"𝓓𝓲𝓭 𝓲𝓽 𝓱𝓾𝓻𝓽 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷, 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝓮?"

***

Things go wrong much quicker than you'd expect. It took an hour or two for Briar to lose her whole family. Her life changed completely in a short period. You could do a ton of things in an hour or two. You could clean your entire house. You could read and finish a short story. You could change your hair or clothing style. But you'd never expect that bad things could also happen during such a short time.

There was something in the air that night. It was the same night that Vi gave Powder the bunny stuffed animal. It barely even felt like an hour had passed. Vander had already gone to do something. He wouldn't say what. Mylo and Claggor had gathered some weapons to use on the enforcers if they were to strike. Powder was much more depressed. She could only lay in her bed, not saying or doing anything. Briar stuck by her side. Her friend was going through a hard time and she wouldn't leave her now.

Squabbling came from Claggor and Mylo about who could use what weapon. Briar didn't care too much about that. She doubted she would be doing any fighting if it came down to it. As she said before, she was a pacifist. Fighting was not something she enjoyed doing or something she wanted to do.

The sound of the door opening caught Briar's attention. There could be anyone walking in now. It could be Vander or Ekko or Benzo. Maybe even Vi. Or maybe, just maybe, it was an enforcer. Briar almost didn't want to look up. Powder had no problem with that. The girl was quick to raise her head and look in the direction of the door. Briar slowly did the same. It was Vi. She was racing down the steps. Everyone was looking over at her now.

"Vi?" Claggor was the first to break the silence.

"Where's the-"

That question was never finished. Powder cut the girl off, "Oh, you're back." She ran over to Vi and hugged her around the waist. Vi gasped at the action. Powder looked up with a bright smile, but it dropped when she saw the seriousness of Vi's expression.

It concerned Briar. She had never seen Vi look like this. Vi was on the verge of tears. Her breathing was shaky. There was something in her eyes that Briar could only describe as fear. Briar came over to Powder's side. She had a concerned expression on her face, "Vi? What's wrong?"

There was a moment of silence. Vi looked at Briar. Briar didn't know how to describe it. She just knew that something was wrong. The tears and fear were enough of a giveaway but she had a feeling it was a lot worse than she thought. Vi looked away from the redhead. She walked over to the weapons on the table and made a grab for Vander's gauntlets.

The action made Mylo grab her hand to stop her, "Hey," Vi turned her gaze to him. He was giving her a questioning look, "Those are Vander's. Slow down," He moved her hands away from the gauntlets. "What's going on?"

"Benzo's dead." Vi's head hung low.

Suddenly, everything stopped. The world stopped spinning. Briar felt like she stopped breathing for a moment, "What?" Her voice was low. She doubted anyone could actually hear her. She barely heard herself. In fact, she barely heard anything. She felt like she wasn't in her body. Benzo was dead? The man who took her in when she had nothing? Her father?

The only thing Briar could hear was Vi. "Whatever killed Benzo..." Briar turned to her with full attention. "Was like nothing I've ever seen," Vi's hand clenched into a fist. "It tore him apart."

"It..." Briar trailed off. It was like she was slowly trying to regain control of her mind. There was a stall. She didn't know what to say or do. It wasn't working right. "Benzo's dead?"

No response was given. Vi let out a sob. Claggor quickly came to her side. He rested his hand on her back to give her some form of comfort. Briar felt like her body was numb. She barely even felt Powder take her hand into hers. She did feel when Powder squeezed her hand tightly and then let go. She quickly turned her head. Powder was over by her stuff, getting it all together.

"Ekko followed them," Briar quickly whipped her head back to Vi. Ekko. What was he even doing? Where was he? How was he taking this news? A million thoughts raced in her head. She didn't know if she was going to get an answer to any of the questions she had. Vi was putting the gauntlets into her bag and put it on. She had a flare in her other hand. "The old cannery next to the docks. He said..." Vi stopped. She looked at Powder and then Briar. She sighed, "I need you to sit this one out, Powder. You too, Briar."

"What?" Powder questioned.

Vi walked over to Powder and shook her head, "You're not coming."

