"𝓔𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓰. 𝓣𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝓮 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰. 𝓐𝓵𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓘 𝓫𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓷𝓮. 𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽'𝓼 𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓭? 𝓓𝓸 𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓪 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀? 𝓘𝓽 𝓫𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓼 𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓼𝓴𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓼𝓪𝓲𝓭."

***

The first thing Thorn saw when she woke was black. Nothing else. She blinked a few times, trying to see if her eyes were playing tricks on her—still nothing. No matter where she turned, all she saw was darkness. She tried to move her hands but found that she couldn't. She felt something scratchy on her wrists and face. That's when she realized. Her wrists were tied with rope. What was on her head? She had no clue. Okay, Thorn needed to retrace her steps. There's no way she just ended up in this position and forgot.

Nothing was coming to mind. "What the fuck happened?" She asked herself out loud. Her voice was scratchy. Thorn tried to remember what happened and why she ended up like this. That's when it hit her: the roof, the flare, Jinx, Vi, the Firelights. A Firelight must've knocked her out. They took her. What about the others? Were they there too? No one responded to her question so maybe she was alone. Or maybe she was in a different room than them. A thought flickered across her mind. Maybe it was the enforcer. Caitlyn. Whatever was on Thorn's head was ripped off. She jumped at the sudden action. She blinked a few times, trying to adjust her eyes to the light. When her vision cleared up, she looked to see who was in front of her. Her eyes widened, "Ekko..." She almost couldn't believe it.

The little boy she once knew was no longer little. He towered over her. His hair had grown out and was styled into dreads. He had an hourglass shape drawn with white paint over his nose and part of his forehead. He wore multiple layers of clothing. It had been years since Thorn last saw him. She didn't know what to think or say. Thankfully, he took care of it for her, "Thorn."

The lack of warmth was noticeable to Thorn. He was speaking to her like she was the enemy. What was he even doing here? He wasn't tied up so he wasn't taken. The Firelights had taken her... Was he? Thorn tried to push the realization away, "What? Not gonna call me Bri anymore." She tried to joke with him. Her mind was racing. Ekko was part of the Firelights. Why did Silco never tell her? How many times had she tried to kill him and never knew?

"That name was my sister's," Ekko stated.

"And I'm not your sister?"

"We both know you aren't anymore."

Silence fell between the two. It hurt to hear. Thorn knew she deserved it. She should've expected things to go like this. There was no way they could be like Vi and Jinx who had a heartfelt reunion after being separated for so long. Sure, it didn't exactly end well but it started nicely. This reunion was anything but nice. Thorn had to force herself to say more, "Why am I here?"

His eyes practically burned holes into her own, "That's none of your business."

The response made Thorn raise an eyebrow at him, "You kidnapped me. I think it's my business. Why?" There was silence. Something quickly changed. Thorn could tell. There was a flash of something across Ekko's face. He turned away from her. Thorn narrowed her eyes at him. There wasn't a dangerous glint in her eyes like when she did the same to Chuck at the bar. This was more of a mother trying to find out what their child was hiding. She eventually found her answer. She nodded to herself, a smile breaking out on her face, "You just wanted to see your sister again, huh?"

"You are not my sister!" The question clearly hit a nerve in Ekko.

Hiding a wince, Thorn gave him a look of confusion, "Why not?" She knew why. She wasn't stupid. She wished she was. She wished she had never been in this situation. All she could think about was that Ekko was part of the Firelights. The ones that Thorn and Jinx had killed multiple. How many times had she been close to killing him? How many times had she stared her brother in the face and not known it was him?

"Benzo died and you left!" And there it was. Exactly what Thorn was expecting to hear. She knew that Ekko would be upset about that. She had done the same thing Vi did. She talked about resenting Vi for leaving her and Jinx but did the same to her brother. What moral high ground did she have? Seriously, the audacity of her. "You joined Silco of all people! He was the one who killed him, you know that."

"Silco was there when I had no one." Thorn tried to defend the man.

"You had me!" Ekko shouted.

Silence. Once again, he was right. Thorn did have him. But she couldn't need him. She couldn't allow herself to still have him. Still, Thorn felt a pang of guilt in her heart. She stared at him with a look of shame and regret, "For what it's worth, I am sorry." More than words could ever express.

"Don't," Ekko shook his head. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" Thorn asked.

