Bring It On

Cheerleader. Future Politician. Talk to me if you have something important to say. If you don't, you're really wasting my time.

[khanlailakhan]

Laila let out a small sigh. “I won’t say that’s what I’m afraid of. Change is almost always good.” Change met unpredictability, and unpredictability was what Laila had wanted so badly for so long. Some kind of strange wrinkle in her family’s plans for her, some unexpected form of courage to appear from within her own heart. To have the pressures of the past away from her was nothing short of a miracle.

“Finn’s one of the lucky ones. No one will notice a change.” She made an internal note to herself to check on Ingrid’s little project. They couldn’t really afford Anu slander right now when the truth was… shaky.

She let her spoon fall into her pint. “No objections to labor requirements from me. We all need something to do that isn’t rotting our brains on our parents’ old HBO DVDs or arguing. And far be it for me to fight the Will of the People.” She gave Kaia a small smile. “I think the practicality of the reallocation is a little in question, but I’m a journalist, not a policy maker. You and Dante can be very persuasive, especially with Fern at your back. What I’m concerned about is the jury system mentioned here. Literally everyone gets to vote on people’s guilt? How do we keep that from becoming the bureaucratic version of mob violence?”

[kaiajenkins]

"It can be." There were plenty of grievances she could raise about changes in the old world. But New Ham had, at least, voted for a woman to be President. She might not be Kaia's favorite candidate, but she certainly wasn't the worst of the bunch. Kaia respected her and trusted her to be competent, even if she didn't think she was well versed enough in the more tricky negotiations of politics.

Kaia laughed. "I think they might get worse." Finn's wardrobe baffled her, but there was always room for him to make things even more awful. She never underestimated him on that front. When Dante had been enmeshed with everything Anu, Kaia couldn't stop herself from wondering how he spent so much time talking to all of those boys without wanting to bash his head against a wall.

She knew she was being buttered up, but she appreciated that Laila wasn't going to raise objections on labor. Her friends were in the most reluctant group on that front, so having an ally there would be nice. Kaia ate another spoonful of ice cream as she waited for the show to drop.

The will of the people versus mob justice. It was certainly an illuminating insight. Kaia wasn't even sure if Laila had meant to juxtapose the two views of the same group. She took a moment to show that she was genuinely considering Laila's point of view. "I can't control anyone and I certainly wouldn't want to try, but the notion of having everyone getting a say is to try and prevent mob justice. It's much easier to get 8 people to agree to vengeance than it is four hundred. Then again, mob justice as a concept isn't currently sanctioned. We're using a restorative justice model, meaning the jury would decide guilt but they wouldn't be in charge of sentencing. That process would be much more complicated and take several months as we worked with the victims and perpetrator to correct issues and find a suitable solution." It wasn't a process that everyone agreed with but it was certainly more humane than the alternative.

[khanlailakhan]

Laila laughed, for once not redirecting the compliment. “Oh, yeah. People should be afraid.” Then she smiled. “Not you though. Of course.” Maybe a little. If Dante stepped out of line. But Kaia had always been smarter than him. “But we shouldn’t need my full powers. That sounds exhausting.”

“Maybe.” She sighed. “But I won’t hold my breath.” It was easier to write Nell off than to mourn. Anu was so good at separating. Laila was trying to live by her example.

She considered Kaia’s final image. “I think I might like that. Better than breaking into the upholstery fabric like we’re on Project Runway.” She suspected there was a very real possibility of that in time. “There’s so many sets of awful curtains in this town.” Laila wouldn’t be caught dead. She’d cannibalize her mother’s clothes first, and that showed she was really desperate.

“I wish I could outline this well.” Laila said appreciatively. “My columns take me ages.” She contemplated her spoon for a moment before bringing it back to her mouth. “What do you think I’m going to ask?” Might as well see where Kaia’s head was at first. The problem was obvious. Or so she thought.

[kaiajenkins]

Kaia smiled softly at Laila's words, pretending not to hear the small threat held within them. It wasn't for her and she was steering clear of that camp as much as she was able to. "Not now, but maybe in a few weeks. A lot is changing right now. And quick."

While she could see the value in Laila's position, she didn't entirely agree. Nell was shaped by her experiences with Laila. It would come in to play and the best person to unpack whatever unfolded with Nell would be Laila. She had trained her. There was immense opportunity in holding those cards, especially if Laila declared an official position in opposition to Nell. Then again, maybe Laila was downplaying things because that was her plan of attack. Best not to draw attention to it.

She laughed. "We are going to have some wack ass fits. Finn already looks like he gets dressed in the dark. Add a sewing machine and it's a whole new level of mess. At least it'll be free entertainment." That was another concern for her. Boredom could be a dangerous catalyst for chaos and political movements. "Maybe Ingrid's little wall project will become a hall of fame of no drip lewks."

