Wyatt could feel the cool night air blowing through his hair, his hands grabbing the cold steel beside him, his eyes warm and red from the crying. He exhaled and shook his head, trying to regain his composure, because dammit, if he was going to do this, he was going to do it with dignity. Scarlett would understand. She had to. She would tell Mona who would maybe have trouble understanding but eventually she would get it as she got older. Wyatt looked down. The drop was monstrous and, in the night, looked like an empty abyss. All it took was just one small step.
Just one small step and it'd be over. *** "I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Sun Rai said as she pulled a blazer on over her button down shirt, "she's your friend, so I'm willing to go, but still, I can't believe I'm doing it. I'm not even that social a person." "And that's what I'm trying to change!" Rachel said, coming up behind her and putting her arms around Sun's shoulders, kissing her cheek as she admired them in the mirror, saying, "Damn we look good together. I always knew we would." "How close were you to this person?" Sun Rai asked as Rachel walked back to the dresser and opened her jewelry box, pulling some earrings from inside and beginning to pin them into her lobes. "Uh, well, let's put it this way," Rachel said, "She has a birthmark in a very particular place that I have seen multiple times." "Wow," Sun Rai said, "was it ever..." "No, god no. We were just friends, but we were the kind of friends who spent all our time together, you know? We were like attached at the hip," Rachel said, finishing her earrings and turning away from the vanity to look back at Sun, adding, "as teenage girls tend to be. Anyway I've always wanted to be her friend again cause things ended kinda shitty between us, so I figured this would be a good way to start that." "Well," Sun said, running her hands through her long black hair, "I'm sure it'll be a good time regardless." *** "How did you think I wouldn't notice?!" Scarlett shouted, "Are you that fucking dense, really?? That's a lot of money to suddenly vanish, let alone the bill that came for the stable! What dad actually tells their little girl 'oh sure you can have a pony' and then fucking does it?!" "A goddamned good one?" Wyatt asked, pacing back and forth in the kitchen, scratching his forehead, "look, I know, I know, I...I should've talked to you about it, but she..." "What is going on with you, Wyatt?" Scarlett asked, leaning on the kitchen island, "seriously, what is going on with you? You're buying horses, you're unhappy with work, how the fuck do you expect me to help you if I can't even understand what it is I'm helping WITH?" "Listen, she wanted a horse, so I got her a horse! Why's this such a big damn deal, we can afford it!" "It's a big damn deal because you just did it without consulting me! I'm not saying I would've been against it, but jesus christ, we're financially entangled, you can't just go making decisions like that! It'd be like if one of us bought a car for the other! That's a decision you make together, not on a whim!" Wyatt leaned against the wall, forehead touching paneling, as he sighed. "...I'm sorry," he said weakly, making Scarlett rub her face with her hands and then approach him, putting her hands on his shoulders. "I wanna help you," she said gently, "let me help you, pleeease Wyatt, god. Whatever it is that's happening, whatever it is you're dealing with or going through, I wanna help you. I love you. Sure, in the grand scheme of things it's just a pony, it's not that big a deal. It's not like you're killing people." Wyatt felt his stomach turn. *** Kelly Schuester was sitting in the restaurant, waiting for Rachel and Sun Rai to arrive. She was reading a book she'd brought with her, knowing she'd likely be there earlier than they were, and was sipping her drink while reading. She glanced up momentarily now and then, checking around the room to see if she spotted them coming in, and when she didn't she retreated back into her book. Eventually, she heard someone approaching her table and she looked up again, smiling upon seeing Rachel and Sun Rai as they took their seats. "It's about time!" Kelly said, laughing. "Well, it takes a while to look this good," Rachel said, making them laugh more; she cleared her throat and continued, picking up one of the menus on the table, "so I'm guessing you've eaten here before? What do you recommend?" "Oh everything is good," Kelly said, "everything is great. I come here regularly because the network has parties here, so." "The network?" Sun asked, and Kelly nodded, finishing sipping from her glass and setting it back on the table. "Yes, um, I work for the news, I'm a weather girl," Kelly said, chuckling, "do you not watch much TV?" "No, I really don't," Sun Rai said, "between caring for my father and work, I just don't have time." "What's wrong with your dad?" Kelly asked, before adding, "uh, shit, that was...I'm sorry. It's none of my business." "No, it's okay," Sun replied, smirking at Kelly's awkwardness, "uh, he had medical complications a while back, and we're just doing home hospice care. I was in medical school, so I came home to help my mother with it. Exhausting, but, ya know...he's my dad, so." Kelly nodded. If anyone was going to be one to empathize with caring for a parent, it was Kelly Schuester. She loved her mom and dad to death, and they were basically her best friends. This was part of why she wanted so badly to fix her relationship with Rachel, because she wanted friends her own age again, but at this age it was harder to make new friends. Besides, with Rachel she had history. "So," Sun continued, picking up her own menu and opening it, "do you like being a weather girl?" "Actually," Kelly said, "in a few weeks, I'll be heading to CloudCon, which is a convention for meteorologists out in Orlando. I have to go every year, see new technological updates to the services we use to predict weather patterns. Actually kind of not looking forward to it for once, it's exhausting having to be approachable every day for a few days straight. At least on television I don't interact with anyone except the viewer, and even then only for a few minutes a day." "Well, you don't have a fear of flying, do you?" Sun asked, and Kelly shrugged. "Not particularly. I'm not a fan of going through what you have to to get on a plane, but once I'm on it, I actually kinda like it," Kelly said, "something about being up in the clouds makes the weather girl in me happy." Sun and Rachel laughed; Kelly's quirkiness was endearing, and that's what she'd made her career off of. *** "I guess I just don't understand," Scarlett said, sitting at the kitchen table, sounding annoyed, "because you have a great job but you wanna quit, and I'll support that, I will, but I wanna know why at least." "Because it's not MY job, it's my dads business, and I'm fucking sick of working under him," Wyatt said, pacing again, "because...because I wanna do something for myself, for others. I wanna make the world better, not clutter it up with more shoddy housing." "You run a hardware store!" Scarlett said, half laughing, half shocked. "I know, but it's...it's development, you get it? It's further rape of the natural world," Wyatt said, "When we went to the reunion, I met this old classmate named Celia, and she's an environmental lawyer, and talking to her...I don't know...I guess I just....I realized how disgusting mans grasp on the planet is, and then with Mona getting her diagnosis...I don't wanna make the world a place less designed for her than it already is." Scarlett folded her legs, nodding, listening as Wyatt continued. "And then that fuck, Robert Grudin, he was going to give a competing company the go ahead to start ripping out our parks in the city, and build high cost high rise condominiums, and when I..." he had to be very careful how he approached this part, "...uh...when news broke that he'd been blown up, I mean, sure, shocking, but also part of me was weirdly thankful. Kinda like it was nature itself coming back for revenge for how we've treated it." "...so a man gets blown up and you wanna change your entire life?" Scarlett asked. "It made me aware of all the despicable things