"I'm not afraid." Powder insisted.

"It's too dangerous." Vi was just as persistent.

For the first time in a while, Briar spoke up, "We're going." Her voice made Vi look at her.

It wasn't long until her attention was back on her sister. Powder continued to press, "Families stick together. You said it yourself."

The conversation seemed to fade out once more for Briar. She stared at Vi with a look of desperation. Briar was a pacifist so why did she feel like she wanted to hurt someone? She wanted to punch something. She wanted to scream and let her feelings be known. She felt like she was losing it somewhere in her mind. Briar tuned back in to see Vi had her hand on Powder's cheek. Powder had tears falling from her eyes. Briar couldn't let them leave without her, "You said whatever it was killed Benzo. I have to come with you, Vi. I need to."

"You can't," Vi was steadfast in her resolve. "Briar, I'm sorry but you have to stay here. Please."

"But..." Briar didn't finish her sentence.

A look was given to her by Vi. Briar knew it was pointless to try and reason with her anymore. Her hand squeezed into a fist as she forced herself to keep her mouth shut. With no more complaints from Briar, Vi turned back to Powder, "Here," She gave the flare she grabbed earlier to Powder. "If they come for you two, take this and run," Powder grabbed it but Vi's hand never left hers. "Wherever you are, light it up, and I'll find you. I promise." She placed a hand on the back of Powder's head. Vi's forehead touched the top of the younger girl's head and their eyes closed. It wasn't long until Vi had left with Mylo and Claggor, leaving both girls by themselves.

When Vi was gone, that was when Powder fell apart. Powder sat on her bunk with her suitcase, which had a few crystals and the bunny Vi gave her. Briar was still standing in the same place as when Vi left. She was lost in her thoughts. She felt this feeling before. This grief. She didn't miss it.

Wailing and sobbing came from Powder. The girl took apart the monkey alarm and threw it across the room. If it had been thrown an inch to the right, it would've hit Briar. Powder let out a loud scream before lowering her head. Briar turned to see Powder was hitting herself. It didn't take her long to jump into action, "Hey, Powder," She raced over and grabbed the girl's hands. Powder looked at her. "Don't," The mechanical monkey was banging its symbols together. Briar let go of Powder's arms. With her arms now free, the blue-haired girl threw them to her sides and let out a loud shriek. She placed her head in her hands right after. Powder glanced over at her suitcase and picked it up. She stood and held it over her head, preparing to throw it to the ground. Briar took a step to the side, not wanting to get hurt. Powder breathed heavily as she stared at the mechanical monkey on the floor. The monkey finally stopped. Powder fell to the floor and sobbed. The suitcase fell to the ground as well. The crystals rolled out of it. Briar stared at them and suddenly, remembered the job. How the crystal had somehow caused the explosion. Her eyes widened, "The crystals," She looked over at the girl. "Powder, the crystals!"

This was what broke Powder out of her hysteria. She looked up from her arms to stare at the crystals. They were crackling and sparking. She stopped crying and wiped her tears, "We can help them." She turned her gaze to Briar who stared at her with determination.

The girls had emptied the mechanical monkey and put it in Powder's bag, along with the crystals. They quickly made their way to the docks where Vi said they were going to be. Powder led the way. She climbed up the side of a wall with Briar below her. A board became loose, almost hitting Briar. She was able to move out of the way just in time. She stared up at Powder, "Be careful, I almost got hit."

"Sorry," Powder gave her a wince. "Let's keep going."

And they did. They continued forward and didn't let anything stop them. They were going to help save everyone, whether they wanted their help or not. As the two climbed, they could just barely see what was going on inside the building. If Briar squinted to look through the gaps in the boards, she could see Vi preparing to face off against a group of people. She couldn't see much else.

Eventually, they reached a ledge they could perch themselves on. There was a window that the two were able to look through. When Briar looked through it, she could see Vi fighting. The girl took down any person who came for her. What came after her next was truly terrifying. It was a monster of a man with purple veins. Briar found herself remembering Vi's words from earlier. She narrowed her eyes, "Is that the thing Vi was talking about earlier?"