Normally, people started with a compliment because they were planning to invalidate your work. Kaia smiled with graciousness but inside she was wary. Laila was fishing for something. And now she wanted Kaia to guess what that was. "My guess would fall within three categories: resource re-allocations, monthly elections, or labor requirements."

[khanlailakhan]

“I suppose I could say the same, even if my achievements are far more half-hearted.” Laila was a solid A- student. All honors, but any kind of vale- or salu- or really any kind of -dictorian would have made her skin crawl. The closest she got to it was trying to help Anu figure out who the elusive #1 senior was, but that was for Anu, not Laila. “Yamina is not Naomie. I can only dream.” For many, many reasons, none of which Laila could speak aloud, even know in this new silence created by the forest around her. She’d wondered idly long ago if she’d ever be able to outrun her parents’ wishes for her future. It might be turning out that all she needed to do was sit still.

Laila sighed, not bothering to hide her disappointment. If it got back to Nell, well, that was the point in a way. That was the most awful weapon parent figures had in their arsenal, after all. Disappointment. “We can hope.”

“Fuck, I hadn’t even thought about the fabric.” Laila wasn’t as much of a fashion hound as Anu, but she was used to dealing with the complaints from both her and Lucy about how underdressed their class were. This would only exacerbate the problem. It risked being yet another “let them eat cake” moment (even if that hadn’t ever actually happened in the historical record.)

‘Finding our footing’ was a vast understatement. She nodded. “We all are, aren’t we? And it doesn’t feel like there’s much time to do it.” Her voice was filled with weary wonderment. “You put together your council proposal so fast. Were you working off of some sort of thought experiment or are you even more of a superhero than I realized?” Now began the actual game, the excavation of how badly Kaia and Dante wanted to fuck their greatest potential allies over.

[kaiajenkins]

"If that's you at half-hearted, I'd hate to see you at your full powers." Kaia smiled to blunt her words. Laila was impressive as is, but the notion that she had more hiding behind those soft brown eyes was scary as hell. She wanted to be prepared for whatever was coming from Tony's side and she couldn't read Laila well.

She sighed softly. "I know Nell has her own sister, but don't discount the mentor role. It holds a lot of sway." There were frequently times when she felt like she was both to her siblings. They were exhausting, but they also cared so deeply. It was their strength. Nell was that way, too, and there was no world where she could just shove all of that into a closet and pretend it wasn't true. It might take time, but facts were facts.

"It's not something we can get ahead of. I don't think the library stocks books on growing clothes from cotton or linen and it's not like we have a cellulose extruder or what the fuck ever to make wood pulp or plastic into fabric." She had checked, but she didn't see anything related to the subject of how fabric came to being. Plenty about it's racist and imperialist history and present, but not so much the discussion of what happened before the world relied on forced labor. "I guess we'll be watching some people in ball gowns at the grocery store or some shit. Who knows?"

Ah. So that was Laila's real reason for coming over. "Not to put too fine a point on it, but I am deeply involved in the community organizing scene. I wasn't sitting on hypothetical city plans, but I knew enough Angela Davis to have some guidelines in the back of my mind." The notion that she had been dreaming up a utopia West Ham was absurd, but she knew an opportunity when she saw one. "We fight for the future we want. This is the future I want. I'm more than fine with it being challenged, passion and compromise is how we make things work."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase : During (The Event)

[brodyyjenkins]

Brody moved to stand near Wilf, needing the comfort of their closeness. Kaia didn’t want to worry them but that wasn’t possible now.

“I bet a ton of shit is being looted right now,” they agreed, grateful that their house had been left alone. “Should we be like… barricading ourselves in here?” Brody didn’t know what was an over reaction anymore. Kaia didn’t want them to leave but should they be making sure nobody got in? Were their locks enough?

“Yeah, what do you mean Wilf?” Brody turned to look out the window, frowning at the trees. They saw shapes in the darkness, their brain trying to fill in the gaps. Brody shouldn’t have left Wilf to walk alone, they should have been together. It would have been safer and maybe Brody would have been going slow enough to notice all this shit.

[wilfionjenkins]

Wilfion shivered in spite of themselves. “We’ve got a lotta nice stuff but it’s like not that nice, you know? I feel like they’d go after people who’ve pissed them off or have a lot of cool stuff. Like I feel like that witch girl who lives in the woods is screwed. And Claude’s cousin. Maybe like the Alessi hangers on.” They scratched their neck, eyes to the ground. “Those are Purge rules, you know?” They really weren’t supposed to have seen that, but Yuli had made a good case for its ethical value. And coolness. “Crap. We gotta text Claude. She’s got nice stuff.”