I've been a part of, even if unintentionally," Wyatt said, "just, ya know, by proximity of what I sell and help people accomplish. I felt...gross." Scarlett sighed and looked away from her husband, shaking her head. She understood, but she didn't at the same time. Wyatt leaned against the kitchen counter and rubbed his forehead, groaning. "...I can't explain it any better than this," Wyatt whispered, "I'm sorry I'm not making any sense and I'm sorry if it's confusing and I'm sorry if it makes you mad. I can't explain it. It's just...I need to do something better. I need to do something more." "And that something more is buying a horse?" Scarlett asked, biting her lip to stifle herself from laughing as the words left her mouth. "Alright, well, come on," Wyatt said, "that's...I mean. Can you blame me?" "Is there anything else you're hiding from me? Cause now's the time come out with it," Scarlett said, and Wyatt chewed his lip, shaking his head. How could he tell her? How would she understand? He'd just be dragging her into his mess if he did. He'd blown up Robert Grudin, he'd framed Oliver Brighton, he'd discovered a storage unit filled to the brim with the most vile type of media one can imagine. No. She deserved better than that. Once the unit was cleared, they'd be done. They'd be finished. He could get a new job, and get back to being the family man and loving husband he always had been. He was so close to the end, he just needed to reach it now. "...can we actually afford to keep it?" Scarlett asked. "Well I'm not getting rid of it," Wyatt replied, "I'm not gonna give her a horse than take it back, that's awful. If I have to, I'll ask my parents for money." "I thought you said you were tired of being under your fathers thumb, and now you're gonna ask him to support your equine habit?" Scarlett asked. "It's for his granddaughter, I think he'd be more than willing to have yet another thing to hold over my head under the guise of loving his family," Wyatt said, and Scarlett scoffed, shaking her head as Wyatt moved away from the counter, raising his voice, throwing his arms into the air and saying, "alright then! The fuck do you want me to do, Scarlett?! Huh?! I'm here trying to come up with solutions, and it seems like nothing is good enough! What would be easiest?" "I don't know, Wyatt!" Scarlett said, standing up, approaching him, not backing down, "but this isn't getting anyone anywhere right now! Why are you so angry at me?" "Why are you angry at ME?!" Wyatt asked in return. "Because you're fucking us up!" Scarlett shouted, before putting her hand over her mouth, realizing what she'd said. A cloud of silence filled the room, as they stood there, staring at one another. Wyatt looked at his shoes and sighed, scratching his nose. "I...uh...I wanted to give you a good life," Wyatt said, "I wanted to...to make you happy, you know? I've tried my best to do that, but I feel like the ways in which I do are starting to break me down as a person, and I can't hold on much longer. I didn't...I'm not...trying to fuck us up. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Wyatt turned and walked out of the kitchen, grabbing his coat on the way out and, before Scarlett could even follow him, was in his car and down the road. Scarlett stood on the porch, watching his taillights vanish in the darkness, before she finally started crying. *** Rachel was in the restaurants bathroom, fixing her lipstick after eating, when the bathroom door opened and Kelly walked in. Rachel smiled at her, as Kelly approached the counter, looking at her own makeup in the mirror, checking her eyeliner. Kelly sighed and blinked a few times. "I hate fake lashes," she said. "You're wearing fake lashes??" Rachel asked, sounding surprised. "Yeah, I don't know...apparently the studio doesn't think I'm 'feminine' enough, despite literally being a tall blonde under her class weight, so I'm doing some things my makeup artist suggested and, god, they're just so itchy. I can feel them on me at all times," Kelly said, pulling them off and laying them on the counter, groaning as she looked down at them. "...I'm glad you wanted to have dinner," Rachel said, turning to face her friend, "I'm glad we're able to talk again. I'm so sorry for how I treated you at the end of school. I was so busy worrying about my future, about my sexuality, I just...I had to push you away, I hope you understand it had nothing to do with you personally." "It took a while to recognize that, but I did eventually reach that conclusion," Kelly said, chuckling, "I really missed you, Rachel. I was so mad cause we had made all these plans, but I understand needing to do your own thing. But you were my only friend, and I missed you. It's so nice to be friends again, and your girlfriend, by the way, is amazing." Rachel blushed, laughing. "Yeah, she is isn't she? I sure got lucky. An amazing girlfriend AND an amazing best friend," Rachel said, hugging Kelly, who happily hugged her back. Kelly hadn't felt this kind of warmth from someone in so very long, and she was so happy to be feeling it again, and from the person she wanted to feel it from most of all, too. What a lucky girl I am, she thought. *** The bridge was empty. Wyatt pulled up to the side and parked, then stepped out into the black night sky. He looked around, and was somewhat shocked by just how quiet and empty it was. Almost peaceful. God, peace sounded nice he thought. He could actually feel his muscles unclench. Wyatt reached back into the car, opened the glovebox and grabbed a pad of paper and a pen, then, seating himself on the hood, began scribbling something down. When his tears wet the paper, he didn't even notice. He had to give them some kind of explanation. They deserved to know. To understand. When he was finished, he tucked the note into his jacket pocket, then patted it before walking to the rail of the bridge and, hand on the metal, pulled himself up onto the ledge. Wyatt could feel the cool night air blowing through his hair, his hands grabbing the cold steel beside him, his eyes warm and red from the crying. He exhaled and shook his head, trying to regain his composure, because dammit, if he was going to do this, he was going to do it with dignity. Scarlett would understand. She had to. She would tell Mona who would maybe have trouble understanding but eventually she would get it as she got older. Wyatt looked down. The drop was monstrous and, in the night, looked like an empty abyss. All it took was just one small step. Just one small step and it'd be over. Wyatt shut his eyes and felt one of his feet go out over the edge. Just let it go. Let Calvin deal with it. Rachel could have her life she wanted. Scarlett could find someone who could actually make her happy. Just let it go. His lip quivered, his face streaming with tears, when he heard someone behind him. "Wyatt?" they asked. His eyes shot open, and he looked behind him. Standing there, arms folded in the chilly night air, in a tight black dress and her braided blonde hair flowing behind her, was Kelly Schuester. She had stopped her car and gotten out, just to approach him. Wyatt and Kelly stared at one another for a moment, as Kelly got closer to the bridge. "What are you doing out here?" she asked, "...are you...okay?" Wyatt couldn't respond. He just stood there, shaky. Kelly got up to the bridge and, reaching out, grabbed his extended leg and pulled his foot back to the ledge. She looked up at him, eyes wide and frightened, head cocked out of anxiousness, she reached her hand out. "Come on, come down," she said quietly, and without thinking about it, Wyatt took Kelly's hand and slowly came down from the bridge. Standing there in front of her, unable to look her in the eyes, he fidgeted nervously with the zipper on his jacket. When he finally did manage to speak, his voice was low, barely audible, and shaky. "What are you..doing out here?" he asked. "I was coming from from dinner with Rachel," Kelly said, "...what are you doing out here?" Wyatt snapped, and fell face first into Kelly's chest, sobbing. Kelly immediately held him comfortingly, stroking his hair. "It's okay," she whispered, "you're okay. You're okay." And he was. For the first time in a while... ...Wyatt Bloom WAS okay.