"Act like you care. You don't," Ekko's words made Thorn freeze. Did he really think that? Well, of course he would. She left him. What else was he supposed to think? Thorn knew it was the right thing to leave him and now she was surprised about the consequences. It was almost laughable. "Maybe you used to but you stopped caring when you joined the person who killed Benzo. He was our father, Thorn," She knew it. She knew it more than he knew. Benzo wasn't her biological father but he was the closest thing she had to one when she lost her father. "He took us in when we had no one, and this is how you repay him?"

Almost like she was trying to salvage whatever was left of her dignity, Thorn snapped, "It's not like he's here to express how disappointed he must be." He wasn't there but she could still see it in her head. She could see him giving her that disappointed look he had when she did something she wasn't supposed to. The look that always broke her little heart as a kid. The minute she would see it, she would apologize over and over until he told her he forgave her. She didn't want to think about what he would think of her now.

"And whose fault was that?" That was like the final nail in her coffin.

There was silence again. With each minute that passed, Thorn felt like she was drowning. Neither of them said anything but the words were still there. They were the words unsaid, words that fought to be heard but wouldn't be spoken. They didn't need to be spoken to be understood. Thorn dragged herself out of the mountain of suppressed words to ask, "Are you not gonna ask?"

This was the first time that Ekko had looked at her in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"About why I left," Thorn was looking him in the eyes. She could tell it made him uncomfortable. It made her uncomfortable. This whole thing was unsettling. She pushed past the feelings. "You don't wanna know?" Ekko said nothing. That was enough of an answer for Thorn. She didn't want to leave him without answers. That was enough to kill anyone. "I left because you were better off. I helped kill our friends. Benzo was dead too. Everyone around me was dying or leaving and I didn't want that to be you. It was better for you to grieve me than to know me."

A fist met the wall beside her head. Thorn didn't dare look over at it. She was only focused on Ekko. Ekko's eyes were glaring at her again with much more anger than before, "Stop talking. I don't want to hear any more of your bullshit." What god out there hated her? How could her life end up like this?

The questions were put to the side. Thorn heard something. It was the sound of footsteps. She wasn't able to look away from Ekko to see who it was. She could only hear the person call out, "Ekko! Back off," The voice was familiar. Thorn was only able to see who it was when they pulled Ekko away from her. It was Vi. Thorn looked at the girl with surprise. Vi looked between Ekko and Thorn before settling her gaze on Ekko, "Just let her go."

"Let her go?" Ekko wasn't pleased about the command. "Vi, she's dangerous! She killed people! Good people! She's not Briar anymore, just like Jinx will never be Powder." At least he understood that. The whole time during Vi's reunion with the two girls, she had only called them by their previous names. Though, for some reason, deep inside Thorn, she wanted him to see her as Briar still. It was something she didn't understand.

"We can bring them back," Vi told him. "I know it."

"Yeah, uh..." Thorn spoke back up. Vi and Ekko turned to her. "I'm right here still," Vi grabbed Ekko's arm and pulled him off to the side. They talked for a moment. Vi seemed persistent while Ekko was unhappy with whatever she was saying. Either way, the conversation ended with Ekko letting Thorn go. Only for a moment. Her hands were tied together again when she was untied from a pole behind her. A piece of rope was connected to her tied hands and that rope rested in Vi's hand. It was like she was being led around on a leash. The only upside was that she got to stretch her legs. Vi and Ekko led her outside of the room they were in. It was beautiful. There was a large tree in the middle of the area. Plants grew and flourished everywhere. Thorn's eyes landed on something. A mural painted on a wall. The mural had paintings of everyone. Vander, Mylo, Claggor, Vi, Powder, Benzo, Briar. There were other people too but Thorn didn't recognize them. Looking at Benzo hurt Thorn too much. She forced herself to look away from him. Her eyes found Briar who adorned a bright smile. She tilted her head slightly, "I looked a lot happier back then."

"That's not you anymore." Ekko reminded her.

"Funny," She started. "I was thinking the same thing."

The group had moved to one particular person. Upon seeing them, Thorn's face turned into one of anger. She glared at the person. It was the enforcer. Caitlyn. Thorn was able to see her better now that it was daylight. She had dark blue hair tied back. She was tall. Her light blue eyes looked around in awe, "It's beautiful." The sound of her voice made Thorn want to carve out the girl's vocal chords.