“I dunno.” Wilfion said, shrugging. They were regretting bringing the forest thing up, because it was just too hard to explain. But they also knew “dunno” wasn’t really going to get them off the hook in their family. They were supposed to ‘stay curious’ and stuff. So they took a deep breath and tried. “You know that episode of Doctor Who with the statues? It’s like that.”

[kaiajenkins]

Purge rules. Kaia tried not to shiver. She'd watched one of those movies before noping out of the rest. If the most elite white people could barely survive in them, it didn't say much good about what happened to the rest of them. "There's a chance someone might feel empowered to take things, but we should be safe. The glass is hurricane rated so it can withstand blows, the bricks are sturdy, and our door is steel-reinforced."

This was the kind of stuff she wished their parents were here to explain. Their mother had made sure they would be safe, the same their grandparents had before them. They didn't pass up security opportunities. Her mom had always referred to it as the price they paid to stay where they wanted to be. Kaia tried not to think about it.

She squinted through the darkness, hoping to see some of what Wilfion was commenting on. She understood the reference, but not entirely how it played out here. The trees weren't moving. Although, they did look denser, more clustered together than before. "I see," she said, projecting a surety she did not feel, "The border was somehow cut off, I don't know how they pulled that off but the devil works fast." She texted Dante to see if he had any answers. "Let's all text who we can to make sure they have safety plans as well. We're not leaving tonight."

[khanlailakhan]

“You are. Honestly I don’t know how but you are.” Laila was an only child through and through, but she always had to admire Kaia’s commitment to familial harmony. She was decidedly not seeing that at the Alessi compound. Between Finn’ and Lucy’s little sisters wandering off and Anu and Tony fighting, this wasn’t going particularly well.

Laila sighed. “She’s exactly the kind of smart to get herself in trouble, and I’m a little tired of warning her off it. But she’ll figure it out.” Or someone else would. Laila was trying not to care. She needed more ice cream.

“Are these Dante’s projections or just general ones?” She wasn’t going to get into whether she thought they were ‘up to the task’. magical thinking only took one so far. They both knew that. Look at Dante.

“I imagine you know more about that than I do. It’s your and Dante’s proposal, right? I haven’t read it but Anu was very impressed. But I know what you mean.” It was a gentle admission. Somehow Kaia had missed the memo to speak in just a little bit of code. Or maybe Laila was just spending too much time around mob types. “I think there are spoken roles and unspoken ones. Lots of big personalities at play. Personalities that need mediation every now and then, you know?” Yeah. She was spending too much time around mob types.

[kaiajenkins]

"All the credit goes to my mother. I would love to say I did it all on my own, but she set a high standard and I am constantly trying to achieve it." At this point, it was mostly ingrained. She had the upmost respect for her mother, but she also felt that pressure to always be striving. It didn't leave room for the mess that was in her head. She had to get that out via exercise or push it to the side because it didn't serve her.

Kaia was surprised to hear the weariness in how Laila approached Nell. She had thought they were closer. She could see how Nell's actions had pushed things in this direction, but she felt almost sad about it. "I'm sure she'll come back around."

"Mostly my own," Kaia shrugged. He might be better at economics than her, but he wasn't the only one who knew their way around a statistical regression. "Stores are usually stocked two to three times a week. It's fairly simple math to see that we're going to need more cooperation to replace things. Not to mention that when we run out of fabric at the fabric store, we'll be looking at a long and tedious process to make something close to fabric." She was hoping they'd be far away from this by then, but she was a long term planning.

She nodded her head. "I would say we both fall more into the unspoken roles." For very different reasons. Kaia didn't want to open herself up to harassment. Ever. She refused to. The only option for avoiding that was to take a more hands off approach. She wasn't sure what Laila's exact reason, but she felt it was probably more complex than her own. "I'm still finding my footing with how this new kind of city works."

khanlailakhan:

“That is because you are a classy dame, Ms. Jenkins.” Laila added in an appreciative point for good measure. The seed had been planted. Now she need only watch it grow.

Laila smirked as if she fully understood what Kaia was talking about. “I’m not sure they deserve that much power. But I suppose they have to learn their limits somehow, don’t they?” It was a bit of a loaded statement but did apply here. They were in a land without rules at the moment. Anyone who denied it was scared or selling something.

“If she’ll let me.” Laila said, putting on more affability than she felt. Nell had already chosen her sister over her mentor. It was a development Laila had anticipated, but somewhere deep within it still stung, like a particularly aggressive sliver. “We are, as you can perhaps imagine, at parallel points at the moment. As pleasant as her big sister is, she is the point where Nell loses her edge. No matter what she may tell herself.” This was a calculated admission if Laila had ever made one. But far better to make it clear to Kaia that she would choose Dante over little Miss Fern. If Anu benefitted from that? Well, at least she and, by some extension, Laila had deniability.

