Young Writers Society

Carter didn't get a chance to talk to the "Jay" that all the girls had been talking about, but the moment he saw him from afar, something didn't sit well. Somehow, he'd expected Jay to be a lot younger - somewhere around the age of all the young girls with whom he kept company - but that wasn't the case. Jay looked like he was somewhere near his mid-thirties. The girls were probably barely twenty, if that.

That, and Jay had Iris.

Carter felt a sting of guilt for leaving Iris alone, but fortunately, Iris didn't seem to be in trouble. If anything, Jay only looked to be merely fascinated with her before drawing his almost predatory gaze to Esther.

That... that didn't look right. If Alex was Esther's mother, and Jay was the only male around, then it only made sense to assume that Jay was Esther's father. Carter kept himself from making a face of disgust, and instead ran over to where he'd left his vest and sandals by the rocks, slipping them back on.

But how could he intervene? If this was the past, they were already altering it by existing, but Esther seemed convinced that they were supposed to just go along with whatever happened.

He watched as Jay led Esther away and the group followed after, headed somewhere to a campsite. Would it be presumptuous to follow?

He didn't really get a chance to entertain the idea, however, when he saw Sasha spring up right beside him.

"What's your name?" She asked, her crooked smile wide.

"Carter Rahdan," he answered, mirroring the smile. "And yourself?"

"I'm Sasha, by the way," she said. "I don't know if I said that before. Anyway... um, I hope you stay with us."

"Oh? Well, I'm not too sure what our plans are," he said, flicking his round, rose-tinted glasses so that the temples flew out. "But we might stick around for a while."

"You seem groovy," Sasha replied. "I hope you do stay."

Carter laughed, slipping the glasses on. He had no idea what that meant, but he was assuming it was a positive slang term if he was reading her tone right.

"Besides, once you meet Jay," she said. "You'll never want to go back."

"Oh, yeah? What's so great about him?" he asked, still holding his smile.

After a moment of silence, Sasha laughed quietly. "You'll see."

Well. That sounded like it could be very ominous, or very exciting. He wasn't sure which one he would prefer, at this rate. But considering he didn't have any of his weapons on him, he hoped it didn't mean anything potentially dangerous - though he could tell by just one look at Jay that he could easily overpower him if he had to, even if Jay was taller. That didn't mean much, though. Almost everyone was taller than him.

It was at that moment that Carter stopped in his tracks when he saw what they were approaching.

"Never seen a bug before?" Sasha asked with a laugh as they all approached the trunk, which was filled with supplies.

Carter slipped his glasses on, but he knew it probably did nothing to mask his confusion at the sight of the rectangular house-meets-wagon type contraption on wheels.

"Uh... I think I'm just a little off my game, today," he said quietly.

"I totally get it," Sasha said. "Come help carry."

Carter hummed and nodded. That, he could do.

The girls were like a pack of obedient dogs, obeying the every order of little mister prince charming over there. Queenie was sure he was a swell guy, or whatever, but she already didn't like him. Because he was charming, mostly. She preferred nervous, in everyone, not just cute guys. Nervous made life easier. Though a nervous cute guy was a great deal more fun than any regular person.

Her side was killing her. She would swear up and down until the day that she died that gunshot wounds didn't usually feel this shitty. A cramping, stabbing pain in her gut that got worse with her every shift and movement. Hell, even breathing made it worse. A younger, more nieve, version of herself would have thought something like, at least it didn't hit anything vital. Now? Oh, how she wished it would have hit something vital. She'd have drowned to death on her own blood by now if it had been aimed just a little higher. Or, maybe it was, and the guy who was shooting at her was just a lousy shot. You never really knew with those guys.

It was a minute or two after the girls all got out of the water when one of them came to her bearing cured salvation. A sewing kit. The girl introduced herself as 'Helen' and Queenie avoided introducing herself. Whatever she'd used as an alias had slipped her mind like it was soaked in all the blood she was loosing. Oh. That.

Queenie tried to act natural getting up, suppressing her scream of pain and painting on a practiced, easy smile. Her smile mirrored the one Helen had worn up until about that point.

Now, it faded a bit. Her eyebrows drew together in concern.

Dammit.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, just a bit sore," Queenie tried to brush it off. It took real effort to bit back a threat. The sugary vibes she was getting off this girl were making her sick. Then again, that could also be the bloodloss. Because blood loss was bad, as Briar often pointed out.

Queenie reached for the sewing kit, but the hand Helen was holding it in moved back as she shifted to look at some part of Queenie that was apparently awfully concerning, if the position of her eyebrows was any tell. Queenie followed her gaze and swallowed a curse.