0 Comments
Rachel hadn't slept well since the discovery of Brighton's storage unit, and frankly, who could blame her.
Now, she just laid awake for hours on end, maybe sleeping for an hour or so at a time, and then when it was finally morning, she just lay in bed, staring at the wall, incapable of gathering to energy necessary to get up and go to work. She felt Sun Rai sit on the bed, and then felt a hot mug pressed gently against her pajama covered back. Rachel rolled over and took the coffee cup, sitting up a bit so she could properly drink it. Sun unfolded the newspaper and started reading, as Rachel tried to get her mind off the sights she'd seen in the unit. "Any plans today?" Sun asked. "Work," Rachel replied flatly. "I have to take my dad to the doctors again," Sun replied, turning a page on the paper, "what do you want to do for dinner?" "I don't know," Rachel said, barely speaking audibly, her whole mouth in the cup, letting it warm her face. Silence filled the room once more. Rachel started to feel bad, she felt like Sun Rai probably assumed she was angry with her or something, but god, she couldn't tell her what she and the others had found. She didn't want to involve her in their situation, just like Wyatt didn't want Scarlett involved. It was necessity to have a private and a personal life, and to make sure they stayed separate at ALL costs. "Fuck," Sun Rai said quietly, "are you kidding me?" "What?" Rachel asked. Sun pushed the paper into Rachel's lap, and Rachel couldn't believe her eyes. There, right in the newspaper, was an enormous image of Oliver Brighton, paid for by The Evergreens, which stated, "They killed the world, so he killed his family: a real man puts the world before himself". Rachel felt sick. She quickly got out of bed and went into the bathroom, leaning against the bathroom counter, looking at her coffee mug. She looked from the mug up to herself in the mirror, and hated the face she saw staring back at herself. How much longer could she do this for? And then she vomited. *** Calvin was standing in a department store, looking at small pieces of piping and comparing prices when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder, and, certain it was Leonard who had somehow discovered what he'd found, he turned around in fear...only to find it was Wyatt. "Oh, god, you scared me," Calvin said. "Calm down, buddy," Wyatt said, "what're you doing here?" "Uh, a pipe in my parents bathroom burst, so," Calvin said, "what about you? Isn't this a rival operation?" "I like to go through places sometimes, see how others stock things and take note," Wyatt said, jamming his hands in his pockets and nodding, "walk with me for a little bit. How you doing?" "I think the question is how are you doing? Because you ran off like someone had set your house on fire," Calvin said, "are you feeling okay? Celia talked to me a little bit after you left and told me how distraught you seemed. You know we're all pretty distraught, but you seemed to have a particularly nasty reaction." Wyatt chewed his lip, nodding. "Yeah," he finally responded, "yeah I kinda...lost my cool. I went and pulled my daughter from school, we went to a toy store and my wife gave me some shit about it, but I didn't care. Besides, I can't take a woman who used to regularly cut school seriously when she talks about the importance of education. But I feel like hell. What did you wind up doing?" "I took some of it, burned it and then dumped the ashes in a nearby lake," Calvin said, making Calvin nod. "Good, good, that's probably the appropriate course of action when it comes to material like that," Wyatt said, stopping in the aisle, causing Calvin to stop and look at him; Wyatt waited a moment, then lowered his voice and came closer, whispering, "and what about Wattson?" "What about him?" "He's clearly connected in some way." "All he did was have a key. For all I know, he and Oliver could've stayed friends into adulthood, and was the other one who had access to it, since Brighton took out his wife," Calvin replied, "there's nothing concrete to connect Wattson, and frankly I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt, you know?" "But what do we do if he IS?" Wyatt asked, sucking on his teeth nervously, "...do we do it again?" "Do WHAT?" "You know what." Calvin couldn't believe this. Was Wyatt actually suggesting what he thought he was suggesting? Calvin waited before answering, trying to figure out how to further this conversation in both a way that would make sense without seeming like he was for it, and also not seem out of place considering they were in public. A couple college aged guys walked past, and once they were around the corner, Calvin finally spoke again. "You wanna blow him up too?" "Hey, you wanted to blow up Grudin, not me, okay?" Wyatt said, "you were gonna do that with or without me, and were working on it long before I came onto the scene, so. But this...yeah. This is a direct result of what we did, man. Oliver was blamed for our actions at the Morgana worksite, and as a result, he kills himself and his entire family, then is held up as the man who took down Grudin before he died, because Grudin was directly connected to Morgana's shady business practices. Now Brighton's a pseudo hero, and yet nobody knows what he was actually doing. We wouldn't even BE here right now having this discussion if we hadn't done what we did. Hell, I still can't believe they think he's the one who killed Grudin, but apparently his wife didn't want an investigation cause their daughter wouldn't be able to deal with it. We got so lucky, Calvin." "And now you wanna push that luck, build another bomb, and blow up someone else?" Calvin asked, sounding annoyed. "Oh, like you could've grown a moral compass in a few months, give me a break," Wyatt scoffed, and Calvin looked at him wide eyed, jaw somewhat open in surprise. "Are you even hearing yourself, man?" Calvin asked, "I've felt like shit since it happened and I've been trying to get back to something resembling at least semi-normalcy, and yet you're just like 'hey, let's blow someone else up!'. With no proof, even! If we had proof that Wattson was directly related to Brighton's horrid actions, then yeah, maybe I'd consider it, but if he remembered me from when I was in school, how far fetched is it that he also kept in touch with other former students like Brighton? I'm not saying he's innocent, but I also can't pin something on him with no proof whatsoever." Calvin shook the pipe in his hand in front of Wyatt's face and sneered. "Now I have to go home and repair a broken pipe, thanks for the enlightening conversation," Calvin said. "You're so full of shit, Klepper. You act so fucking high and mighty, but all you cared about was your personal pain, not the pain of those around you," Wyatt said, forcing Calvin to stop in his tracks. He gripped the pipe firmly in his fist and waited as Wyatt continued, adding, "I get that what happened to you sucks, but why wouldn't you wanna make sure other kids can't be hurt too? Huh? Or did only YOUR kid matter?" Calvin finally turned on his heel and walked briskly back to Wyatt, striking him across the face with the pvc pipe, forcing Wyatt to stumble back as people stopped to look, somewhat in shock. Wyatt, grasping onto a shelf full of faucet handles, leveled himself while rubbing at the cut above his eyebrow and grimaced. Calvin looked around, realizing the small smattering of onlookers, and then reached out his hand to Wyatt, helping him back up. As he stood back upright, Calvin pulled him closer and whispered. "We're done, okay? I don't know what you and the others wanna do, but I'm done," Calvin said quietly, before letting go and turning to go pay for his pipe, leaving Wyatt in pain, and confused. *** "Jesus, that's...yikes," Rachel said, dabbing at Wyatt's cut. She was on her break, and Wyatt had come by the coffee shop, so Rachel took him to the bathroom and offered