Laila didn’t stifle her guffaw at Kaia’s criticism of Tony. Could one really ask a leopard to change his spots, or, for that matter, for a mobster to change his pinstripes? “Oh he’s not an adult, and he knows that, no matter what he pretends to be. But we all have our parts to play. Significant steam was blown off and I’d rather them trash a public building than a private one, don’t you think? This way we can all ‘chip in’ to put it back together.”

A cynic could say she was being willfully naïve but Anu’s mandate had effectively said as much. Clean up your mess, Tiny. And don’t do it again. Not without asking. “As always, you put it better than I ever could. Balance is the key here. And all of us have our part to play.” That was really what was happening here after all, wasn’t it? The two Chiefs of Staff meeting to discuss the managing of their so-called bosses. As if Dante and Anu didn’t realize who actually ran their worlds.

[kaiajenkins]

While it was true that their parents had a penchant for overindulging the niblings, Kaia didn't ever view them as spoiled. They were cared for. This transition had been difficult enough for them and she didn't want to add to that. "They know what I like and if it's far, I'll tell them. We're good at communication." Most of the time.

Kaia was surprised to hear Laila speak so candidly. "I think there's room for both of you in her life. Giving in too much to one opinion is never the smartest move, and she seems fairly intelligent albeit impulsive." Truthfully, Kaia felt that Nell should be glad no one read the paper or she'd be in hot water constantly.

Laila had been the one to say they were all adults and then neatly backtracked. Kaia wanted to comment on it, but didn't think this was the time for that. "Unity is something we could all stand to work on right now. With the projections I've seen, we're going to have to learn to depend on each other even when we aren't getting along." She sighed, "It's a big task but I think we're up for it."

She kept hitting this notion of having parts. While there was some logic to it, the wording tripped Kaia up. "Which parts do you think are open?"

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase : During (The Event)

[brodyyjenkins]

Wilf’s tantrum was bothering Brody a lot more than it normally would. They rolled their eyes, turning to walk to their room next. “Do I have to do everything myself?” They said, loud enough for both of them to hear. Brody would actually help though, unlike their twin who was getting babied in the other room.

When they got to their room they stayed in the doorway, flicking the light on but not going in. It wasn’t like a person was missing from this space, but seeing their parent’s room like that had not felt good.

Brody had tidied everything before they’d left for the camping trip. They had wanted to just do it when they got back. But when their mom had seen all the clothes Brody had thrown around the room when trying to decide on outfits, she had made them do it right then. It was all exactly as they’d left it. All that was missing were the things Brody had packed into the bag.

They walked back to the kitchen. “All how I left it,” Brody confirmed. “I’m sorry I scared you. I didn’t know things were fucked up.”

@wilfionjenkins

[wilfionjenkins]

It hurt to double check when it made Wilfion feel like they weren’t helping, but they also had decided to not help so that worked out, didn’t it?

They partially stomped into the kitchen and went for an orange. The room was generally undisturbed. They eyed a Scream-esque kitchen knife just in case they needed it (for what they had no idea but they were prepared) and tried to not jump when Kaia walked in.

As they peeled the fruit in a steady swirl, they rolled their eyes at their sister. “What’s there to talk about? We’re stuck here. We don’t know what’s going on. It’s like they evacuated or something, which begs the question why we’re still here. Got dropped off here in fact. I don’t think the clues are in the state of our bedrooms.” They peered out the kitchen window and into the woods again. “Something’s wrong out there. With the trees.” They weren’t sure really, but some part of them needed to say it, if only so the thought would stop rattling around their brain. They ran the trails every day, and it didn’t match.

@kaiajenkins

[kaiajenkins]

"It's okay." Kaia had the urge to hug Brody but she wasn't sure she could handle the contact right now. Her skin was still buzzing after the jump scare. "You didn't know and I didn't want to...worry you."

She never minded being the barrier between them and the harder parts of life. That's what a big sister was supposed to do. She derived a lot of self worth from doing a decent job at that. Even if Wilfion was currently struggling.

They weren't actually ready to talk, but they were talking. Kaia waited for Wilfion to finish. "I wanted to know if we'd been robbed in the process. That's a reasonable thing to be concerned about." She followed Wilfion's gaze to the kitchen. "Different how? I'm not in cross-country, explain the nuance to me. Please."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase : During (The Event)

[brodyyjenkins]

Brody wanted Kaia to stop talking. The more she said the colder they felt. Their hands started to shake.

