11: LIFELESS

Weather was definitely one of the many things that seemed to be against the four as they travelled. The wind was biting and the clouds were low and grey. The ditch at the side of the track was their only sense of direction, but when they came to a fork in the rails they had to go by sheer luck. It wasn't a very comforting thought. 'Luck' was something Cora and Zane weren't very familiar with. There were no houses or people, just whispers of civilization- a barbed fence here, an old tracker there. The conversations were small, the moods were bitter.

And then it rained. It rained, and rained, and rained.

It was Flair's first night homeless and it definitely showed. She complained and pouted and grumbled as they all huddled themselves underneath a forgotten tarp strapped to the roof of a locked barn. Wet hay stuck to their hair and clothes. Cora was deathly afraid of Atom's exposed legs. This was a new kind of rain to Atom. It was harsh and scary and not something he felt the urge to dance in. Flair pulled the sorry excuse for a roof over her more whilst tapping on her phone. Her hair was almost as stiff as the straw.

"The reception is horrible right now." She struggled to speak over the roar of the storm, but had the group's attention. "But I can get the status of the Metro Police. Atom's still wanted but there's no patrols in Green Fields. Just a few searches and posters in some rugged towns. For something as serious as this, they're keeping it very hush-hush."

"What about Alicia?" Zane asked. Flair tapped for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"Nothing. No news on her. In fact…" she searched some more and a frown dripped onto her face. "No news at all. This Alicia chick has barely any records. For a supposed member of Metro City, she sure is more of a ghost than a person on paper."

"Why did she want me?" Atom asked. The rain let down enough for them to not have to shout. "How did she know all that, my creator, Tobi…?" Zane shrugged, Flair didn't answer and Cora stared out to the paddocks.

"She said she was Tenma's niece," Zane mentioned, "perhaps she knew you before your memory got fried."

"I doubt it," Flair scoffed. "I know all the files on Tenma and I don't remember any family. Definitely not a niece. Maybe she's just some crack-head police girl who saw how much you're worth and wanted to coon you into going with her." She threw her hands behind her head, realized how uncomfortable it was and settled on pouting again.

"She said she wanted to protect me," Atom mumbled. Zane snorted.

"Yep, definite crack-head."

"I think we should be focusing on who the hell those two girls were," Cora muttered, turning her head back to the group. A fresh spray of water dripped down her cheeks and she was shaking. Her short ended clothes weren't doing anything to shield her from the cold. "One of the snapped someone's neck." They all basked in the surreal-ness their little road trip was diving into for a minute.

"I saw them in Scarlett Lakes," Atom spilled. Cora's eyes widened.

"What?"

"At the Betting Stall. They seemed to have won a lot of money." He paused for a second. "They also knew about Tenma…" Everyone showed different levels of shock.

"Why didn't you tell this sooner?" Cora snapped. The harshness of her tone ignited something in Atom, something he thought he'd gotten over.

"Well I'm sorry I wasn't feeling very talkative after getting almost killed by robots!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Because you have a parent complex, not because you care for a robot!"

"Cora!" Cora raised her hand, intending to strike, but halted when Zane scolded her name. A minute of glaring was ended with the sulking girl bunching her legs up and returning her gaze to the flooded paddocks. No one spoke after that.

The night dragged on. The sky was a starless, black void of cold and only Flair and Zane got a few winks of sleep. Atom and Cora sat next to each other, backs against the rusted steel, one stoic and one shaking like a wet dog. The rain was slacking, but it still felt like it was bringing death upon the teens. They stayed in silence for a few minutes, listening to the drops against the tarp. Not even Zane was making a sound tonight.

The tension was unbearable. Cora had cooled down but the robot was still acting as if it had been struck.

"…about the Robot Games," she started, voice small. She took a long pause. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry we used you like that." Atom lifted his head and his glassy brown eyes stared at her and she didn't look away. "I know what it's like to feel used. Living at Hamegg's…" she trailed off.

There was another long moment of nothing but rain. "I'm sorry I behaved like that. I understand that robots are used. I understand that I have to get used to that." Cora didn't know if that was an 'apology accepted' or not. Probably not. "Cora, are you and Zane going to sell me?"