Thankfully, Thorn wasn't the only one who seemed to dislike the girl. From the corner of her eye, she could see the look of disdain Ekko was giving the enforcer. He had his arms crossed as he watched her from a distance, "If you people had your way, it'd be rubble and ash." Thorn couldn't agree more. Everything Zaun had going for them would be ruined in seconds if Piltover knew they (Zaunites) were enjoying it.

On the other hand, Caitlyn didn't agree. She shook her head, "It's a misunderstanding," She looked distraught by the confidence in Ekko's words. Thorn narrowed her eyes at the enforcer. "They think you work for Silco."

It was almost laughable to Thorn, "You act like they wouldn't do it either way."

Before the enforcer could say anything, Ekko spoke, "As much as I hate to admit it, Thorn's right," Of course she's right. Why wouldn't she be? If there was one thing Thorn knew well, it was how much topside despised the undercity. They didn't need a reason to destroy them. If they were having a bad day, they could make things hell for everyone below them. Ekko walked over to Caitlyn, "Your people hunt us like animals," Ekko's face got into the enforcer's, "Silco pays them to do it."

And that was something Thorn could attest to. She had been present during quite a few meetings between Silco and the sheriff. Despite this, Caitlyn refused to believe this. The look of disbelief on her face was annoying to Thorn. "That's not possible. You're wrong." There was a sureness in her tone. She actually thought she knew what she was talking about. An inaudible chuckle came from Thorn.

"Say that one more time." Ekko gritted his teeth.

There was part of Thorn that hoped to see a fight break out between them. This hope was ruined when Vi stepped over to them, "Ekko," Vi pulled Ekko away from the girl. Thorn sighed and rolled her eyes. When did Vi turn into such a buzzkill? Seriously. She could've at least let Ekko throw the first punch. "She believes what she's saying, okay?"

"Blissful ignorance," Thorn mused. Vi turned to her. "A person's best weapon."

"Briar, stop," Vi said.

"That's not my name anymore." Thorn corrected her.

This correction was ignored by Vi. She had already turned back to Ekko, "She's not your enemy."

A laugh came from Thorn. She made no attempt to try and hide it. She wanted them to know how ridiculous she thought the statement was. Ekko was on the same page. He let out a scoff, "Oh, yeah? Then what's this?" He held up something. Thorn's eyes immediately stuck onto the object. It was the Hextech crystal. He must've grabbed it when he and the other Firelights kidnapped them. She needed to get them back whenever she escaped. She and Jinx worked too hard to let it go so easily.

"You got it," Caitlyn spoke with a soft voice. She was relieved. "You have to let me take that back." The girl leaned forward. Ekko was quick to pull it away from her. A smirk appeared on Thorn's face. She taught him well, whether he would admit it or not. Never trust a topsider. Lesson number one.

The action made Caitlyn sigh. Vi was confused, "What is it?"

"It's a Gemstone," Caitlyn glanced at Vi, "It was stolen during the attack. By your sister and her girlfriend."

The statement confused Thorn, "Me and Jinx aren't... dating." They weren't even paying attention to her. She might as well have been a ghost. What about Jinx and Thorn made the enforcer think they were dating? They'd literally just met the enforcer that day.

"You just forgot to mention that?" Vi was taken aback by what Caitlyn said.

There was something deeper between the two. Thorn could feel it. It made her even more angry. Who was this girl to take Vi away from Jinx? From Thorn? What's next? Would she take Ekko too? What was her end goal? Caitlyn looked down, "With this, someone with the right knowledge could build..." Ekko brought the crystal back up to look at it. "Any Hextech device," Which was exacty what Jinx was doing. Building a Hextech weapon for Silco. Thorn kept that to herself. She was in enemy territory. Wouldn't be smart to start listing off Silco's plans. Caitlyn looked at Ekko, "If enforcers are becoming more... aggressive, that's why."

Jeez, how disconnected was this girl. Thorn let out a scoff, "Sure, that's the only reason."

"It is!" Caitlyn exclaimed. "The Gemstone is dangerous."

"We could beat Silco with this." Ekko had a different idea.

This made Caitlyn shake her head, "That won't solve things."

Of course it would? Thorn would do the same thing if she were on their side. Only an idiot would waste the opportunity to have the upper hand. Ekko told Caitlyn similarly, "Easy for you to say," He leaned toward the enforcer. "Your people aren't dying all around you." Upon saying this, Ekko's eyes glanced over at Thorn. She shifted. She knew he was blaming her. He was right to. Ekko turned away from Caitlyn.