“Okay,” Brody replied, their voice barely above a whisper. They turned and headed for the room their twin had just come from, taking a second to breathe. When they felt the tiniest bit steadier, they turned the light on and went to the wardrobe. It didn’t look like any of their clothes were gone, not more than usual. Their suitcases were tucked away on the shelf up high. Why weren’t they here right now?

They continued their search, heading into their bathroom next. Their toothbrushes were still in their holders. All the stuff they’d normally pack into makeup and toiletry bags was still in all of their places. What if they’d had to leave quickly? For an emergency or something?

Brody went back into their room, spotting their parents reading glasses on their night stands. Their mom’s phone charger was still plugged into the wall. The iPad. They would have taken all of this stuff if they planned to leave.

They went back to the doorway, leaning against it for support. “I don’t think it was deliberate Kai,” Brody said. “If they left they did it really quickly. All of their stuff is still here.”

@wilfionjenkins

[wilfionjenkins]

Wilfion stopped short as Kaia’s words finally hit them. “Oh. Okay.” They hadn’t thought of that. They were embarrassed that they hadn’t thought of that. Wilf generally had a bad habit of not noticing things until it was too late. Their full attention tend to be dedicated to the court or the witness or whatever thing they were trying to compete at. They generally thought of it as the small stuff because it got overwhelming otherwise. Like now. They didn’t like mysteries, and they didn’t like being reminded that bad stuff could happen to people they cared about. Still, they crossed their arms more out of shame than any kind of distance or resentment. They wanted to be better. They really did.

But they quickly switched back to baby sibling mode as Kaia sent their twin into their parents’ room. “I said all their stuff was here. I said that.” They were helping. Did they not get credit for helping?

Not that they, like, needed credit for it. It just would have been nice. And it would have not made them want to scream into a pillow.

They turned and headed back toward the living room in search of one. “Whatever.”

@kaiajenkins

[kaiajenkins]

Kaia rubbed at her temples. She hadn't expected Wilfion to struggle with this as much as they were. "Pump the brakes. Double checking doesn't hurt anything." They had hours until daylight. They weren't going anywhere.

But if they needed space, Kaia would give it. She waited for Brody to get back with a report. "Thank you. Can you check your room to see if your stuff is still the same?" She was avoiding checking her own. Her brain was screaming at her that there was more going on, but she couldn't figure out what she was missing.

Her fingers itched to text Dante and drink up his thoughts. There would be something calming in that. Her siblings wouldn't respect that, though, and she needed to be the adult here. "Why don't you make yourself a snack," she suggested to Wilf. She grabbed a cold water from the fridge and took a few sips. Was it too soon to make an inventory of things? "When you're ready to talk, I'm here."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase : During (The Event)

[brodyyjenkins]

“Sorrysorrysorry,” Brody said, stumbling back to get out of reach of their siblings just in case they decided on immediate vengeance. Brody was still laughing though. “Ohhh. That was a good one.”

“Yeah why?” Brody asked. Kaia was still being weird. It was starting to make them nervous. “I didn’t want to go on the trip that badly. It’s no big deal.”

“Safe?” They looked between their twin and sister. Being in the dark wasn’t helping them feel any better, so they reached over and flicked the light switch on the wall. Seeing Kaia’s face in the light did not help at all. Something was really, really off. “What shit is going down? What’s going on?” It was only then that they realised the screaming had not brought their parents out of their room. They couldn’t even hear their dad snoring, and that shit was loud. “Where’s mom?”

@wilfionjenkins

“Yeah.” Wilfion echoed. “What shit is going down? It was just a blackout, right?” They swallowed, looking at the lightswitch. “Or not. Or it was.” They reached the same conclusion as Brody about three seconds after Brody did.

One of the benefits of being the baby in the family was taking initiative with way less consequences. Wilfion marched down the hallway, ready to answer their twin’s question for themselves. “Mom? Dad?” They knocked on the door once before turning the handle then walked in to find… nothing. Her parents’ clothes were in the closet. Their mom’s iPad was still by her bed. Their dad’s usual media slide of tabletop books was undisturbed. He never left it that way when they went out of town. He got self conscious about it.

Wilf turned slowly back toward the doorway to look at their siblings. “They’re gone. How’re they gone?”

“Should we check next door? We should check next door.” All potential promises to Kaia forgotten, they stepped forward to move past her.

[kaiajenkins]

Kaia rolled her eyes as Brody congratulated themself. The fact that they could maintain some levity in this situation. She didn't want to worry them too much. That was her job. She knew more about the world around them than they did. Sometimes, she felt like she was almost a bit too cynical about the whole thing but it kept her feeling safe and in control.