Her head snapped up. "What?"

Atom turned away. He scooted his legs up to his chest and stared at his hands. "I understand if you do. It would be smart." Cora stared at him.

"Yes, it would. You seem to understand a lot of things." His eyes looked so sad. Cora had thought she wanted Atom to become more aware of being a robot, to become more obedient to his true nature. But now that he was…"Atom, what would you want us to do?" Atom immediately bristled. He stared at Cora from his hunch, judging whether it was a trick question and after realizing it wasn't, he stared at the damp ground.

"Not abandon me." His voice was barely above a whisper. "You're my friends. At least I thought…" his pause was the equivalent of a choke. Cora's heart broke and she scooted closer, enveloping the small robot's frame. If he were human, he would be trembling, but under her touch his skin was smooth and cold. She inhaled shakily.

"I can't protect you from other people's view of robots, Atom," she said softly. She squeezed his shoulders. "But maybe I can change mine."

They fell asleep leaning against each other.

The next morning was far more chipper. The rain stopped and the grass and trees were glazed with a second skin of droplets. Flair finally stopped complaining when they found a sign that read Green Fields and that it was only about a day and night's walking away. They left the security of the train tracks and adopted a new path of dirt roads and muddy paths. It reminded Cora and Zane of their truck ride from Autumn.

Atom would run ahead and ignite his boots, hover for a second, clumsily land and repeat. Cora screeched at him the first few times, afraid that his legs would give out, but soon gave up. There was no stopping that crazy kid, and it proved to be quite entertaining when he face-palmed the earth. It also gave the other three time to discuss other matters.

"Dammit," Flair hissed. She had pulled out her phone and was now glaring at it. "No reception. I can't contact the police force."

"At least we know no-one will bother us out here," Zane said, stretching his arms above his head. All their clothes were still damp and Zane's cheap leather jacket was starting to shrink at the small of his back.

As the wind picked up, the four traveled into a tiny town lined with apple trees. They stole a couple off of branches looming over fences, feeding their grumbling stomachs. Around them wasn't much. A large cream farm house that was peeling at the edges and couple more houses with a small general store further down the road. With their feet sore from walking most of the day and another storm looming in the clouds, they eagerly knocked on the door.

"This is so rude," Flair muttered. "I can't believe I'm degraded to begging from complete-"

She shut up with an open of the door and a jab of Cora's elbow. The face of a middle aged lady filled the crack in the doorway. Her face was framed with poorly kept, over grown copper hair and her cobalt eyes were surrounded by worry lines. Those same eyes widened when she saw the shivering lot in front of her.

"Hello," she stammered.

"Miss, we're very sorry to intrude," Zane started, "but it's cold as balls out here and-" Cora put her elbow to use for the second time, silencing him.

"We really need a place to maybe dry off?" she tried. When the lady did nothing but stare at her and pressed on. "Please? We're so sorry to do this, but we're homeless and cold and-"

"Oh, of course," she said finally, opening up the door. It didn't do much, as her hefty figure took up half of the door frame. Her eyes creased with empathy. "You poor dears, of course you can come in. My husband's just made some soup."

Inside was blissfully warm and cozy. A potbelly fire was burning in the corner of the lounge room. The décor was miss-matched and mostly homemade- knitted blankets and pillow cases, carpets and kettle warmers. Small ornaments lined the shelves and a basket of apples was by the kitchen counter.

Introductions were swell. It turns out they had stumbled into the home of Mr and Miss Morrison. They were both very nice people and judging by the countless more baskets filled with apples, they were the ones who owned most of the land around the town. Tomato soup was poured and served to the misfits around the couches, and that's when the trouble started.

Miss Morrison was at first confused when Atom didn't ask for any soup and before Cora could calmly explain why, she noticed his legs. Her face had whirled into an unholy screech and her husband fled into the room. "Look at his legs, he's hurt!" she had screamed. Cora simply stated that he was just a robot in need of better repairs.

That's when it got really bad.

At the sheer mention of 'robot', Miss Morrison froze. Her lip tremored. "That's a robot?" she whispered.