The girl wasn't ready to let it go. She leaned forward, "Ekko, it's wrong what's been done to you," Ekko glanced at her. Thorn wanted to roll her eyes. Here comes the overwhelming empathy. It was obviously a ploy to get them to trust her. She would stab them in the back sooner or later. She wasn't buying Caitlyn's spiel one bit. "You'd be well within your rights to keep it. I couldn't blame you. But..." Ekko looked away. "If you do, this cycle of violence will never stop," He glanced back over at Caitlyn. "This is our best shot at setting the record straight. This city needs healing. More than I ever realized. Please, let me help you."

Everything in Thorn wanted to yell to not trust her. She kept her mouth shut. She had a feeling that no one would listen to her anyone. Besides, sometimes the best way to learn is the hard way. Ekko would have to learn the hard way as he seemed to be on board with the girl's plan, "You got a plan?"

"I have a friend on the council," That wasn't a surprise. Someone from Piltover having connections to higher-ups. Thorn felt like she was reading a children's book. "Let me take the Gemstone to him," Ekko looked away in thought. "He'll listen to me. Your people wouldn't have to hide anymore."

How stupid could she be? Thorn gritted her teeth, "They would have plenty of reasons to hide still," They all turned to look over at her. She could feel her nails digging into her hands. Everything this girl was saying was pissing her off. She had no idea what she was talking about. She believed that she could solve everything with her connections and the power of friendship? Please. It was hilarious. Thorn looked Caitlyn in the eyes, "Starting with the enforcers."

Once again, the enforcer shook her head, "I told you. The Gemstone is what is making them more aggressive." Why did she keep talking? Nothing she said was true. What kind of stuff did they tell the people in topside? It had to be a watered-down version of the truth. She would go as far as to say that it was all a lie.

"They were aggressive before the Gemstone," Thorn stated. "While you were living blissfully in your little palace topside, they were down here causing problems for everyone else."

"Briar!" Vi called out.

No. She wouldn't let her defend this girl, "Come on, Vi," Thorn turned her gaze to the girl. Vi looked frustrated from all the fighting. "You know it too. The attack on the bridge tells us everything we need to know."

"That was because of the uprising." She had the audacity to try and defend everything.

There was no holding back anymore. Thorn let all of the bite she had in her come out, "Yes, the uprising that only started because topside couldn't deal with the fact that we didn't want to be under their foot anymore. The enforcers came and they didn't care who they hurt or killed in the process. Vi and Jinx lost their parents," The words made Vi bite her lip as she looked away. "I lost my parents. I lost my little brother who didn't even do anything wrong. Besides being born in the undercity of course. That was the enforcers. Are you telling me that the Gemstone made them do that?"

The images of their bodies were still fresh in Thorn's mind. She could see them in detail when she closed her eyes. She had nightmares about the state of everything that day. Thorn would be plagued by the night for the rest of her life and this girl had the gall to say that they deserved what happened? Caitlyn didn't know what to say, "I... I don't..." She knew she wasn't going to get anywhere with Thorn. She turned her attention back to Ekko, "I mean what I said. My friend can help us. We can change things for the better."

"Unbelievable." Thorn scoffed.

Ekko held up the crystal again, "One condition," He closed the crystal in his fist. He turned fully toward Caitlyn, "I'm the one who gives it to them." Everyone was going insane. That had to be it.

The group went on their way through the sewer. Ekko didn't like the idea of Thorn knowing where their hideout was so he put a blindfold on her. She barely knew where she was going. The only way she knew she was going the right way was the tugging of the leash in Vi's hands. She could hear their footsteps and the sound of water dropping to the ground. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary for the sewer. There was one sound that caught her attention. Fluttering.

"What are they?" She heard Caitlyn ask.

"We call them firelights," Vi responded. The tugging stopped which made Thorn stop as well. She let out a breath of annoyance. She couldn't believe she had to deal with all of this. "Never seen so many though."

"If only I could see them too." Thorn sarcastically said.

"You're keeping that on until we're out," Ekko stated. She rolled her eyes under the blindfold. The hardest part of the journey was climbing. Thorn had to climb with her hands tied together and with a blindfold on. She was surprised when she was actually able to make it to... wherever they ended up. Thorn felt someone walk around her and she froze. The blindfold fell off. She blinked a few times and took in her surroundings. They were on the bridge between Zaun and Piltover. They were walking forward when Vi suddenly stopped. The action made the others stop. "Vi?"