"It's not a blackout. The cell towers are jammed for some numbers and not others. I don't want to worry anyone but it pays off to be on guard. Remember that." She made a quick text and sent it to Wilfion. A ding answered back. "See? That shit doesn't happen when I call mom or your dad or mine. It just doesn't connect." It had been a hypothesis but one she'd been willing to bet on.

"People aren't in their houses. I don't know where they are, but I know that we keep each other safe. We can't rely on anyone else to do it for us." Dante was the probable exception here but she knew how the twins could feel about him at times. She didn't blame them, she simply didn't agree.

Kaia's hand shot out, trying to stop Wilfion. She wasn't fast enough. "We aren't leaving this house yet." She turned to Brody, "Go check our parents room and see if it looks like this was a deliberate trip or not." Being the one in charge wasn't the most comfortable position for her, she liked to defer to their mother. "Wilf, check your room and see if anything's been tampered with. We make sure the house is safe first. Then we'll call the neighbors. We aren't going out to check on anyone until daylight."

[kaiajenkins]

“Thank you,” Kaia flicked her braids behind her shoulder. She was pleased with how she made things looked, even if her brain was a mess half the time.

She could more than relate to Morgan needing projects. If she didn’t have government concerns she would be losing her mind. The cliche suggestion was to find a guy, but they were independent women. That wasn’t their style. “Watch out or you’re gonna have a list a mile long in a few days.”

Kaia checked her heart rate. She’d had enough cardio to call it a day for herself. “I definitely need a shower after that.” Hopefully one of the twins hadn’t stolen her cap already. “I’ll see you around, but don’t forget that cheer is important. It always will be.”

[morganlittle]

Morgan highly doubted it. It had been over a week and she was still trying her best to find anything to do that didn’t involve making sure all her DVDs still worked. She raised an eyebrow at her friend. “Whatever you say.”

Morgan nodded in agreement. “Thank you Kaia,” she said. Morgan didn’t realise how much she’d needed this until now. She really needed to put herself into Kaia’s orbit more often. Morgan waved goodbye and picked up her water bottle. It was time to plan a new routine.

(fin.)

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase : During (The Event)

[brodyyjenkins]

Brody and Wilfion’s bus had been the first to arrive back in town. The twins had tried to call their parents to come pick them up, but when they didn’t answer they both assumed they were sleeping and began the walk to their house.

Brody’s back had already been sore from sitting on the bus for so long, but it was ten times worse after carrying their bag and skateboard all the way home. They’d officially learned their lesson. No more overpacking. Having seven slightly varying pairs of white sneakers for a camping trip wasn’t worth it for stabbing pain and muscle spasms. Even if they did look really fucking cool.

When they got home the house was dark and still. Something about it seemed a little off, but they didn’t usually stay up this late to know what. After abandoning their stuff in their room, they headed to the kitchen to get a snack. The lights were still off. Less chance of getting in trouble for raiding the fridge.

Hello? Who’s there? Brody straightened, turning towards the door. It was definitely Kaia being weird. And even though they knew this could end in their death, Brody could not resist an opportunity for a jump scare.

They snuck back towards the doorway that connected the entry and the kitchen, keeping to the walls so Kaia wouldn’t see them. Then when they were close enough, they jumped out at her, grabbing her shoulders and screaming as loud as they could before dissolving in a puddle of giggles.

@wilfionjenkins

[wilfionjenkins]

They really didn’t need to talk about it. Wilfion nodded to Brody as they dropped their board and headed toward home faster than Wilfion could manage on their own two feet. Not unless they felt like sprinting with their bag. Which they sometimes did, but not now. Instead, they picked their way through the confused crowd, saying hello to teammates, chuckling to themself as Claudia trolled the rest of the bus then disappeared into the dark with her Edward Gorey illustration of a cousin. There was going to be drama the next day. They were sure of it.

Wilf took their time turning down the empty streets as the other walkers fell away until they arrived at the Varo Jenkins family home. A charming colonial surrounded by elder trees, Wilf somehow still expected the rush of relief and excitement they tended to feel when they returned home from a run. Instead they just felt a vague sense of unease, like waiting for the first pitch to be thrown. A need for something to happen just so they could do something too.

They stood at the edge of the stone fence that surrounded their small front yard, listening to the woods behind the house. The world was eerily still, the wind completely absent. The moonless night turned the silhouettes of the trees into prison bars. “Stupid.” Wilf muttered to themself. Claudia was making them see things that weren’t there. Stories didn’t happen in real life. That’s why they were stories.

Then they heard an ear splitting scream from the house. Then another. “Bro? Kaia?” They sprinted up the front steps and crashed through the door (luckily unlocked). “What…” They trailed off as they found their twin giggling as their sister wheezed. “Seriously? I’m gonna break something, and Mom’ll blame you.”