"Yes," Cora urged, angry at how quickly the peaceful evening was turning sour. Miss Morrison dropped the serving bowl of soup, and red liquid making the carpet instantly sticky. She stared at Atom as if she he were the devil and that she was about to beat him with a cross. Atom looked as if he might pass out from fear.

"Out."

And that was the end of the Morrison's for them. Stepping out onto the dirt again, they kicked stones as they walked. "Cow," Cora muttered under her breath.

"We should've offered to keep Atom outside," Zane grumbled, shouldering off his jacket and passing it to Cora who had started shaking again. Atom immediately felt guilty about the situation.

Cora scoffed. "I wouldn't want to sleep in that house. Cow."

"You said that," Flair glared.

"Well it's true."

"She sounded more like a bull," Zane added.

"She probably would've charged at Atom."

"Yeah, you're face!" the boy laughed at the robot. It turned into a light-hearted moment, and Atom gratefully felt better.

After passing the general store, Cora quickly stole one of the jackets off of the models. Now Zane had his jacket back and Cora was no longer a shaking mess. It turns out that no-one lived in the other newly renovated houses. They were all for real-estate and all of them were locked and fitted with alarms. It seemed like another night outside. They walked further and further, leaving the town behind them. No rain was falling yet and their clothes had fully dried from the previous storm, but they still walked quickly and hoped not to be caught off guard.

They passed two signs. One said that Green Fields was only perhaps half a day away. The next read that they had entered a camping ground. It didn't look like much of one. A massive pine forest didn't look like the fanciest place to pitch a camper van. But luck was on their side when they almost tripped over an abandoned camping site. It was almost pitch black among the trees, but when they got the small fire pit alight their eyes glossed over.

A slightly crooked but totally usable tent was set up by the thick trunks. Even better, a backpack was left behind. Half a bag of marshmallows, a book of short stories and ten bucks was there's to keep.

Zane straightened the tent more to the left for the hundredth time. "Zane, leave the freaking tent alone." Zane paid no attention, narrowing his eyes before leaning it to the right. Cora rolled her eyes. She was sharing the bag of marshmallows with Flair. Flair was burning hers over the fire, but Cora sat away from it, her back against the tree trunk. Being completely sober around the flames wasn't doing well for her.

Atom had his nose in the book that was left behind. Judging by his frowns, he was halfway through 'The Emperor's New Clothes'.

"So, only a couple hours until we reach Green Fields," Zane smiled, finally leaving the tent be.

"It seems," Flair said through a mouthful of marshmallow.

"Then Sparks," he grinned, falling onto his back and staring up at the starless sky. "I can't wait." A quiet moment passed before Cora shuffled forward next to Atom. She took the book and flicked through it, finding 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses'.

"Here," she said, passing it back. "It's better, trust me." Atom gave a small nod and continued reading.

Zane fell asleep first, slumping hallway into the tent. Atom followed suit, squeezing into the small space. He adorably tried to be modest enough to not take up much space, but Zane flung an unconscious arm over him and there the two boys slept, snuggling.

Flair looked at them both and snorted. The fire had smothered into an ashen glow and Cora slowly crawled out from her spot. Hesitantly she slid next to Flair, tense, as if to test the water. But Flair didn't show any discomfort so Cora relaxed. Even though she'd only known Flair for a few days, she felt comfortable around her and thankfully Flair seemed to feel the same way.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while. Cora had found herself doing more of that lately, just sitting with her friends in the quiet. It was different, but she liked it. Liked the peace.

Flair broke it. "You kids aren't bad. I mean, you're all batshit crazy, but good. You're a good team."

"Do you like being a part of it?" Flair thought for a moment.

"Yeah." She sounded surprised at herself. "Yeah, I actually do." Cora licked her lips as she stared up to the canopy of the trees.

"…would you want to stay with us?" before she could catch the look on her face she flustered. "I know the deal was that you get to rat Atom out when we reach our location in exchange for safety, but…I don't know, forget it…"

"Are you asking me to stay? Like, forever wise?"

Cora squirmed. "Where we're going isn't…ideal, but we're planning on changing that." Now her head was reeling. What was she doing? Plans upon plans were crumbling down in her mind. She and Zane planned to sell Atom and run away to Metro City. But now they were attached to Atom. Flair was only supposed to stay with them until they got back to the circus. But now they were attached to Flair.

