’s up with Devin’s text? Or has he finally completely cracked like Humpty Dumpty?”

[Charlie Cole]

Charlie ignored all the tawdry rumors about Cody Sikes. When Kyle brought up the arrival of the Sheriff, Charlie waved it off. "This is one of Chet's flunkies. Probably got caught bullying and someone's parents called the police." Or perhaps word of his attempt to molest Cora had leaked and he'd been arrested for that. The question of if Jason would be dragged in for the hay hook was shrugged off. A bit dramatic, but defense of a friend.

It was more of a shock when Devin's message came through. Code for some sort of problem, though when he did learn RPG language? Unless Jason or Lona or someone else who'd been hanging out with him taught him the lingo. Or maybe Marissa did. She somehow knew about the Beholder after all.

"Don't call it Humpty Dumpty until the Jauntsen's horses and men can't put him back together again. He's probably just worried about something only Devin and Marissa worry about." After all, they'd been so concerned about being dictators of the school's social world and palling it around with the likes of Chet and Courtney. Their priorities were not necessarily all there.

[Bannon]

Fourth period came to an end, the Math class letting out a collective sigh/groan of relief - not so much due to the topic as the realisation it was now lunch and they were free to gossip endlessly about the events of the morning.  As well as eat, find somewhere private to smoke or make out, and all those other things that high school juniors like to do when at lunch.  Marissa was sitting up with Devin now, and with the pleasant distraction of her gone Jase had focused on the lesson at hand.  Not that it really taught him anything, but his primary academic goal for this semester was to pop up on the radars of the faculty like a big goddamn blip so that he'd get recommended for classes that would teach him something.  He'd put himself behind the curve with his previous two years of not giving a fuck - so now it was time to catch up a little.

After class got out he hustled through the corridors to the Admin office.  Mrs Jauntsen was there, and his mind did it's little trick as she turned towards him and smiled warmly.  Not that he would ever tell Marissa or Devin, but Misti Jauntsen was also a feature in his memory.  Especially that moment he'd spotted her in an unguarded moment stretching her legs out and kneading her calf muscles that one time last Fall...  Nope, definitely not something he would share.  He was psychopathic, not suicidal.

"Mrs Jauntsen." Jase smiled back.  She was kind - which was anomalous when you considered Marissa and Devin were savagery incarnate - so he did wonder if she, like her daughter, was an actress par excellence.

"Hello, Jason.  And please, it's Misti."  she replied, looking up at him and narrowed her eyes, smiling wider.  "Did you get taller over the summer?"  At his shrugged acknowledgement she laughed.  "We need to get you on the basketball squad."

"Perhaps later." he grinned in return, causing Misti - like a number of other adults today - to compare this Jason with last year's model.  "Right now, I'm interested in setting up a meeting with whoever I need to to get into Medical Preparation.  I want to drop Computer Apps for that."  Misti nodded, checking the screen in front of her as she tapped on some keys.

"I can get you in with the counsellor during Study Hall tomorrow?" she suggested, then gave him an appraising look.  "New car, new attitude?" she fished.  "You've never seemed to care what classes you took before."  Indeed, the only time Jason Bannon ever appeared in the admin office was usually when sitting waiting for the principal.

"Tomorrow is fine."  The lanky teen asserted with a slight tilt of his head and a faint crooked smile.  "Thanks, Mrs Jauntsen."  And then he wheeled and was gone.

= = = = =

"Unlikely."  Jason said as he came loping up the bleachers like a greyhound, his one-word answer indicating he'd heard the tail end of Charlie's comment.  As he flashed everyone a faint smile of greeting and settled in, pulling a clear plastic bottle of ice tea from his bag, he squinted at Charlie.

"Devin and Marissa have not been friendly with Sikes, Chet or the others since Devin broke Chet's face at Bunnee's.  They have more or less turned their noses up at the old established order of the school since the night of the party, as you'd know if you'd been paying attention."  Though Jase's expression was patient, there was an edge to his tone and the direct gaze he leveled at Charlie while he spoke to them all.

"Best bet is that Cody Sikes is missing.  At worst he's dead.  With the weirdness currently going on in and around Shelly, Devin's information could be important - and probably is, or he'd not have bothered letting us know something was up."  He took a drink, narrow glittering gaze still on Charlie.  "By trivialising his genuine concerns, you cheapen your own worth."