"I can't leave her again," Vi said.

No name needed to be said for Ekko to know who she was talking about, "You can't change her."

"I have to try."

Both Ekko and Thorn scoffed. They knew how ridiculous the idea was. Ekko walked toward the pink-haired girl, "Don't get yourself killed."

A chuckle came from Vi as she hugged Ekko, "No promises," Vi glanced at Caitlyn. Ekko let go and Caitlyn took his place. She wrapped her arms around Vi. Caitlyn had her eyes closed. If they were open, she would see Thorn glaring at her from over Vi's shoulder. "It's been real, Cupcake. Thanks. For everything," The two hugged even tighter before they let go. Vi caressed her face for a moment. Jeez, what a sap. Vi then turned to Thorn, "Come on, Briar." Seriously? Still couldn't get the name right?

"You're bringing her?" Ekko was against the idea.

"She should go to Piltover to pay for her crimes," Caitlyn stated. Thorn doubted she would be in jail for long. Silco would some strings and she would be out of there. She knew it. She was too valuable to lose and he cared about her. Still, the idea of being in jail made her uneasy. You'd think she would be more calm since she did commit her crimes knowing the possibility of what would happen.

"She can help me bring Powder back," Vi insisted. "Please."

There was one thing Thorn hated about what she said, "You act like there's something wrong with who she is now." Thorn mumbled it to herself so only she could hear. Jinx was still Vi's sister. She might not act the same but the bond was still there. Why couldn't Vi just accept that Powder was gone and Jinx was here to stay?

The situation ended with Ekko finally relenting. Vi didn't untie Thorn. She led her across the bridge toward Zaun by the leash. Thorn was starting to get tired of being led around like a dog. They didn't get too far. The sound of a gunshot made Vi stop. She turned and ran in the direction of the gunfire, calling out for the enforcer. Thorn was alone. Flashes of the first night Vi left overwhelmed her.

Shaking her head, Thorn's nails dug into her hands, "And here I thought you weren't going to be abandoning us anymore. For an enforcer at that," Out of all the people Vi could leave them for, it was an enforcer. Why? Did she suddenly forget all the things that they'd done to them? Thorn was brought out of her thoughts when firelights filled the air. Not even a moment later, they all exploded. A smile took over her features, "Now that has to be Jinx."

A voice sounded behind her, "Right you are, sweetheart."

The redhead recognized it in an instant. She turned to Jinx with a wide smile, "Jinx!" Jinx didn't have her usual smirk. She looked serious. Thorn passed it off as the girl thinking. Jinx came over to her and freed Thorn from her bindings. Thorn let out a sigh of relief and rubbed at her sore wrists, "I'm glad to see you." She hugged Jinx.

There was no returning of the hug. Thorn's brow furrowed. She pulled away and looked at Jinx in confusion. Jinx still looked serious. Before Thorn could ask what was wrong, Jinx spoke, "You left," What? What was she talking about? "You said that no matter what happened, you wouldn't leave and you did."

"I was taken, remember?" Thorn reminded her. Sometimes Jinx could get a little mixed up, this was one of those moments surely. Jinx looked dejected and hurt. It killed Thorn to see her like this. Thorn placed her hands on Jinx's face, making the girl look at her. Thorn stared at her with a soft expression, "I would never leave you."

There was still hesitation to believe from Jinx, "You were walking with them! You didn't seem to have many complaints." If only she had heard Thorn on the way through the sewers. She complained a lot when she hit the corner of a wall or stubbed her toe on something on the ground.

"They were the ones who took me," Thorn told her. "Jinx... I am not leaving you. Nothing is going to change that." Thorn would rather go through hell than to leave Jinx. Everyone who knew her knew that. It's been like that since they were kids. Everyone had their person in life. Jinx was hers.

A moment of silence passed over them. Thorn didn't push Jinx. She let the girl come to her. And she did. She hugged Thorn to her tightly, "You better not. I'll kill you." Despite the threat aimed at her, Thorn smiled. She hugged the girl back just as tightly. She was glad to be with the girl again. Thorn was in unfamiliar territory for so long, it felt nice to be back with something so known to her.