to clean and bandage him. Wyatt, leaning against the counter, sighed as Rachel finished wiping down his cut and started to peel a bandaid to put on him. "He had every right, I pushed too far," Wyatt said, "I admit it, I shouldn't have said what I did, but I'm just so angry." "I understand," Rachel said, "I'm sickened too by the whole situation, but he's not wrong. It's weird that Wattson had the key, but it's also entirely plausible that he, as Calvin said, stayed in touch with certain students and Brighton was just one of them. But you, man, you need to find some way to relax." "How do you deal with it?" Wyatt asked as Rachel finished pressing the bandage to his cut and then backed away, tossing her hair from her eyes. "I...I don't," Rachel said, "I just keep it bottled up. Not exactly healthy, but better than getting into very public spats." Wyatt smirked at her attitude, and nodded. She was right. He knew she was right. He couldn't keep doing this, and he was only further endangering them by dragging things into a more open space. They had to deal with things privately, and without fighting. Wyatt reached up and gently touched the bandage, grimacing again as the pain surged and Rachel grabbed his wrist, pulling his hand from his head. "You don't wanna touch it for a while," she said, shaking her head, "Just go home and relax, okay? Try and take a nap or something." Wyatt nodded, looking around the bathroom. "Can I at least get a free coffee?" he asked. "...fine," Rachel said, laughing as she headed out of the bathroom, Wyatt on her tail. *** Calvin had finished the quick repair in his parents bathroom, and now was back in the shed, pacing, grumbling to himself about his interaction with Wyatt. He stopped and looked at the materials on the wall, some of which he had used to build the first bomb. Calvin reached out and picked up a clicking mechanism used for setting off the bomb and clicked it a few times himself. Why was he mad though? Wyatt had been rude, sure, but...did he have a point, actually? Had Calvin acted purely out of selfishness and grief, instead of valor? The world doesn't need heroes, he thought, at least not heroes like himself. He sighed and sat down on one of the stools at the work table, turning the little clicker round in his hand repeatedly as he thought about the incident this afternoon. If Wattson was involved, would he be able to do something about it? He'd feel lied to and used, that's for sure, but would he have the stones to go through with another killing? He didn't want to kill people, but he also didn't think certain people deserved to live, and people who hurt children were right at the top of that list. Did that belief stem entirely from losing his own daughter? Perhaps. But it's a noble belief nonetheless, many would argue. In fact, most would argue. He had seen the same paper Rachel had this morning. He always got the paper for his dad before breakfast, and he saw the exact same image The Evergreens had made, and it sickened him just like it'd sickened her. The only difference was... ...he couldn't let himself stay sickened. He'd already spent far too long being angry at the world. All he wanted now was contentment, and that was exactly the opposite of what Wyatt and others were offering. Calvin groaned and laid his forehead down on the work desk. He was beginning to regret ever having shown them the storage unit. *** Wyatt came into the upstairs bedroom to find Scarlett lying on the bed in her silk robe and her underwear. As soon as she saw his head, she sat upright and scooted down the bed towards him as he seated himself on the edge. "What happened to you?" she asked. "I had a bit of an altercation with a friend, it's fine," Wyatt said, "Rachel patched me up." "You went to Rachel and not home to your wife?" Scarlett asked. "This friend is a mutual friend of hers and mine, it's a long story," Wyatt said, "...god it hurts though. Everything hurts." Scarlett put her hands on both his shoulders and nuzzled up to him from behind. "Talk to me," she whispered, "you aren't talking to me, and it scares me. We share everything. What's up with you lately? You've been so...depressed, so morose. What's going on with you? I'm worried," Scarlett said softly. Wyatt sighed and shook his head. What WAS going on with him? He had such a good life. A great job, a wonderful family, a beautiful and fiercely intelligent wife, and two amazing kids. Why would he risk everything, and for reasons he couldn't even explain? He wasn't doing this on purpose. It felt like a higher calling. To rid the world of trash and make it better for his daughter, his son, every other child that was to come. Wyatt took one of her hands and kissed it, making her giggle. "I don't like the world," he said quietly, "it's a disgusting place, and I just don't want to see it hurt our kids. I wanna make it better. What I do...it doesn't make it better. It provides, it makes OUR lives better, but it doesn't make the world better in the end. I don't wanna be blamed as part of why everything is shit once I'm gone and the planet's fucking uninhabitable. I want to be remembered as someone who did more than just separate plastic from paper." Scarlett stroked up and down the back of his head slowly, knowing this relaxed him. "Baby, everything you do is good, okay? You're good. Don't ever doubt that please," she said, "and that's a valiant wish, and if you want to look for something better, something that helps the world rather than harms it I am one hundred percent behind you. I don't care about material things." Wyatt raised an eyebrow and she laughed. "Okay, well, I do but...I care about you and your comfort level so much more," she said, resting her head on his shoulder, "...remember in high school, when we were first gonna sleep together, and you told me you were a virgin. That was surprising. I mean, we were almost seniors, and yet you - a very popular athlete at school - was a virgin? Wild. But I didn't care, and when you said you wanted to wait, that was fine. Your comfort has always been important to me. Just as I know mine is to you, okay? We're a team, Wyatt. Remember?" Wyatt smiled and nodded, turning around and facing his wife. He leaned in and kissed her, as she put her arms over his shoulders. Then, without warning, he pushed her on her back and climbed on her, continuing to kiss her, making her laugh loudly. Somewhere along the way, he'd forgotten somehow that - before he'd become entwined with the others - he'd already had a teammate, and that was his wife, and he would do anything and everything for her. "Well," he said, kissing down her neck, "then let me skip 3rd base and go right to home." "Wow, you sure know how to talk to a woman," Scarlett replied, cackling as she reached over and turned off the bedside lamp. *** Sun Rai climbed into bed and yawned immediately, but as soon as she was done, Rachel had clung to her, making her laugh. She started stroking Rachel's hair, her head flush against Sun Rai's chest, and smiled. "I'm sorry for this morning," Rachel said, "I just didn't feel good." "It's understandable," Sun Rai said, "you don't have to apologize." But she did. Sun would never know this, but she did. She had to apologize. For everything she'd had a hand in, for this mess she'd help start, a mess that would, inevitably, she felt, be the end of them all. Rachel cuddled up to Sun Rai more and shut her eyes. But whatever came next, whatever horrors awaited them, she didn't care right now. Right now she was in bed with the girl she'd loved since high school, and that was more than enough comfort for her. The world could wait another day. Her world was all that mattered right now. The storage unit door rattled as it slid upwards, letting light inside. Oliver and the manager of the business walked inside. The manager swung his keys around his finger as Oliver stepped further inside, hands in his pockets and looked around at the space.