@kaiajenkins

[kaiajenkins]

Kaia nearly jumped out of her skin. Her watch dinged, letting her know that her heart rate was too high for her level of activity. She pushed dismiss hard in place of whacking Brody. It wasn't worth potential grounding. "At least you're still here."

Wilfion wasn't too far behind. Okay, if the twins were around and their parents weren't that wasn't the end of the world. It was shady but not something they couldn't handle.

"You both good," she asked after taking a minute to compose herself. Brody's joke aside, this situation was a bit stranger than they were used to. The quiet and the lack of lights made her nervous. It was too close to mob justice for her.

She tried her phone one more time. Still nothing. "I don't know what's going on, but we need some sort of plan to keep ourselves safe." She wanted Dante's input but she didn't like the idea of wandering around outside right now. "And no going anywhere until we've laid out what to do if shit goes down."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase : During (The Event)

There was a time when the most stressful thing the students of West Ham High had to worry about was cabin assignments. All the usual tension and panic, the negotiations of who would give up which bunk for which hookup, it seems so small now. They boarded five buses in the late afternoon. Kissed / Hugged / Ignored their parents goodbye. Headed for the Smoky Mountains. Darkness descended, and sleep carried them away.

They woke to a lurch in the road, a curve taken a bit too fast. A grumble about a rock slide on the route. They all needed to go home. They disembarked. The buses sped away. Far too fast.

Far too fast. 

The kids looked around. No parents. No siblings. No other living souls. No connection with the outside world. 

What to do, what to do? Cry, search, fiddle while West Ham burns? For the first time, it’s up to them. And who knows if the sun will come. 

So press play, and go. 

[kaiajenkins]

Kaia woke with a start. She pulled her airpods out, Kehlani's voice going to a whisper as she looked around the bus. It was mostly empty, a few stragglers milling around and talking to each other. According to her watch, they shouldn't be stopping for another few hours. What was the hold up?

As she stashed her airpods in their engraved case, she caught a glimpse of an all too familiar sign. They were back where they started. That didn't...she shook her head...no, she was trippin'. The sleep was still clouding her thoughts.

But stepping off the bus left her face to face with reality. They were back home. She called her mom. Nothing. She called her step-dad. Nothing. She called her dad, even though he didn't live in West Ham. Nothing.

A sliver of fear raced down her spine, but she tried to think logically. If something had happened, she needed to be at home. Wherever her family was, they'd come back. It would help if she could find the twins. Her eyes darted around but it was too hard too tell. Too many people milling aimlessly about trying to figure out if they should panic or not.

She powerwalked home. Her key fit easily into the lock. She breathed in the calming scents her mom sprayed in the entry way every morning. This was still home, whether her parents were out or not. Even if her parents were rarely out of the house this late.

She heard the scuff of footsteps farther down the hall. It was cliche as hell and she was stupid for doing it, but instinct took over and she called out, "Hello? Who's there?"

“Well you look good doing it,” she said. Morgan sighed. “I’m trying. I just really fucking need something to focus on and take time off of.” She glanced at Kaia. “If I can help with any of those plates let me know, okay? I got two hands and the balance of a cheerleader.”

Morgan clapped. “Yes! Thank you, I will for sure.” She looked at the time on her watch and back at Kaia. The day was officially beginning. She probably had a lot to do, unlike Morgan, and she didn’t want to keep her from it. “I should go do that. Let you get back to your actually important things.”

[kaiajenkins]

"Thank you," Kaia flicked her braids behind her shoulder. She was pleased with how she made things looked, even if her brain was a mess half the time.

She could more than relate to Morgan needing projects. If she didn't have government concerns she would be losing her mind. The cliche suggestion was to find a guy, but they were independent women. That wasn't their style. "Watch out or you're gonna have a list a mile long in a few days."

Kaia checked her heart rate. She'd had enough cardio to call it a day for herself. "I definitely need a shower after that." Hopefully one of the twins hadn't stolen her cap already. "I'll see you around, but don't forget that cheer is important. It always will be."

morganlittle:

“You’ve got this. It’s all about balance, right?” If anyone was going to be staying on track, it was Kaia. Morgan had never seen her not have her shit together. She was an inspiration in that way too.  Morgan bounced excitedly in place. Getting approval from Kaia meant it was actually a good idea and not just some risky, unnecessary dream Morgan couldn’t let go of. “Thanks Kai,” she said, genuinely touched. “I guess I should start planning then!” 

[kaiajenkins]

"Girl, don't let the moves fool you. I am spinning a million plates and watching half of them fall to the ground. Trust." She laughed. Her life was chaotic but there was a path towards order that she was striving forwards. It just looked much more elegant from the outside. "Speaking of, you're the hardest working member of the squad. Make sure you're taking some time to have a life of your own. I hear it's important."