It threw a man off the bridge which made Powder gasp. It started to slowly advance toward Vi. Vi ran and jumped into the air. She had the gauntlets on her hands raised. She was ready to take down the monster. That was until the monster grabbed her by the throat. Briar gasped. Powder leaned forward, "Vi."

There was no way Vi heard the girl. Vi was struggling to get away. Briar could hear Vander yelling at someone and a different man yelling back at him. She couldn't entirely hear what they were saying. She just knew that they were yelling. The monster threw Vi away. One of the gauntlets fell off. Powder gasped. Briar quickly turned to her, "We need to do it now, Powder."

"Right. Yeah." Powder got out her suitcase and opened it up.

The mechanical monkey was already close to being finished. They only needed to put the crystals in. Briar turned back to the scene inside. Vi was dragging herself across the floor to get away from the monster. She managed to make it into a different room and closed the door behind her. She was able to get away but for how long?

Briar bit her lip, "That thing's distracted. It shouldn't notice the bomb."

Popping off the monkey's head, Powder put two crystals inside it. She closed the monkey up and the monkey started to chitter. Briar got out another crystal and tied it around the monkey's neck. Powder looked inside through the window. The monster was throwing itself against the door that Vi closed on it. It let out a growl.

Another gasp came from Powder. She looked away, not being able to watch anymore. She stared the monkey bomb in its eyes, "You have to work. For me. Okay?" It chittered again. She touched her forehead against its head and closed her eyes. Briar's gaze flitted nervously from inside the building to the monkey bomb. She hoped that this worked. Everyone needed them.

The monkey was wound up and placed on the floor inside the building. Powder pushed down the top of its head. It started marching forward. Briar was able to see the girl's anxiety. She touched her hand, "Hey," Powder turned to her. "It's going to work."

"Thanks." Powder nodded.

Both girls turned away from the window. Powder covered her ears while Briar covered her head. They could only wait for the impact. A clanging was heard as the monkey bomb continued forward. There was a moment of what felt like deafening silence. Briar could feel Powder turning, most likely to see what was going on inside. Suddenly, the explosion went off. Briar could feel the blast against her back.

There was no way to hold on. Briar and Powder were both blown off the perch. Briar opened her eyes and saw the bright blue light surrounding them. She had to admit. It was pretty in a way. She didn't have much time to admire the beauty. She was met with the ground quickly. She let out a groan. It took her a moment but she managed to sit up. When she turned, Powder was there. Powder stood above her and held out her hand.

Briar took it, "Thanks."

The other girl helped her to her feet. There wasn't an acknowledgment of the thanks. Powder was bouncing on her feet as she smiled, "Let's go! We need to find Vi and the others," Briar knew why she was so happy. The monkey bomb had worked. Briar couldn't help but smile as well. The two ran off to go find the others. They raced inside the building. There was fire everywhere. Vi was the first person they saw. She had her back to them. She was holding onto her arm and her head was hung low. Powder was the first to speak, "Vi, it worked."

The blinding joy from Powder and the relief that Briar felt blinded her from how everything actually was. She thought they did a good thing. She thought everything would be fine now. She barely even noticed the look on Vi's face as she finally turned to them, "What?"

"Did you see me?" Powder had a bright smile on her face. She walked further into the building. The bunny was hugged to her chest tightly. "My monkey bomb finally worked."

"We helped save everyone," Briar stated. She also had a grin on her face.

The grin quickly fell when she finally realized how Vi was looking at them. Vi had tears in her eyes. She didn't look happy. She looked devastated, "You did this? Both of you?" Powder looked down and was shocked by what she saw. Briar gave her a confused look before doing the same. Vander's body lay on the ground, unmoving. He had purple veins. The only thing Briar was concerned about was the fact that the man was completely still. Vi turned her gaze to the ground, "Why?" She looked back at the girls. "Why did you do this?"

Tears fell from Powder's eyes, "We... I didn't..." She sniffled. "We were saving you."