"So, it's climate controlled?" Oliver asked, not looking back at the man, "because I plan to store some stuff in here that could be affected by temperature changes. Old home movies and photos and stuff like that." "Yes sir, the whole place is climate controlled, and we don't have any pests or anything that could harm your belongings," the manager said, scratching the back of his head, "and of course, privacy. Nobody will ever gain access to your unit from within the company. Believe me when I tell you we have absolutely no interest in your crap." Oliver chuckled, nodding. He sighed and looked back at the manager. "I get a key?" "You get a single key, yes," the manager said, "but do not lose it. You'll have to pay to have it replaced. And if someone finds it, you wouldn't want them getting in." "Trust me," Oliver said, as his eyes scanned over the interior one more time, "...nobody is ever gonna come here but me." *** Rachel was sitting at her coffee table in her living room, sipping coffee from her mug and flipping through muted television channels. She yawned and tossed her long shiny hair, still waking up from sleep, when a knock came at her door. Sun Rai entered the room, clipping earrings onto herself, and headed to answer the door. As she pulled it open, they found Wyatt standing there, who smiled at her. "Hiya," he said, "Uh, I'm...I'm here to see Rachel, is she home?" "He can come in," Rachel shouted, and Sun Rai moved aside, heading back to the bathroom to finish getting dressed as Wyatt entered the apartment and shut the door behind him. He walked up to the table and looked around the living room. "I think this is the first time I've ever actually been inside your place," he said, "it's nice. Cozy." "What do you want?" Rachel asked, continuing to sip her coffee. "Where's she going?" Wyatt asked, nodding towards the bathroom. "She has a medical thing with her folks today," Rachel said. "So you're free?" The subtle urgency in Wyatt's voice caught her attention, and she set her coffee mug down and looked at him. She leaned forward a little, raising an eyebrow. "...what is it you want?" she asked. "I really need you to come with me somewhere," Wyatt said, "...there's something Calvin wants us to see." *** Calvin was leaning against the door to the unit, waiting for the others to arrive. He was looking at his watch when he heard the click of heels on the floor, and turned to see Celia coming down the hallway. She smiled and politely waved at him upon approach, and Calvin stuffed his hands back in his pockets, smiling back at her. As Celia got closer, she tugged at the strap of her purse, pulling it higher up on her shoulder and came to a stop by the door. "I guess Wyatt gave you directions," Calvin said. "Yeah, he said he was picking Rachel up, but that I could just meet you guys here," Celia said, "how long is this going to take? Cause I have to get to work soon, and then I have to take my son to his piano lessons and-" "It won't take long," Calvin said, clearing his throat, "but, uh...look, you have a child, and I just...I want you to brace yourself for what you're going to see, okay?" Celia looked at Calvin, her eyes widened. She glanced at the unit door, then back at Calvin. "What the hell's in here, man?" she asked quietly. "...terrible, awful things," Calvin said, almost on the verge of tears. *** Wyatt was driving, heading to the storage place while Rachel played with the dials on his car radio. "You have satellite radio, and I am so jealous," Rachel said, "I still use cassette tapes." "How is it possible that everytime I learn something new about you it makes me feel even worse?" Wyatt asked, "it's impressive, it really is. Stop turning that, you're gonna damage my knob!" he said as he slapped playfully at her hand. "Oh, I wouldn't want anything to happen to your knob," Rachel replied, cackling, "so where are we going, anyway?" "Calvin came by my house last night, gave me a key," Wyatt said as they came to a red light, only a block away from the storage place; Rachel put her window down and hung her arm out as Wyatt continued, "he told me to come to this storage place because he had something to show us. He told me to gather you and Celia, because he needed you guys to see it too." "What's so important about a storage unit?" Rachel asked. "...it belonged to Oliver Brighton," Wyatt said quietly, and this got Rachel's attention. Her head snapped to look at him, as he looked at her, almost like he was scared; he nodded, and added, softly "...i know..." When Wyatt and Rachel arrived, he parked and headed inside. He was holding the key in his hand, simply so he could remember the number of the unit and easily find the floor it was located on. It was cool and empty inside, almost an eerie feeling emanating from the building, as they headed down the long halls and up the stairs to the third floor. After a short bit on the third floor, they finally saw Calvin and Celia standing in front of the unit, chatting casually, quietly, until they saw Calvin point at them and Celia turned to look too. "We've been spotted, cap'n," Rachel said. "Set phasers to kill," Wyatt replied, making her laugh. "Do you have the key?" Calvin asked as they got closer, and Wyatt held it up in his hand, before handing it back to Calvin, who took it and inserted it into the lock on the door. The others stood by as he unlocked the door and then leaned against it and looked at them; he exhaled deeply and said, "...I'm so sorry you guys have to see this." Everyone exchanged a nervous glance, and Calvin slid the door up. *** "You sure you've got a good place?" Leonard asked on the phone, and Oliver turned around in the unit, looking at the boxes he'd moved in that day. "It's solid," Oliver replied, "it's roomy, spacious, secure, climate controlled. Nothing is going to happen to the merchandise here. And it doesn't even cost much." "Don't worry about the cost," Leonard said, "I'll reimburse you from what we make off the material. You did good, Oliver. So now when do we start production again? I have a lot of customers saying they liked what you did last time and are itching for more." Oliver leaned on a box and sighed, shaking his head. "I...I don't know," he said meekly, "I have to give them breaks, you know? Can't work 'em to death. It's hard to find a balance that satisfies everyone. Roberta is...unhappy, but it provides and right now that's all that matters. She doesn't know where the money is coming from at the moment, she just assumes it's from what I do at work, but even if she were to learn, she'd already be complicit for spending the money." "Of all my providers, you're the best," Leonard said, "I just want you to be ready, and feel secure enough to do what needs to be done. You take whatever time you need, just don't drag it out." "Yes sir." "I gotta go, I have another call," Leonard said, "Goodbye Oliver." Oliver looked at the phone after Leonard hung up and he sighed. He slid his flip phone back into his slack pockets and looked around at the boxes. It was only a few right now, but within a few years, it would be so many more, and by the time he killed his family, some stacks would be as high as the ceiling, and by the time the group found it that afternoon...the amount of filth in that unit would be unthinkable. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could've prepared them for what they were about to find. The empire Oliver Brighton had helped build, and on the back of his own daughters no less. *** The door slid up, letting the gang get a view of the interior, and at first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Calvin waited at the door as Celia, Wyatt and Rachel stepped inside. He then entered himself, shutting the door behind him and turning the lights on inside. Wyatt looked at the labels on the boxes and shook his head, confused and a little irritated. "You brought us out here to see Oliver's collection of unwanted crap? Crap so unwanted he couldn't be bothered to keep it in his house? This is baby clothes, this is magazines, this one just says 'old VHS tapes'. What the fuck is this, Calvin?" Wyatt asked. "...open one," Calvin said softly, so Rachel reached up and pulled the flaps to one box open, reaching inside and gathering a handful of CDs. She furrowed her brow, confused. "Steffie, Age 5, NCDAD," Rachel read, "what...what the fuck does that mean?" "Uh," Calvin said, scratching the back of his head, his voice wavery like he was about to cry, "The NC stands for nonconsent, and let's just leave it at that." Rachel immediately dropped the CD back into the box, disgusted. Wyatt then felt Celia tap his shoulder, as she handed him a small photo album. He took it from her, but then felt Calvin's hand on the cover. His eyes were locked with Wyatt's, and he shook his head, barely able to talk. "You don't wanna see it," Calvin said. "...I think I have to, to believe it," Wyatt said, pulling away and walking from the group, opening the book. His eyes, scanning each unthinkable page, began to tear up. These images would be forever seared