One
She wanted to run, but where could she go? Plus the guys in the hoodies had guns, and she couldn’t outrun a bullet.
There were five of them, all in their twenties, all walking with the swagger of professional bullies. Next to them, the Lowell kid looked like a piglet surrounded by wolves. Their leader was tall and skinny, with a pale complexion, dark hair, and a wide mouth twisted in a seemingly perpetual leer.
“That’s Charlie the Emo,” Robb whispered behind her. “Bad news. You shouldn’t have made trouble, Nellie.”
Great. I should have let that creep molest me. Eff that .
Charlie the Emo walked up to the front porch.
“Mrs. Grace,” he said, politely enough.
The older woman gave him a short head bow in return. “Can we help you?”
“Seems there was a spot of trouble between your boy, the Gomez girl over there, and a couple others.”
“Those Lowell boys came after my Robbie, is what happened,” Mrs. Grace said in a plaintive tone. “They done beat him up, they did. Just look at him!”
“Is that what happened, Robbie?” Charlie asked him, in a sympathetic tone. “They done beat you up? Beat you up real bad?”
A bit too sympathetic. Faking it. He was enjoying this, Christine realized with a sick feeling.
Robb shrugged. “Ain’t too bad.”
“Really? It looks bad. How hard did they hit you, Robbie?”
Robb started to shrug, and that was when Charlie punched him. Right in his broken nose.
“Like this?” Charlie asked sympathetically as Robb howled and grabbed his twice-broken nose. “Is that how they hit you?”
Robb’s mother whimpered but didn’t say anything. She was afraid anything she said would only make things worse. That was what living in constant fear was like. That was what living in a world where the bullies ruled was like.
“The Lowell kid came crying to me,” Charlie the Emo went on, strolling casually around Robb, who was bent over in pain, cradling his injured face in his hands. Christine wanted to go check on him, but didn’t think it was a good idea to interrupt Charlie. “That means I’m going to have to write a report, be all official like. I’ve got all kinds of extra work now, thanks to you.”
He casually kicked Robb’s feet from under him. Seemingly satisfied with the sight of Robb curled up on the ground, whimpering in pain like an injured animal, Charlie turned toward Christine.
“The Lowell boy didn’t want to tell me who messed his buddies up,” he said. “I knew it couldn’t be Robbie. He ain’t tough enough. So I made him tell me.”
Charlie walked up to Christine until his nose was a few inches away from hers. “They told me you done mess them up. A girl.”
She couldn’t help herself. “The Goddess is a girl.”
The Emo recoiled as if she’d bitch-slapped him.
“Be careful what you say,” he told her. His leer was gone. He looked a little scared at the very mention of the Goddess.
Christine crossed her arms and glared at him. “Whatever. Those guys came after us. We defended ourselves.”
A part of her felt bad about the ‘we’ bit. She figured the Watchers would find it more believable if it took the two of them to inflict all that damage. From the look Robb gave her from the ground, he clearly felt like she’d just thrown him under the proverbial bus.
“You two are coming with us,” Charlie said, composing himself. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
No choice.
* * *
The building used to be a church. They’d taken out all the crosses, and someone had spray-painted the words ‘CHRISTINE SAVES’ on both sides of the roof.
Holy Cult of Personality, Batman , she thought to herself. She’d never been that self-centered. Even on Earth Alpha, she was mostly embarrassed by all the attention she got. How did I become such a b-word?
Not you. She. She got infected by the Outsiders , her brain reminded her. That didn’t happen to you .
Lucky me .
Inside the church were another half-dozen
She wanted to run, but where could she go? Plus the guys in the hoodies had guns, and she couldn’t outrun a bullet.
There were five of them, all in their twenties, all walking with the swagger of professional bullies. Next to them, the Lowell kid looked like a piglet surrounded by wolves. Their leader was tall and skinny, with a pale complexion, dark hair, and a wide mouth twisted in a seemingly perpetual leer.
“That’s Charlie the Emo,” Robb whispered behind her. “Bad news. You shouldn’t have made trouble, Nellie.”
Great. I should have let that creep molest me. Eff that .
Charlie the Emo walked up to the front porch.
“Mrs. Grace,” he said, politely enough.
The older woman gave him a short head bow in return. “Can we help you?”
“Seems there was a spot of trouble between your boy, the Gomez girl over there, and a couple others.”
“Those Lowell boys came after my Robbie, is what happened,” Mrs. Grace said in a plaintive tone. “They done beat him up, they did. Just look at him!”
“Is that what happened, Robbie?” Charlie asked him, in a sympathetic tone. “They done beat you up? Beat you up real bad?”
A bit too sympathetic. Faking it. He was enjoying this, Christine realized with a sick feeling.
Robb shrugged. “Ain’t too bad.”
“Really? It looks bad. How hard did they hit you, Robbie?”
Robb started to shrug, and that was when Charlie punched him. Right in his broken nose.
“Like this?” Charlie asked sympathetically as Robb howled and grabbed his twice-broken nose. “Is that how they hit you?”
Robb’s mother whimpered but didn’t say anything. She was afraid anything she said would only make things worse. That was what living in constant fear was like. That was what living in a world where the bullies ruled was like.
“The Lowell kid came crying to me,” Charlie the Emo went on, strolling casually around Robb, who was bent over in pain, cradling his injured face in his hands. Christine wanted to go check on him, but didn’t think it was a good idea to interrupt Charlie. “That means I’m going to have to write a report, be all official like. I’ve got all kinds of extra work now, thanks to you.”
He casually kicked Robb’s feet from under him. Seemingly satisfied with the sight of Robb curled up on the ground, whimpering in pain like an injured animal, Charlie turned toward Christine.
“The Lowell boy didn’t want to tell me who messed his buddies up,” he said. “I knew it couldn’t be Robbie. He ain’t tough enough. So I made him tell me.”
Charlie walked up to Christine until his nose was a few inches away from hers. “They told me you done mess them up. A girl.”
She couldn’t help herself. “The Goddess is a girl.”
The Emo recoiled as if she’d bitch-slapped him.
“Be careful what you say,” he told her. His leer was gone. He looked a little scared at the very mention of the Goddess.
Christine crossed her arms and glared at him. “Whatever. Those guys came after us. We defended ourselves.”
A part of her felt bad about the ‘we’ bit. She figured the Watchers would find it more believable if it took the two of them to inflict all that damage. From the look Robb gave her from the ground, he clearly felt like she’d just thrown him under the proverbial bus.
“You two are coming with us,” Charlie said, composing himself. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
No choice.
* * *
The building used to be a church. They’d taken out all the crosses, and someone had spray-painted the words ‘CHRISTINE SAVES’ on both sides of the roof.
Holy Cult of Personality, Batman , she thought to herself. She’d never been that self-centered. Even on Earth Alpha, she was mostly embarrassed by all the attention she got. How did I become such a b-word?
Not you. She. She got infected by the Outsiders , her brain reminded her. That didn’t happen to you .
Lucky me .
Inside the church were another half-dozen
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