"Because there vill be, trouble?" Richard said, getting up.
To Kate's surprise even Eric got up. Riley sat next to her, shaking her head, water beat upon them as the screen was pulled up. The image of Riley and Kate falling off the cliff appeared in vivid detail when Sakura shoved the whole image down.
"No! You can't see." Sakura demanded.
"What is happening?" Kate demanded.
Riley squeezed Kate's hand.
"It is how I said. You are in… strange place. If d'you see. You get hurt, even die."
Kate tried to turn to Sakura but her tight hug had become a body lock. Kate could feel her against her spine. Sakura was so plush, Kate wondered if pillows would feel like bricks from then on.
"Ve make deal. Ve very different but ve all agree and I promise Tiff agree. D'you let Sakura talk, not long, but ve prove it. Tiff, even Jackie vill agree."
There was a void inside of Kate, a gap where emotion had flushed the wisdom out of her. Entire factory cities filled with refineries made by her past experiences were wiped off the map. Life experiences at risk of being turned to ruin by her want creating a sweet and sour that marinated in her gut. But she'd go with it.
-Active Ping Tiffany
"Deal. She's coming." Kate said to the others before focusing on her internal line. "Tiff, you on your way?"
"I'm ashamed you'd ask."
Kate could hear the stress in her breathing. Tiff was running!
Wow, talk about a claim!
Again, did they know it was Kate Simmons they were running to? What could they even get?
Riley sat up rather… strategically. Richard extended a hand, looking rather… innocent.
Kate wasn't an idiot, well… twice… in a row….
Kate took the hand and let herself be pulled. She eyed for Riley to make a move but Richard, manning up, took point. Strength shone through the prim beauty. He grabbed Kate by the waist and launched her onto her shoulder like a viking taking his plunder. She screamed and he carried her back into the mist. Was it a twin thing? Was it a wrestling thing? They had quite the range of ambushes. He didn't even grunt lifting her up, either his shoulder was poking her heart or she was feeling something.
Riley fed Kate the community pacifier and, in a minute, they were through the gelatine mist and plopped onto a ledge in a cave below the waterfall.
A group of twenty somethings sat grouped against a far wall. They had a pacifier of their own only theirs glowed with every pull.
Kate wanted to throw a fit, to complain. But what'd be the point? So she'd play dead and wait. It was always for the best. The twins pulled themselves out the water, pale Slavic muscle glistening like oiled marble. The light and the shadow of the cave gave them colour, painting them as lean and tall. They sat next her shoulder to shoulder. Saying nothing. Which was unfair, because saying nothing was her strategy.
"Are you planning sitting quietly until they're done with their little powwow?" Kate finally grumbled out.
Riley grunted.
"Kate." Richard began.
"D'you don't really know us and d'you, somehow, don't know. But it is like ve said before. D'you got no reason to trust, but if d'you learn wrong, d'you risk being hurt. If anyone tell, d'you risk."
"So." Riley began and offered a hand. "D'you don't have… to trust…that… vould be strange. But! D'you must believe that d'you might get hurt. Can trust that, yes?"
Kate said nothing, her gaze digging into the soaked hand offered to her. She took it. She wasn't sure what to believe, but for Riley, Rich, Sakura and Mr Mech to try to screw her over… murder her?
That did seem silly.
It wasn't impossible. That had been branded into her soul.
The chubby girl, an ever-green target, especially when it was the new chubby girl.
Weaknesses and vulnerabilities compounded. But logically there was a clear reason to go back in the water and swim away. But the very notion made her soul scowl. There was much gnashing of teeth. Her logic shouted down.
Okay, cried out parts of her brain. They could hurt you!
But other parts of her would not just accept the norm. But they could… not… hurt me? Key word being NOT.
Kate was doing a lot of thinking. How was she even getting away with it? Did it matter?!
Focus!
If they would do something. Something cruel, brutal, inhumane, mean…
Well…
They'd have to give her something to get a win of their own. Capitalism 101. Nothing, including cruelty, came for free. Hell, even the animal kingdom understood the concept of a lure. But everything they'd given had been real. Every touch, every kiss. Real things were the best lure. One just had to ask the worm.
As long as Kate understood the game, she could pull out in time. Unless there was no game. People could just be good… to the chubby new girl…
Yeah… no.
Kate squeezed Riley's hand and smiled.