into his brain, and he wanted to vomit. Calvin leaned against the boxes, trying to catch his breath as Rachel finally spoke again. "So...so he was..." Rachel said, "Oliver Brighton was making..." "Yes, with his own daughters," Calvin said, "...we...we killed a monster. Inadvertently, but still. If we hadn't blown up Grudin, if Oliver hadn't been blamed for your actions at the Morgana site, he might've gone on doing this forever. And maybe not just to his own daughters, but to someone elses. We didn't even know, but we helped kill a monster. But I needed you guys to know, so maybe...maybe the guilt isn't as heavy now. We did a good thing. The right thing." "Oh please," Rachel said, folding her arms, "Oliver was a byproduct, we had no idea he would be blamed, we didn't even know he worked at the site. We did something good, but entirely by accident. Don't act like it was intentional or noble. For it to be noble, we would've had to have set out to hurt him." "She's right," Celia said, kicking the floor with her heels, "I mean, don't get me wrong, he was disgusting and I'm glad he's dead if this was what he did, but...his involvement in our actions was merely coincidental. He just happened to be connected, remotely, to Morgana, and then be blamed for Grudin's death as well because of us." "That's what the sickest part, actually," Calvin said, rubbing his eyes, "is that now society sees him as this...this kind of...hero of some sort. Fighting against governmental injustice, all the while being completely blind to the horrors he was producing himself. They don't know what he was like, or what he did." "Should they?" Rachel asked, "...I mean...what good would it really do? Let's be real, far too many people support this kind of shit, they just do it behind closed doors. Perversions are perversions, regardless of whatever sort of decent actions one might do in their life now and then. I doubt anyone would change their opinion, especially those on the fringes who already support him. In fact, if nothing else, it'd just be considered slander, to ruin his name. He'd be marked an even bigger martyr than he already is." Wyatt calmly set the photo album down on top of one of the boxes and looked at the boxes surrounding him. These boxes, filled with unimaginable pain. Pain that came from two little girls, killed by their own father, who would never get to grow up and recover from his actions. Wyatt felt his stomach turn, and he quickly pushed past the group and pulled open the door, heading out into the hall, where he threw up on the floor. Celia quickly walked to him, patting his back, as Rachel and Calvin stayed inside the unit. "...well, what do we do with it?" Rachel asked. "I don't know. We could each take a bundle and destroy it in some way," Calvin said. "How'd you even get this key?" Rachel asked. "...it was on Mr. Wattsons keyring," Calvin said quietly, "which...I don't even wanna think about what that implies. I'm not ready to face that right now." Rachel looked around at the boxes, nodding. "I like the idea of disposing of it, little by little," Rachel said, "rid the world of a little bit more filth." "Are you okay?" Celia asked, kneeling down to Wyatt, who was still bent over, dry heaving; she touched his face and asked again, "hey, are you okay? Do you need anything?" "I...I can't be here," Wyatt said, "I feel dizzy." Wyatt stood up and headed down the hall, one hand on the wall to help guide him, Celia watching him go. As he disappeared down the stairs, Celia looked back at the unit, then followed Wyatt down the stairs. When she caught up with him in the second floor hall, he was walking briskly, better, but still looked like hell. Looked like he was sweating to death. "Wyatt, stop for a second and-" Celia said, grasping for his hand, but he wouldn't stop and instead jerked his hand away from her; she stomped her foot and shouted at him, "you wanted to make the world a better place for your daughter, right?! Well congratulations, you did it! You rid the world of someone wanting to do girls like her harm! Mission fucking accomplished!" Wyatt stopped in his tracks and thought briefly, before turning and walking back up to her. "His demise doesn't erase the damage," Wyatt said through his teeth, "he still got away with it! He still did it, for YEARS!" Celia was, admittedly, somewhat surprised at his tone, as she'd never heard Wyatt truly angry, but she stood her ground and listened to him. "I...how..." Wyatt stammered, as he reached out and put his hands on her shoulders, looking down at his shoes, "how could someone do that to their own child? To any child?" "I don't...I don't know," Celia replied, "but he's dead, Wyatt, he's gone. He can't do it anymore." "...i have to go," Wyatt said, turning on his heel to leave. "Where are you going?" Celia asked. "To pick my daughter up from school," Wyatt said. "But it's only 11 in the afternoon!" Celia shouted after him, but he didn't care, he was gone. Celia sighed and turned, heading back upstairs. She found Calvin locking the unit back up, Rachel leaning against the wall, arms folded. She turned and smiled weakly at Celia as she got closer, and Celia ran her hand through her black poofy hair, unsure of what to say. "So...if Mr. Wattson is involved..." Rachel said, "...what do we do about that? Like, sure, we can get rid of all this stuff and nobody ever has to know about it, but...what about him?" Yes, Calvin thought, what about him? *** Mona was sitting in class, chewing on the rubber stim necklace her father had gotten for her to keep her focused when doing schoolwork. Suddenly the door to the classroom opened, and a student came in, handed the teacher a note, then exited. The teacher read the note, then looked up at Mona. "Mona, sweetheart? Your dad is here to take you to the doctors," she said, "he's waiting in the hallway." Confused, Mona gathered her things and headed out of the classroom. She found her father sitting on a bench in the hallway, and as soon as he saw her, he got up and dropped to his knees, hugging her tightly, her eyes widening, her voice soft. "oh my god, I must be dying," Mona said, making Wyatt laugh. "No, there's...there's no doctors appointment, and you're not sick," Wyatt said, grabbing her things and taking one of her hands in his other hand, "I'm just taking you out of school for the day and we're gonna do whatever it is you wanna do." "Really?" Mona asked, sounding simultaneously uncertain yet excited. "Yeah, so what do you wanna do?" Wyatt asked. "....I wanna eat an ice cream cone in a toy store," Mona said, making Wyatt laugh and squeeze her hand. "Whatever you want, sweetheart," he said. Meanwhile, since Wyatt had left, Calvin gave Rachel a ride home. When she got back, she shut the door behind her and looked around at her empty apartment. Sun Rai wouldn't be back for a good while, so she had the place to herself for a bit. She couldn't stop seeing what she'd seen in the unit, and so she went to the bathroom and started drawing a bath. She put bath beads inside, then bubbles, and then she undressed and climbed into the tub. The imagery in the unit brought back memories of her near assault from her manager in college, and she found her breath clenching in her chest. She couldn't take it, and she started sobbing, wailing, in the bathtub. Celia, on the other hand, had done the same thing Wyatt had done. She'd called into work, excused herself for the day and gotten her son out of daycare. She then took him to a kids movie and out to lunch. Sitting there, eating lunch in a little restaurant, she couldn't help but feel even more protective of him now than she ever had before. This boy was an innocent, and she was determined to ensure he stayed that way. She couldn't blame Wyatt for feeling the way he did, but she sure wished she could help him see their actions in a different light, if nothing else. One boy at a time, she thought. Help one boy at a time. And Calvin, after dropping Rachel off at home, drove down to a lake just outside the city and popped open his trunk. He then pulled out a plastic tub from the backseat of his car and dumped all the contents of one of the boxes into the tub and set it on fire. Calvin stood there, watching this vile filth burn, but he couldn't stop thinking about Leonard. Why had he had Brightons key? How involved could he be? The answer terrified him. Once the materials were burnt to nothing more than ash, Calvin picked up the tub and emptied it into the lake, then did the same with two more boxes. He'd already helped rid the world of trash. Why not keep going, he figured. Wyatt, Rachel and Kelly were standing at a fence, looking out at a woman riding a horse around an arena. Wyatt's arms were folded, and he was shaking his head. Rachel, chewing nervously on her nails, couldn't possibly be anymore uncomfortable being at a ranch, and Kelly...Kelly was just seated on the fence and eating a sandwich she'd brought from the craft services table at work. Wyatt finally exhaled and looked at Rachel, who glanced back at him, their eyes locking.