Something caught Briar's eyes. She looked over to see goggles lying on the ground. She knew exactly whose goggles they were. There was blood splattered onto them. Her eyes widened. She shook her head, "We didn't know this would happen," She turned her gaze to Vi. There was a pleading look in her eyes as she implored, "Vi, we swear."

The goggles were noticed by Powder as well, "We only wanted to help," She started to sob. "I only wanted to help. I only wanted to help," Powder looked at her sister beggingly, "I only wanted to-"

"I told you both to stay away." Vi cut her off.

"Vi..." Briar still tried to reason with her.

The look on Powder's face was heartwrenching, "Please. Please. Please-"

"I told you to stay away!" Vi did something that none of them were expecting.

Her fist met Powder's face. The younger girl let out a yell as she fell to the ground. Briar's mouth dropped open, "Powder!"

There was so much confusion and hurt swirling inside Powder. She looked up at her sister as she held her face, "No," Briar was quick to bend down beside the girl. She threw her arms around her in an attempt to offer the girl some kind of comfort. "Why did you leave me?"

No hesitation from Vi. She reached forward and grabbed Powder's face. She basically pushed Briar to the side to get to her. Briar watched as Vi squished Powder's cheeks in her one hand. She was bent down in front of the girl. Her face was inches away from Powder's, "Because you're a jinx. Do you hear me? Mylo was right."

"Vi, please!" Briar exclaimed. "Stop!"

"And you!" Vi whirled around to Briar. She still had a tight grip on Powder's face. Briar could only see anger in Vi's expression. It terrified her. Briar couldn't help the flinch. Vi didn't seem to care, "You're an annoyance. A thorn in everyone's side."

A pit grew in the bottom of Briar's stomach. She could only stare at Vi in shock, "But, I... Vi." Tears started filling her eyes. It's true that she and Vi weren't as close as she was with others. Briar still looked up to the girl in a way. She wanted to be a lot like her when she got older. To hear her now saying the one thing she hated was... She didn't even know.

The crying from Powder only got louder, "No. No. No. No. Violet, please," Blood poured from Powder's nose. This seemed to knock Vi back to her senses. She let her go. Powder sobbed. Vi stared at her hand and gasped. There was a moment where everything was silent. Vi eventually looked back at Powder. "Violet, please." Powder shook her head as she wailed.

It wasn't long before Vi started crying herself. Briar could see the anger and sadness in her eyes. Vi stood and walked past Powder. Powder believed she was about to be hit again. She guarded her face. When nothing came, she looked to see Vi walking away. Powder got on her hands and knees and watched as her sister walked away from her.

"Vi, where are you going?" Briar was the first to speak.

There was no response. Powder called out for the girl, "Vi! Vi, come back! Please come back!" She reached her hand out. Vi only got farther and farther away. "Please, Violet. I need you. Please," Vi was now completely out of sight. Powder stayed on the ground, crying her heart out, "Violet... Violet. Please." She lowered her head as she sobbed.

Sobbing was the only thing Briar could do as well. Everything finally caught up to her. Benzo was dead. Her friends were dead. She helped to kill them. Vi left them. She was alone. She only had Powder left. But, no, she had Ekko. Right? She still had Ekko? But where even was he? She needed to find him. No, she couldn't. She... She killed her friends. What if she killed him? How could she live with that? She couldn't... She couldn't hurt him. She couldn't... She cried even harder.

She barely even noticed the man who was approaching the two of them. She heard his voice before she saw him, "Hello, little girls," Powder didn't look up. Briar barely acknowledged him. His next question was aimed at Powder, "Where's your sister?"

That was when Powder looked up. She stared at the man in front of her as she sobbed more. She suddenly reached forward and tackled him to the ground. Her arms were around his waist. the force of her jumping into him made him fall onto his backside. It wasn't long until Briar had joined in on the hug. She wanted comfort and she would take it from anyone.

"She left us," Powder replied. She buried her face into his stomach, "She is not my sister anymore."

"We only wanted to help," Briar cried. "Why couldn't she see that?"

Arms could be felt wrapping around both girls. Briar felt the man's head lower toward them. He whispered in a low tone so that they could hear him clearly, "It's okay. We'll show them. We will show them all."