She didn't know anymore. She didn't know what she wanted. Her entire world was becoming this small group around her. Reno, Cathy, the twins…they were fading further and further into the background of her mind. She wanted everyone and no-one. Everything and nothing.

She seriously needed to talk with Zane.

"Planning for change, huh?" Flair said, shaking Cora out of her thoughts.

"Don't worry about it," she said quickly, jerking to her feet. Flair might've been offended by the sudden drop of conversation, but didn't show it if she was. Cora slinked into the caress of bodies squeezed into the flimsy tent and fell into a troubled, fitful sleep.

Fog pooled around the forest, thick and grey. Cora and Zane didn't know how early it was in the morning when the troubled girl shook the sleeping teen awake and dragged him a few feet from the camp. Flair was curled around the fire pit and Atom was deep in slumber.

"Ow! Jesus, Cora, what do you want?" They both skidded to a drop behind one of the many trees.

"We need to talk," she said firmly. Zane adjusted his jacket and bed hair.

"About what?" he asked distractedly.

"Everything," she urged. "Like what we're going to do with Atom. And Flair."

"I thought we had figured both those out," Zane said, rolling the tightness out of his shoulders. Obviously his brain was still in morning mode.

"You know we can't sell Atom! I finally figured that out," she sighed hotly. "I don't think we could've given him up from the start." She mumbled the last part. Zane waited for her to continue. "So, what do we do? At this rate, we're all back at the circus with the police on our back along with several psychopaths, spending the rest of our lives in slave labor and watching Atom get beaten to pieces by Hamegg."

Zane stared into space before exhaling slowly. "Well…when you put it like that…"

Cora scoffed at their situation. "And to think this all started with pleasing Hamegg with an intact robot." Zane snorted.

"Yeah, talk about 'times of our lives'." Silence enclosed them, eerie with the added effect of the fog.

SNAP.

They both flinched to the sound of twigs snapping. Cora's eyes grew wide. "What was that?" Zane didn't have an answer. Stepping out from behind the tree, Cora looked at the sleeping figures of Flair and Atom.

"Probably an animal," Zane said cooly, shoving his hands in his pockets. "So, you want to start heading o-"

SNAP. CRUNCH.

The supposed 'animal' had a very heavy foot fall. Speaking of which, what animals would be out here? Foxes? Possum? They hadn't even heard any birds during the entire night. Cora narrowed her eyes but couldn't see anything more than ten feet ahead of her. Working on instinct, she stepped over to Atom. She shook him lightly.

"Atom," she called. The robot groaned, digging his face into the empty backpack he was using as a pillow. That was the extent of politeness for this morning. A good kick to the side drew more attention. Atom choked on a shout, twisting his head to glare at her.

"What are you-?"

Cora pressed a hand over his mouth, motioning for him to listen. Before the snapping of wood reached her ears Atom was already flinching from something only he could sense. Cursing her for her rude wake-up call was suddenly the last thing on his mind. He stared at Cora and shook his head. That was all the warning she needed.

Zane who'd watched the exchange, zipped his lips shut. Now was the challenge of waking Flair without making a sound.

SNAP.

Palms starting to sweat, Cora crept over to the young adult's body and lightly tapped her. Flair stirred, but nothing else. Zane silently squatted down next to Atom, who was still idle and alert. "What do you hear?" he whispered. The robot continued to listen for a moment until his face was punched with panic.

"A gun loading."

Flair yelped as Cora dug her thumb into her neck and all hell broke loose. The careful crunching of leaves turned into a crackling sprint towards them. Cora pulled Flair up as Zane and Atom were already on the move. "W-wha-?"

"JUST RUN!" Cora threw Flair into motion. A bullet nipped the side of a tree trunk, sending splinters and wood dust into their faces. Their legs moved faster on impulse and they caught up to the others, all running for their lives. The footsteps became numerous and was joined with shouting and radio static. Cora heard Flair yell something about the Police Force, but Cora's ears were ringing with too much panic to hear coherent words. She pushed herself deeper into the depths of the forest, barely scraping under branches and skimming over stumps.