"Dude, it sucks to be you," Rachel said. "I never got the pony my parents promised me," Kelly said through chewing, "your daughter's a lucky girl." Both Wyatt and Rachel glared at her, and she shrugged. "...what?" she asked. EARLIER THAT MORNING Wyatt was sitting at the breakfast table, eating a bowl of cereal, while Mona was eating a toaster strudel. The baby was still asleep upstairs (the one saving grace about Mona's little brother was that he slept a lot), and Scarlett was drinking her coffee and reading the paper. She scoffed and shook the paper, then tossed it across the table to Wyatt, who picked it up. "Look at this," Scarlett said, "remember that park Morgana was going to bulldoze? Looks like the park is now protected property by the city, and Morgana is under investigation. They aren't going to be doing much construction for a while, it seems. Honestly, good riddance. Imagine taking away places made for children, all for the benefit of low cost condos. Disgusting." They heard Mona's brother start to cry upstairs, and Scarlett excused herself, getting up to head upstairs to gather him. Scarlett looked up over the paper and noticed Mona was locking eyes with him. "What?" he asked. "That's what you and that lady did isn't it?" Mona asked, "you guys stopped them. The night you took me trick or treating." "Yeah, that was what we did, but we did it for you, and kids like you, who deserve to have a nice world to grow up in, pumpkin. Morgana was evil, and they were doing things illegally. We did the right thing," Wyatt said. "...can I have a pony?" Mona asked, and Wyatt laughed. "Yeah, sure, right after I get a jet plane," he replied. "I'll tell mom what you did if you don't get me a pony," Mona said. "...are you blackmailing your own father?" Wyatt asked, leaning in and lowering his voice, "seriously?" Mona leaned in as well, smiling, and whispering, "I want. a pony. daddy." *** Rachel opened the door, hearing the knock, only to find Wyatt standing in the hallway of her apartment. She pulled her robe over herself - she was wearing only underwear - and cleared her throat. Wyatt raised an eyebrow and Rachel sighed, exiting the apartment and shutting the door behind her. "I interrupt something?" he asked. "You caught me just after morning sex, so no, I was finished," Rachel said. "Oh, well, aren't you lucky," Wyatt replied, "...I need a pony." "Oh, is that all? Okay, well let me go to my closet and get you one, hold on," Rachel said, making him chuckle as she added, "why...why the hell are you coming to ME of all people? Why would you think I knew where to get a pony?" "You told me you used to ride horses," Wyatt said, "once when the four of us had dinner together recently, a few weeks back, you and my wife got into this whole thing about hobbies you had as young women-" "I resent that, I am still a young woman, thank you," Rachel said, folding her arms and leaning on the wall. "-and one of the things both you and Scarlett did was ride horses," Wyatt said, "you told me you were, like, almost a professional at it or something. You did shows and won awards. I figured if anyone would know, you would." Rachel hesitated, then sighed, shaking her head, getting her bangs from her eyes. "...why do you want a pony?" Rachel asked. "I don't want a pony, I need a pony," Wyatt replied. "Well, that sounds worse, actually," Rachel said, "why do you NEED a pony?" "Because if I don't get my daughter a pony, she's going to tell my wife about what Celia and I did to Morgana," Wyatt said, "you know, the thing Oliver got blamed for? The thing that got him fired? The thing that-" "Yeah yeah, I got it," Rachel said, sighing and looking back at her apartment, "alright, give me a few minutes to get dressed and call someone. Meet me in the parking lot. We're gonna take your car." *** Kelly was done with her weather reporting for the day, and was now just standing at the crafts services table, picking out some lunch. Always a challenge, deciding what to have that particular day, but she figured she should always try and mix it up. Just then her cell phone rang, and she reached into her pocket and pulled it out, answering as she picked up and examined a sandwich wrapped in plastic. "Hello? Hi Rachel!...yeah, I'm not busy," Kelly said, "...okay, I can meet you outside." Kelly took the sandwich and paid the man minding the cart. She then stuffed the wrapped sandwich in her coat pocket and headed out the backdoor towards the parking lot where she saw Rachel waving and whistling to her from the car window. Kelly ran over to the car and got into the backseat behind Rachel in the passenger. "Kelly, this is my friend Wyatt, and Wyatt this is Kelly, she's a friend from high school," Rachel said. "I know you, you're the girl who does the weather on Channel 7," Wyatt said as he started up the car and pulled out. "Indeed I am," Kelly said eagerly, almost like she was proud, "so what do you need me for?" "Do you remember where that place we rode horses was at?" Rachel asked, "because I cannot for the life of me recall where it was, but I was hoping you might." "Why, are we going riding?" Kelly asked. "Something like that," Wyatt muttered. *** Leonard stood up from his chair in his kitchen and stretched, groaning as he adjusted his back. Calvin smirked as he looked up from grading a paper and leaned back in his chair. Leonard finished stretching and popping himself, then adjusted his large glasses and ran his hand over his mustache, sighing as he looked at Calvin and chuckled. "Never get old, Calvin, it's not worth it," he said. "Duly noted, Mr. Wattson," Calvin said, tapping his pen on the table, "I think we're about done with this batch. Should we drive these boxes over to the college?" "Yeah, I'll take these two downstairs, if you just get my keys from the wall," Leonard said, gathering up two large boxes and carrying them to the front door. Calvin quickly got up and opened the door for him, which he was thanked for, and Leonard exited, heading down the apartment stairs to his car. Calvin packed up his things and then looked for the keys, noticing them dangling from a hook on the wall in the kitchen. Calvin reached for them, until he noticed one of them had a tag on it. Calvin leaned in and examined it, putting a hand over his mouth as his eyes scanned the words on the tag. "O. Brighton Unit 321." The key it was attached to also had the name of a company and the address embossed on it, and Calvin was terrified to touch it. He glanced back over his shoulder, hearing Leonard's trunk shut. Calvin then reached for the keys and quickly undid the one with the tag, stuffing it into his pocket, before grabbing the boxes and exiting the apartment. He handed the remaining boxes to Leonard, and then said he wouldn't mind driving them to the college. Anything to keep Leonard from realizing the key was missing for as long as possible. But it didn't make sense, Calvin thought, why would Leonard Wattson have a key to a storage unit for Oliver Brighton? Calvin had a terrible feeling in his stomach, and he was terrified to learn the answer. *** "Sorry, I don't sell my horses anymore," the older woman leading a horse back to the stall said. This woman, Caroline, was the one who had taught both Kelly and Rachel how to ride when they were young girls, and also had been Rachel's manager during her time doing professional riding. "Well, if you don't, do