Eventually, Jinx did let go of the girl. She made sure though to keep a firm grip on Thorn's hand. Jinx led her to the chaos that she caused. Smoke was still in the air. It was hard to see everything cleary. Thorn could tell that a great amount of destruction was caused by the bombs. Debris and bodies lay everywhere on the ground. Jinx nudged a helmet on the ground as she walked through the smoke with Thorn behind her.

"You really did a number on this place," Thorn said.

"Thanks for the compliment, toots." Jinx then aimed her gun at an enforcer and shot.

The two continued forward. Jinx noticed a container on the ground and picked it up. Thorn didn't have to tell her the crystal was inside. She had a feeling that Jinx knew. Jinx slung the strap over her shoulder and suddenly gasped when she looked forward. Thorn turned her gaze to see what she was looking at. It was Vi and Caitlyn. Vi was helping Caitlyn stand and was staring at the two girls in surprise. Jinx scoffed as she raised her gun and fired.

She didn't aim at the girls directly. She shot at the ground, leading up between the two. They were forced to separate so as to not get shot. From between them, Ekko flew through on his Z-drive. Thorn's gaze moved from him to Jinx. She couldn't do anything because her weapons were taken by Ekko when he and the Firelights took her. Jinx was the only one who could fight. She shot at Ekko but he managed to hit the gun out of her hands. Thorn was quick to stumble out of the way.

The Z-drive turned around and started coming at Jinx again. Jinx shot but Ekko still dodged. He used the bottom of his Z-drive to avoid getting shot. Suddenly, he was in the air, off the Z-drive. He looked like he was about to strike Jinx down. He only took the container off the girl as she moved to cover herself. He slid across the ground and then stood. He turned to Caitlyn and Vi, throwing the crystal container to the enforcer, "Go!" With that, Vi and Caitlyn left.

Jinx walked toward Ekko with her eyes on the ground. She looked up at him through her eyelashes. She stopped by Thorn's side and scoffed before laughing, "Oh, look who it is. The boy savior," She panted. Ekko looked down at the ground for a moment before chuckling. He looked back up. A watch falls from his fingers. It swings back and forth continuously. Thorn stared in interest. Jinx was amused as well. She shook her head with a laugh, raising and cocking her gun. A bullet casing falls out. She aimed the gun down at the ground and messed with a knob on the side. She smiled, "Hah. Thorn," Thorn looked over at her. "This is between me and him."

It was clear what Jinx was telling her. Stay out of the way. Thorn moved back quite a bit as she watched to see what would happen. Both Jinx and Ekko remained where they were. Jinx took a step back, moving her right foot behind her left. Once more, she let out a laugh. Ekko brought the watch back up and ran at Jinx. Jinx raised her gun and fired. He dodged and got low to the ground as he continued his way forward.

Once again, Jinx fired. Ekko leaped into the air over the bullets. Jinx shot more but he dodged those as well. Jumping into the air again, he raised his club over his head, ready to bring it down on her. Jinx kept her gun trained on him. She didn't make a move to shoot. Thorn bit her lip. Ekko hit Jinx, making the girl fall to the ground. Jinx turned to aim her gun at him again but he hit her arm away.

"Jinx!" Thorn couldn't help but shout. She continued to stand where she was.

The blue-haired girl was forced onto the ground by Ekko. He pulled his arm back and punched her. Jinx tried to push the club off her but Ekko forced it back down onto her throat. Jinx struggled as Ekko pushed her back. Jinx tried to reach for him and Ekko reeled his fist back. Thorn was waiting for him to strike. He didn't. He stopped.

"No." Jinx shook her head.

There was no way Thorn could stand there anymore. Her eyes caught Jinx's discarded gun. She ran over and picked it up before running to the two. Thorn aimed the gun at Ekko's head, "Ekko, don't do it," Ekko said nothing. Thorn kept her gun trained on him. Her hand was shaking, the gun trembling along with it. If he was anyone else, he'd already be dead. This was Ekko. Ekko. Her little brother. She couldn't shoot him. She couldn't- Movement caught Thorn's eye. She saw Jinx's hand fall to the ground. A bomb sat inside it. "Jinx, no. Wait!"

It was too late. Jinx already pulled the pin. The bomb fell from her hand and to the ground. Thorn let out a grunt as she felt Jinx's foot make contact with her legs. She was trying to push her away from the line of fire. Ekko looked over at the bomb and gasped, jumping up. Thorn was pushed a little bit away but not too far. She tried to stand up to go back to Jinx but it was useless. The bomb went off.