The fog was getting thinner and the officers were getting closer. Bullets sprayed from within the thicket of the trees and Cora's heart stopped with every pull of the trigger. Don't get shot, don't get shot, don't get shot, she repeated over and over because couldn't focus on anything else. Nothing else but the fear and dread.

Atom was holding back so he wouldn't be leaving the others in the dust. One hand was gripped tight on Zane's jacket collar, making sure that even if he tripped he could keep up. Cora took that inspiration and grabbed Flair's shoulder, propelling her forward. "Keep running," she gasped, breaths getting torn from her throat. It wasn't like Flair was going to do anything else, but that was all Cora could muster.

Atom was darting between the trees as another wave of gunfire rained upon them. The officers weren't catching up but it was a shallow hope in Cora's mind. Her legs were starting to strain. It felt like hours before they properly caught up with Zane and Atom, nipping at their heels. They didn't know where they were running and they didn't know when they would stop but their legs kept roaring on because they were not going to die today.

More bullets. More shouting.

Atom yelled something and Cora looked up, mind taken off of her burning legs. A chaparral of bushes and twisting branches was up ahead and judging by the increase in speed, Atom was determined to go straight into it. The thunder of gunfire chased them. Some bullets Cora could've sworn brushed against her cheek. If she had been shot already, she didn't know.

They all ducked and skidded into the underbrush and she heard Flair make a strange noise, something between a hiss and a cry. A branch had cut her cheek and just the sight of the blood pushed all the breath out of Cora's lungs. They pushed and charged and fought their way through the wall of prods and thorns and were met with a fence up ahead, the end of the camping ground.

Flair was falling behind. Cora grunted as she pulled the larger girl ahead. "Keep going," she gasped, "keep going." Flair sobbed and stumbled. "Flair," Cora choked. Flair's leg was starting to drag. Cora saw a flash of red when next time she looked down and realized that something was wrong. The young adult could barely hold herself up.

At the harrowing sound of more bullets Cora pulled Flair's arm over her shoulder and half-carried her towards Atom and Zane. The offenders were stuck behind the bushes but their bullets still tore through, more than ever before. Flair bit down screams as her body was strained. "Cora!" she heard Atom yell. The boys were both forced to wait until they caught up. "Take my hand!"

The robot's palm served as a glowing beacon to the girl. As she moved onwards, carrying Flair completely now, she felt a fire ignite on the side of her leg. She would've gasped if her lungs allowed it. The mere shock made her stumble. Before she could think about pain, she reached out, getting closer and closer until finally, blissfully, their hands met and they were all rocketing into the air. The air ripped past them and the world blurred. The sound of guns were lost to the wind. Cora's body was so tired and aching- yep, her leg was definitely bleeding- but she held onto Flair like her life depended on it.

In a few seconds they tumbled onto the harsh grass. Cora rolled a few times before slumping. The sound of harsh breathing was all they could hear for a few minutes. Atom was bent over on shaking legs. The flight obviously had taken a lot out of him. Flair was lying on her back, looking up to the sky and Zane was attempting to sit up.

"Is…is everyone alright?" Atom asked.

"Are they still following us?" Zane choked out. His whole face was red and wet.

They all glanced around. They didn't know how far they had travelled, but no gunfire or footsteps could be heard. Hills surrounded them, rolling into the distance, unnaturally green against the grey sky. Thunder was the only thing that answered Zane's question.

"I don't think so," Atom swallowed. Cora looked down to her leg. Her left one was bleeding, but not as bad as she had thought. Just a scrape, either from a bullet or a tree. She ripped an under layer of her jacket off and tied the wound up. Atom made a move towards her but she held out her hand.

"I'm fine," she said, glad that her voice was less breathless.

"No you're bloody not, Cora!" Zane saw the dark crimson dripping onto the grass and went white. "Look at your leg, you've been shot!"

"Grazed."

"It still looks bad," Atom said, helping her up. Zane followed suit, scrambling to his feet.

"It doesn't matter. I don't care how far we've gone from the forest. We need to keep moving." At Atom's nod she looked over to Flair. She was still lying there, staring at the charcoal sky. "Flair, are you hurt?"