you maybe know someone who does?" Rachel asked, keeping up with her by her side - Wyatt and Kelly following a little ways behind - as they walked, Rachel added, "somebody close by and maybe kind of cheap? Kinda desperate and in a rush here. Not to, you know, put any pressure on you Mrs. Wilkins." As they reached the stall, Caroline pulled the door open and led her horse inside, shutting and locking the door behind her before turning towards the group and pulling her helmet off her head, shaking her sandy blonde mop of hair loose. "...yeah, there's a small ranch a ways from here, maybe 40 minute drive, that'll sell you whatever you want," she said, "they're kind of, uh, what's the word...sketchy? They don't ask any questions so long as you pay 'em, let's put it that way. Don't care much for their reputation, I guess. Regardless, they're who I'd approach if you're looking to purchase a pony on such short notice. I have to ask...you're not gonna eat it are you?" "Can...can you...can you eat a horse?" Wyatt asked, sounding disgusted as he added, "I didn't even....the thought never crossed my mind, but no, we're not going to eat it. Dear god. Especially not a pony. That's a baby. I don't even eat veal or lamb. I have a rule of thumb, no eating babies." "That's a good rule to live by," Kelly said, nodding. "Thank you, I thought so," Wyatt replied. "Can we have the address?" Rachel asked. Soon enough, the group found themselves at yet another ranch, this time standing at a fence, looking out at a woman riding a horse around an arena. Wyatt's arms were folded, and he was shaking his head. Rachel, chewing nervously on her nails, couldn't possibly be anymore uncomfortable being at a ranch, and Kelly...Kelly was just seated on the fence and eating the sandwich she'd brought from the craft services table at work. Wyatt finally exhaled and looked at Rachel, who glanced back at him, their eyes locking. "Dude, it sucks to be you," Rachel said. "I never got the pony my parents promised me," Kelly said through chewing, "your daughter's a lucky girl." Both Wyatt and Rachel glared at her, and she shrugged. "...what?" she asked. "How you gonna explain this purchase to your wife?" Rachel asked. "I probably won't," Wyatt said, "that's kinda how being blackmailed works. You don't need explanations. You just hide things." "So, what, you're gonna rent a stall somewhere too and keep the pony there? Pay someone to feed it and bring your kid up whenever she wants, by yourself, to ride it?" Rachel asked, almost laughing, "you're insane, that's ridiculous. At some point Scarlett's gonna think something is up. She's gonna assume you're having an affair or something." "Don't have an affair with a horse," Kelly said, shaking her head, "that'll kill you." Rachel and Wyatt looked at Kelly with a mixture of intrigue and disgust on their faces. "...i...i saw it on the news once," she whispered. Wyatt ran his hands through his hair and groaned as he walked away from the fence. Kelly scooted down, closer to Rachel and spoke to her through half finished bites. "Aren't you nervous to be here?" Kelly asked. "Extremely, and honestly the sooner we get this done and the faster we get out of here the better. I never wanted to be around horses again," Rachel said, looking back at Wyatt over her shoulder and sighing, "I just was trying to help him. Poor guy has enough to deal with without his own kid blackmailing him." "Blackmailing him over what?" Kelly asked, and as Rachel opened her mouth to answer, she quickly rethought this and decided against it, shrugging, shaking her head. "I don't know, he wouldn't tell me," she replied instead. Here she was, just getting her former best friend back, and already she was lying to her. God. Well, whatever helped keep them in the dark, she figured. They'd been lying to so many people for so long, what could one more really hurt? *** That evening, after dropping Kelly and Rachel off at their respective destinations - Kelly back at work so she could get her car and Rachel back at her apartment - Wyatt then picked up dinner on his way home. He couldn't believe the position he was being put in. Rachel had a point too, eventually Scarlett was likely to find out about the horse, and what would he say then? It wasn't like they couldn't afford it, they lived well, but still. Purchases of that nature are often ones a couple makes together, financially speaking. All throughout dinner, Wyatt couldn't think of anything else but the stupid pony he'd talked about buying earlier. Whenever Scarlett or Mona tried to speak to him, he didn't pay any attention. He was simply too far into his own head. He put everything away and cleaned up after dinner, just to get his mind off things for even a little bit. Scarlett eventually took a shower, while Wyatt put the kids to bed. While he was tucking Mona in, he sat on the side of the bed and lowered his voice. "...I think I found a pony," he said, "um, they're at a-" "You actually got me a pony?" Mona asked, sounding surprised, "...I just wanted to see if you would. I'd never actually tell mom what you did." Wyatt sat there, feeling like he was hit with a brick in the head. He started laughing uncontrollably and fell back onto Mona's bed, cackling. Mona started laughing as well, unsure of what else to do in the current situation. After he managed to gather his sense again, Wyatt sat back up and wiped his eyes free of tears, and shook his head. "...you're evil, kid," he said. "Sorry," Mona said, shrugging, "I just wanted to see how much you'd actually do for me." Wyatt smiled and reached out, touching his daughters head and petting her. "I'd do anything for you, you know that, apparently even buy a pony," Wyatt said, "whose name, for the record, is Sugarcube, is ready to be ridden any time. You say the word, and we'll go riding, yeah?" Wyatt finished putting Mona to bed and exited into the hallway, heading up to the bedroom when he heard a knock at the front door downstairs. He sighed and headed downstairs, pulled open the door, only to find Calvin standing there. Calvin wouldn't even look at him, he wouldn't move his eyes from his shoes, but instead he simply put his hand out and pushed something into Wyatt's hand. "...okay, first of all, what are you doing here at this time of night, and secondly, is this a key?" Wyatt asked, looking at what Calvin and handed him. He snapped his fingers in Calvin's face a few times, asking, "hey, anyone home? Calvin?" "...you need to see something," Calvin said, "call Celia and Rachel. Tomorrow meet me at the address on that key. You need to see something." "What's going on?" Wyatt asked, watching Calvin turn on his heel and briskly walk back to his car. As Calvin reached out for the door handle, pulling the door open and preparing to get in, Wyatt called after him, holding the key up in the air, waving it and asking, "Hey, what is this?" Calvin stopped and looked dead eyed at Wyatt, his limps trembling. "...it's Oliver Brighton's storage unit," Calvin said, "and trust me, you don't wanna see what's in it, but you need to." |
About
A group of former high school classmates reunite at their 10 year reunion, and discover they each want something different, many with someone else there. What ensues is a labyrinthian relationship amongst them involving crime, murder, romance and, in one particular case, terrorism. Archives
May 2024
Categories |