Morgan's joy was infectious. She was born to lead a crowd and Kaia was hopeful that a little bit of pep might actually bring people to together. If anyone could make that happen, it was Morgan. "Feel free to text me vids of ideas if you need any help. I do know two people who can run your formations to make sure they look right in rows."

“I’m not sure she let anyone get to know her. When I went looking I saw a lot of admiration but not a lot of close friends, you know? There’s Nell, but… it’s lonely at the top I guess, even if everyone keeps saying hello.” Dante would have been self conscious about how he phrased this with anyone else, but he knew Kaia would understand the principle of opposition research. “Maybe I should’ve widened my social circle. I don’t know.”

As always, Kaia distilled the facts down to an actionable whole. “That I can do, Ms. Jenkins.” He paused, then added. “Once I get permission to use my laptop again I should say.”

Dante laughed. “Yeah. That’s just self preservation.” Kaia didn’t sneak. She evaded. “Sneak” implied she would ever do something she didn’t think was right. He envied that about her, but he decided to make that envy aspirational. He needed to trust his instincts, and he needed to commit.

[kaiajenkins]

It was a more than fair observation and one she hadn't considered. She was more focused on the message of things rather than their social components. Sometimes it led to blindspots. But he was partially wrong and she wouldn't let that stand. "I completely disagree when it comes to you. I did a sample size and most people said they knew who you were and had generally neutral to positive feelings towards you. The problem was one that we've seen before - they found actual action boring and felt you lacked a particular kind of stage presence."

She disagreed with the public on the stage presence side but she wasn't sure how much editorializing he wanted from her. "Your wide array of clubs and dating one of the most well known women in school put you in people's minds. Just because you didn't have admirers in the same way, doesn't mean that you didn't have enough of a social game."

She would rather they lose due to apathy than win on pure charisma and vibes.

Kaia was impressed that he'd put her front and center for a moment. "You may," she gestured towards it. "As long as you keep your word about leaving numbers outta things tonight."

"You've no idea. Wilfion insists that they just happen to have all of my interests. It's cute, but sometimes I have to get some room to breathe." She wouldn't trade her family for the world, but they were a mess sometimes. Always on top of each other. "Can't know what stuff I like unless I get a little time on my own to process it."

danteeckman:

Oh the innocence of the humanities, Dante’s mother used to say to his father when he let out one of those dismissive exhales when she mentioned some study or another. Dante couldn’t say he actually envied Kaia. Being away from numbers sounded awful. They were his single certainty in this hellscape, but to each their own. “Acknowledged.” He said, moving the laptop from the edge of the couch to the window seat for good measure.  “That metaphor is… apt but terrifying. Do you have any nominations? For weaknesses, I mean.” He didn’t want to get too far into words like nominations at the moment. He still owed a lot of this to Lou Villa Sisniega, and that was… a lot. A lot that he did not want to figure out in front of Kaia. Or Trip. Or anyone. Shit. “I mean I’d imagine we have to force her to make a decision, right? But that would involve letting her make a decision. Which she’s allowed to do. Technically. I guess.” He sighed and tried to look not grumpy. He chuckled. “That is devious, Jenkins. Though I think I’ll have you take point on that level of duplicity. My poker face is… in development.” That was putting it gently, but sometimes you needed to be gentle with your own ego. Self care or whatever. 

[kaiajenkins]

She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the only tasks they'd be dealing with tonight were ones she could manage. As much as she may look like she could take on the world, her tank was more than a little empty right now.

"I don't know her well enough." It galled her, actually. Her mother's first rule was be prepared and she hadn't prepared adequately for Fern taking over. "She's an optimist, she'll make the decision that sounds uncomplicated and whatever complications arise will probably start to create those fissures we need." There were no truly uncomplicated decisions, but when it came to survival everyone liked to believe the basics were easy. "Base necessities need to be figured out, how much water, electricity, etc we have and who gets what. It should tie her up in knots for a bit."

Her laugh echoed his own. "Oh, I know." He wore all of his emotions on his face. It was frustratingly adorable and more than a little distracting. "I am excellent at sneaking around. With the twins, you have to be."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

So the brightest minds in New Ham are bickering about guinea pigs, the government can’t decide how long they should take to read things, and some people want to know where Noah is. Others want to know why the fuck they should care.

But hatchets can be buried, peaces made. Secrets forgotten, people disappeared. Nothing helps like a party.

It’d be a shame if something was to happen to it. 

So press play and go.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Murder on the dance floor, murder on the dance floor, murder in the dark on the dance floor I really hope there isn’t a murder on the dance floor. (continued from here and here)

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