[Sara Hutchins]

Sara had been enjoying the day, once Lilly had talked to her and made her see how self absorbed she had been they way she acted had seemed sort of silly And the powers or abilities or whatever you wanted to call them, well that hadn't freaked her out because away from everyone she had realized her own changes. She didn't understand them, couldn't control them like Jason had done but they were there and she knew and it didn't surprise her when others began having the same sort . Yeah the day had been going well until Sean had shown up and clued her in to what was going on.

The rest of the group began arriving, but while she gave waves of greeting and nods to what was being said her mind was elsewhere, literally.

44 minutes ago, Bannon said:

"By trivialising his genuine concerns, you cheapen your own worth."

 Jason's voice brought Sara back to the here and now.  Sean who was sitting by her noticed when she jumped  gave her a strange look and Clara also realized something was going on that that fuzzy feeling she had been having was being caused by Sara, when it abruptly stopped.

"Does anyone know what 'Break the rules Face the Tree' means," She asked with an uncertain tone.

[Marissa Jauntsen]

"Down boy," Marissa's voice spoke over Jase's tongue lashing.  "Charlie doesn't like us.  He has every right not to considering how we treated you mouth breathers all these years."

The twins rounded the corner to the bleachers and took a few steps up to sit with everyone else.  Marissa looked out of place amongst them as the school's diva, queen and fashionista.  To on lookers it looked she might have giving them all a seminar on the proper uses of soap.  She flattened her shirt and crossed her legs like the aristocracy she thought she was while Devin sat with is legs wide, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Really?"  Charlie retorted.  He motioned to the others then to Marissa.  "Am I the only one that hears this?  Do you even hear yourself what you talk to us?"

"Uh," she seemed honestly perplexed that she was even being called out to begin with.  "Yeah.  Of course I do.  Anyway, my disheveled little ham-fisters," Charlie rolled his eyes in stark disbelief, but Marissa powered through.  "I think my brother and I can fill in the Titan of Dramatic Exits blank spot on 'The Tree'.  Essentially-"

"-the tree isn't anything."  Devin took up right in the middle as they did their little twin thing that creeped everyone out.  At least, it was freaky until everyone started developing gifts.  "It's just a made up punishment.  Some of the others in this school are way more violent than you guys.  We had to keep them in line, I was constantly bowing up on guys and challenging them almost on the daily around here.  I know you guys think I'm some kind of tough guy, or like to think I think I'm some kind of tough guy, but I'm not.  You'd surprised what a little confidence and a bit of muscle will do for you, but it'll only take you so far.  I've scrapped wit those guys enough to know that a few of them are off their nut."

"We needed a way to keep them in line,"  Marissa took over, as she finished a text her eyes didn't rise from her screen.  "So one day we made up 'The Tree'.  That's it.  That's all we said was 'The Tree' and just the thought of us dragging them to some tree was enough to shut them up.  They fell in line and we sat back and laughed at how stupid they were."

"Yeah," Devin nodded.  "That was about two years ago, summer before high school...ish?  We just kinda kept using it as a threat as a means of seeing how long it would last and it just never died."  Devin got grim and he looked at everyone.  "Guys, there is no tree.  There never was and I swear to you all now that Marissa and I are telling the truth.  So... what if... y'know... someone took Sikes to 'The Tree'?  I mean, the Sheriff and three Deputies don't show up for skipping school.  I'm not as smart as you nerds and even I know that."

[Coraline Hess]

It was a humming, smiling Coraline that made her way up the stairs of the bleachers towards the others, one hand on the strap of her backpack, a tune out of some old musical that had a lot to say about revenge dying down as she took in the serious mood of the group. The smile didn't die though. 

"Hey, Guys. How's it going? My day's going great. One down, two to go. If the rumor mill is half right, that is."

There was a beat as she let the initial silence bounce off of her, anger flattening her tone, "What? I'm sorry, but I've been thinking about you-know-who and friends dying in a lot of different ways at night. Whatever's actually happening to him is probably a shadow of what he deserves. Don't worry. I'll go back to only having harmless, easily dismissible ideas, soon as I'm done enjoying this. Carry on."

She chuckled with dissonant serenity that didn't reach her eyes, sitting down onto a seat as her hair haloed up around her head and faintly glowed for a moment before settling back down into normalcy, "Damn it, there it goes again. Freaky, huh?"