Young Writers Society

His brow furrowed, "What do you mean? You think she was killed?"

They were conspiracy theorists. Megara had hung out with them, though, and Les had to admit he was curious. Someone as young as Megara didn't just die, but hadn't there been a rumor that one of the Ringly daughters was sick? Though he guessed her friends would know if she died unnaturally.

"We're not sure," Runi hurriedly added. "Megara is-wasn't that old, and she was fine when we both saw her. And her family-"

"Her family has secrets," Jason said. He wasn't sure if it was wise to bring up what her family did for a living. They could leave this world and reality; Les couldn't. The less he knew, the better. "She had trouble with them before - she might have gotten in trouble with them again, especially with Eddie-"

His voice broke.

Focusing on Megara's death made it easier to handle losing Eddie, too. Eddie had been so young. Megara had been, too, but Eddie never asked for this.

"We could be wrong," Runi said. "I-I hope we're wrong. But I don't want to...to fail Megara again. She doesn't deserve that."

Jason sent her a worried, questioning look, but Runi didn't say anymore.

Les almost started crying himself, less from his own emotions than the sheer amount of emotion on the man's face and in his voice. Les had lost a sister he'd never gotten to meet, this man had lost someone far more important.

"...Who was Eddie?" he asked, then, suddenly, "Wait, were you and Meg..." he gestured vaguely.

Jason was quick to shake his head in denial, while Runi continued to awkwardly stand next to him in silence. "Eddie was a boy she was taking care of," Jason clarified. "And we...we weren't..."

He glanced over at Runi.

"...We were almost a thing," Runi admitted. Her gaze fell to the ground. "But we...we never made it official. I-I think she would have want to be if I had asked..."

Les nodded sadly. To him, this was more a reminder that she was a person. She had been real to these people, more than an idea like she was to Les.

"Why...why was she taking care of...Eddie?" he asked, focusing on that. Was he her kid? Had he been an uncle and no known it?

"I don't know," Jason softly admitted. He went to turn to Runi for help, but she hadn't even known Eddie existed - how could she help him come up with an answer now? "She was with Eddie when we first met. I...I don't know if she saw him as a son or as a brother, but..."

He paused and tried to recompose himself.

"...He meant a lot to her," he said.

A thought suddenly came to him.

Standing a little straighter, he glanced between Runi and Les. "Maybe that was why she was killed," he guessed. "Something could have happened to Eddie, so she..."

Les furrowed his brow, "So she what?" Suddenly his eyes went wide, "You don't think she..."

He didn't want to think about it. The idea that his sister had taken her own life so soon before he would get to meet her. Maybe he could have helped. If he'd have been there sooner maybe she would still be alive. Maybe...

Jason gave a slow nod.

"I think so," he quietly confirmed. He had been sure that she was against violence as a means of revenge, but maybe that had just been for Eddie to believe. Kids weren't supposed to be plotting revenge or demanding death. But it still felt tragic when Jason lingered too long on the thought of it.

"She...She didn't strike me as the type," Runi quietly muttered. "But I didn't know her for long..."

Les stood stunned before them. He couldn't believe it. The child of his gentle mother and father doing something like...something so horrible to herself. It was unthinkable. So far out of the realm of consideration that to even think it felt blasphemous.

"Do you," he paused to fight back the tears he hadn't realized he was holding back until they almost spilled from his eyes, "Do you think we should look for clues of some kind? Figure out if she really did..." His voice broke, and he shook his head, "Where did she live? Where is she...where is she buried? Maybe the Ringly's will let us see her room, just to...get some closure, you know?"

Jason and Runi exchanged another look. They were doing that a lot, but Runi didn't really mind. Part of her wished they had met before all of this - she was sure they would have become friends then, too, even when they didn't have Megara's death to unify them.

"She had a hideout," Jason said. "I...I can show you where it is. R-Darian and I were there earlier. The only clue we found was a note about this festival. But maybe if we go back, we could find something that we missed earlier."

"Her grave doesn't say anything about how she died," Runi softly said. She glanced around at the bustling crowd; she wished she could have gone here with Megara. "...Do you think her family would let us into their home if we say we want closure?"

Jason shook his head. "They wouldn't. But one of us might be able to sneak in..."

"I'll do it," Runi offered. "If you're right, there's might be something there."

Jason shook his head again. "I should do it," he protested. "I've been there before - I know the way around-"

"It's better if you go back to the hideout with Les," she argued. "I don't know if I'd be able to find my way back."

Les's brow furrowed in confusion, "Are you talking about breaking in? Why? You- you can't do that. The Ringly's are a very wealthy family, who knows what kind of security they have! Even Meg's place her...her hideout, you called it? She's dead, isn't it disrespectful to..." He gestured vaguely. What kinds of friends had Meg had? These people were far more comfortable with breaking and entering than anyone Les would predict as being friends with anyone he was related to.

"It's what she would have wanted," Jason quietly insisted. "She would want us to find out what happened to her."

Runi gave a grin, even though it didn't entirely reach her eyes. "I know how to sneak in without being noticed," she reassured him. "And I won't be breaking in! I'll walk right through the front door, and no one will ever notice me."

He blinked, "Are you mer...wait, no. Why would she want you to break in? She wasn't...she wasn't a criminal, was she?"

Les couldn't imagine anything worse. His sister, his blood, a criminal. An unpunished criminal. It would have been all anyone would talk about if one of the Ringly children turned out to be breaking the law. He couldn't imagine it. His mother's daughter getting involved in crime, having criminal friends, and doing gods-knew-what-else. He felt slightly ill.

They exchanged another look.

"She was," Jason quietly admitted. "Her...Her whole family is, Les. I...I know how hard it can be to realize that your family aren't the people that you thought they were, but Megara isn't-wasn't the type of person I think you're imagining. She ran away from then, but it's hard escaping a life you've spent so long living. One...One time, they kidnapped Eddie to force her to come back home. If it wasn't for me and my family, I think her...her story might have ended a little sooner than it did..."

Les blinked. Swallowed a lump in his throat. "...oh," he said dumbly. He was numb all over. He took a deep breath. Let it out. Drew in another.

"I...where did she live? What should we do next?" He could live with this. It was just how she was raised...

He hated thinking like that. He could hear mother's voice in his head, It's not about how you're raised, it's about how you choose to act despite it.

Meg...she'd chosen to...to be whoever these people knew. He didn't know that he wanted to learn more, but at the same time, he was desperate to.