No answer. Swallowing, Cora walked over and knelt down by her legs. Lifting one up, she winced. Blood was coaxing them, but she couldn't see any bullet hole. Flair didn't respond to her inspection, probably still in shock. "Flair, can you move anything? What hurts the most? Your leg?"

"Uh…" Cora looked up to see Atom standing over both of them. He had a strange expression on his face. "Cora…?"

"What?"

Atom was silent. Either he didn't have the words or didn't want to use them. He face was sickly. He was staring at Flair's eyes. Slowly, Cora did the same.

Blank. Flair was staring at the sky but her eyes were empty. Un-blinking. Lifeless.

Cora's mouth was replaced with cotton. She struggled to say something. The one who did say something was Zane, who walked up. "Shit." And that pretty much summed it up.

Shaking with disbelief, Cora curled her fingers under her shoulder, and turned her over. Zane openly gagged and covered his mouth, Cora's mouth went dryer and Atom was silent. What met their eyes was a grotesque, blood-soaked mess. Bullets were buried into the skin, flesh was torn and blood was gushing. Cora jerked away from the body with a swallowed scream. She had carried Flair on her back. She had unintentionally used her as a human shield. Flair was probably dead before she took Atom hand-

Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god. Cora took her hair into her hands and pulled. Flair's dead. A person is dead. Flair, my friend, is dead. An ugly wail finally escaped from her lips. "Oh my g-" Her breath was ragged and cut off her voice. The last thing she remembers is the sound of Zane hurling and feeling Atom pull her from the ground.

After that, it was blurred. Cora remembers Atom saying something along the lines of 'we have to go,' and 'I know, Cora, I know.' She remembers crying like she was seven again. She remembers being carried. She remembers the first road they'd seen in ages. She remembers a white hot burn of head lights blinding her eyes. And then she remembers darkness.

"CORA!"

The tiny girl flicks her head towards the burning house. It used to be quite grand, with its' cream wood walls matching the picket fence, and the three stories of time and brilliance. Now all used to feed the monster, eating away at the wood with its flames.

Then she saw it.

Someone in the window.

"Mummy? Daddy?"

No.

Not just her father or mother. Flair was standing next to them, blood dripping from her nose and ears and mouth. Her eyes aren't pleading, like her mothers. Aren't terrified, like her fathers.

They are completely blank. And like that they will remain.

"CORAAA!"

The echoing screams ringed in her ears. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to Atom, whose glassy eyes reflected the suffering.

She didn't want to feel it anymore.

"I need to join them." Atom didn't react. He stared on. Cora took a step forward onto the burning grass only for the grip on her shoulder to tighten. She glared at the robot. "Let me go." Atom didn't listen and started to pull her back.

"COOORRRAAA!"

The screams were getting more desperate. "Let me go!" she wrenched out of his grasp and ran towards the door. Atom seemed always right behind her, trying to drag her away. She as reduced to screaming very quickly. "LEAVE ME ALONE! I NEED TO HELP THEM! I'M NOT STAYING HERE FOR YOU!"

It was all in vain, because her parents still told her they loved her, Flair was still lifeless, and the house still came crashing down.

Cora awoke with a sharp intake of breath. The first things she registered was a comfy seat and the sound of windscreen wipers. A car. She was in a car. She blinked and tried to move, but the pain in her leg and the seat belt kept her immobile. Zane was quick to come to her attention.

"Cora, holy shit, are you okay?" he asked in hushed tones. Cora licked her lips a couple of times.

"Where are we?" she asked, her voice defeated.

"Your friends asked for a ride," called the driver, who was a young man with over-grown stubble and a suit. "You looked pretty beaten up. Are you okay?" The teen looked down to her now properly bandaged leg.

"We're on our way to a bus stop that'll take us to Sparks." Cora looked to the other side of her where Atom was resting. The soft rain pattered on the glass window.

"Thank you," she murmured to the driver who nodded his head in a 'no worries'.

They didn't talk during the whole trip, only to wake Atom up when they reached Green Fields. The gutter sprayed water at them as they all got out and thanked the driver and then sat themselves on an old wooden bench, just barely shaded from the rain.

They were silent as the hours dragged on, as the people walked by and as the rain kept falling. When the bus did come it was a shabby thing, leaning to one side and taped together. Using the ten bucks from the camping site, Cora bought them all a seat and continued to watch the dripping landscapes from the window.

Reno wasn't doing anything new. He was in the work shop with Sizzi by his side. It was raining, although softly, and he found the best way to keep the hyperactive robot safe was to keep an unyielding eye on her.

This wasn't easy considering the robot couldn't keep still.

"What does this do?"

"THAT'S AN ELETRIC DRILL AND I WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE IF YOU WOULD PUT IT DOWN."

Their lovely bonding moment was interrupted by the door opening. A young teenager with short, burning red hair and pale skin walked in. She was completely drenched, and that was no surprise considering what she took for clothes. Her jeans were shredded and her shirt was no different. At least she had the sense to put on her favorite leather jacket.

"Ash," Reno addressed, in the middle of wrestling the power tool out of Sizzi's grip. "Finally out of the Monkey Cage, I see." She murmured something deadly under her breath. Ash was renowned for getting on Hamegg's every nerve. Some even said that the reason she stays at the circus is to constantly piss him off.

"I'll get away with it next time."

"Mmmm," Reno nodded sarcastically, "I'm sure the boss will never notice his very own top hat has been taken off his head."

"Shut up. He probably has a whole wardrobe of identical copies." She lit a match seemingly out of nowhere and Sizzi's attention was instantly obtained and she let go of the drill to stare in awe. This unfortunately sent Reno stumbling backwards and crashing to the floor. "Classy."

"Are you here for any reason other than to mock me?" he asked, getting to his feet and rubbing his side. The match quickly died out and Sizzi pouted.

"Aw, make the pretty come back!" Ash rolled her eyes and walked over to the work bench, grabbing a bowl and working her magic. She pulled out powers and strange, flammable things from the pockets of her jacket and set it alight. Burning flames of blue and green rose from the bowl and Sizzi squealed in delight.

"That should keep her occupied for a few minutes," she said cooly, walking over to Reno.

"You know, you really need to teach me that."

"Pyromaniacs keep their secrets. Now, I thought you'd be interested in this." She pulled out a small tablet with a video loaded on it. The tablet was the only thing the kids had for entertainment outside of the circus life and they usually used it for hooking up movies to the projector. Ash must've stolen it. He wasn't surprised.

His eyes were glued to the screen as the clip played. It was a local news report about a train. Scarlett Lakes news. The voice over explained how one of the carriages was shot off after a police chase. Images from the inside showcased four people, 'the offenders'- a young adult with thin black hair, a teenage boy with strange spikes on his head, a teen girl with pink and black stained-

His mouth fell open. Ash paused the video when the image became clear enough to tell who was in it. "This is from a few days ago."

Cora and Zane were there. Right there. In the flesh. Completely alive and well. His brain didn't even take the other teens or the police into equation because his friends were there and they were alive. His grin was contagious and Ash found herself wearing a small smirk.

"THEY'RE ALIVE!" he cheered, hugging the surprised girl. "Cora and Zane are alive!" He ran to the door and flung it open. "CATHY!" he yelled, running out into the rain. Sizzi watched him and gasped.

"Yay! Fun!" and she bolted after him.

Sparks was approaching them.

The sky was darkening and lights of every color were igniting the horizon. But the promise of excitement seemed to drain the kids the more they got closer. Not even Zane was cheerful at the thought of seeing the long awaited city.

As the bus traveled further the buildings got higher and the alleyways got darker. The people walking down the streets got stranger. Some looked like bikies, some hookers and some looked like walking rainbows. Thumping music surrounded them and a group of young men started to get pumped up. Soon the bus was honking and serving until it finally stopped.

The trio dragged themselves onto the street. The buildings enveloped them like a cage of swears, music, lights, drugs and casinos. Alright, Cora told herself, grabbing Zane by the hand. We just have to go through Sparks and then we'll be at the circus. We'll be home.

Whatever that means.

Ash is an OC created by CrazyPerson145 so kudos to her :)