The dark fabric of the shapeless overdress she was wearing hid the color of the blood pretty well, but there was a blotch forming just over her wound, dark, shiny, distinctly soaked. Maybe she should have gotten in the water, to hide the damp spot. She shook that thought from her head. That wouldn't have been all that helpful once her blood started getting all up in the water like a red flag waving and swirling around in the liquid. Liar.

"You're bleeding!"

The hell did you think the sewing kit was for?

"Oh, no," Queenie gave a little laugh, looking down at the blotch, then back at Helen, "That's nothing. Can I have that sewing kit now?" She could practically hear Briar yelling at her in her head. Well, not yelling. Glaring. Glaring loudly. With a neutral expression. However it was described, it would be all kinds of annoying, and the message would be the same. Queenie was being sloppy, getting desperate. Desperate was never good.

"No, you're hurt, please, sit down, I'm a nurse." Helen was insistent, and for some reason, Queenie felt herself doing as she was told. What the hell has gotten into you? She asked herself, You're a class-A bitch. She's a skinny little country girl. Just break her wrists.

She didn't, though, just sat back down on the grass and let Helen help her out of her overdress and hike up her undershirt to reveal the truly nasty wound beneath. The undershirt had been soaked through, the nice, light green material reminding her a bit of a watermelon with the big red stain on it.

Queenie was too busy watching the fireworks in her eyes to see Helen's initial reaction, but she did catch the, "What happened?" Why did everyone have to know what happened?

Queenie leaned back on her hands and closed her eyes. The ruse was up. If she was going to get medical care it might as well be informed medical care. "You may have to dig the bullet out," she said in way of an answer.

Helen was a bit surprised, or maybe that was Queenie's brain playing tricks. Regardless, soon enough Helen had a small pocket knife and a lighter. She sterilized the knife with the lighter and said something Queenie didn't quite catch. She was so focused on her breathing. The pain was becoming unbearable with the stupid bullet would out in the open like that. Like it was loving the attention so much it thought it could just go give off enough pain to justify the hell out of it.

She hissed in pain as Helen began to coax the bullet out with the tip of the knife, and realized that the words she missed were probably a warning.

A few minutes later, she had stitches and a binding around her midsection.

"Will it leave a scar?" she asked innocently. Just a girl, wanting to look pretty. Just vain. None of the lurking paranoia was clear in her carefully controlled voice.

Helen hesitated, "Probably not," she said. Queenie let herself look relieved. "The damage wasn't too bad."

"That's good," Queenie forced a grateful smile. That's what she was supposed to be, after all. Grateful. Ever grateful, the cute little blue-eyed blonde. Ever quiet. Ever nice, decent, sweet.

Queenie had decided a while ago that she preferred things bitter.

Helen returned her smile, "You'll have to take it easy for a little while," she warned.

Queenie was bad at heeding warnings. "Will do," she said.

Helen helped Queenie to her feet and they walked together for a bit, making easy small talk. Every time a question about Queenie came up she had an easy deflection or a bashful lie at the ready.

It was a minute before she realized that Esther wasn't around. And neither was Jay. That...couldn't be good.

Understanding slammed into me like an agent getting whacked around by ghost - or Nathaniel getting whacked around by one of his former enemies on a particularly bad day.

Jay was Esther's dad.

It wasn't until I saw them standing together that I realized the resemblance - and realized the baby Alex was pregnant with was Esther. It hurt my head for a moment before I remembered how things had been before I had gotten that second (third?) chance.

But even if I understood how it could be possible now, Jay had still gone off with her. The sinking feeling in my gut got worse, and the air cool ever so slightly. Almost like a cool breeze gently rushing through, if you weren't familiar with the chill that preceded a haunting.

Esther had brought this on herself. She was the one who had wanted to interact with people from her past. And Elizabeth's wound had just been revealed. I should have probably been paying more attention to that.

I tried to imagine what Nikko or Lucy would do if they were here. I couldn't. They'd probably do something heroic, knowing both of them. And if Megara was here, she'd just pull an Elizabeth and try charming her way through - or threatening, if the first part didn't work.

The air grew cooler for a moment, and then it returned to its original heat.

"Be right back," I said. "I haven't used the bathroom in ages, and those trees are looking really good right now."

Before anyone could comment or suggest an alternative, I rushed off into the woods. Screw being someone else. I had finally figured out exactly who Jay reminded me of, and the last thing I wanted was for anyone to be remotely near something like that.

I lingered in the woods behind Jay and Esther as they walked, alert and prepared to step in if I needed to. Growing up on the streets had its perks - you had to be good at secretly trailing people if you wanted to pick their pockets.

Well, that had been his idea, before Skull dashed off into the forest with little prompting. Carter looked off into the trees with a neutral expression, but the moment Skull left he was itching to go too.

He hadn't been so blind as to notice Esther and Jay weren't back yet.

He considered for a moment, the others. Iris was somewhere, small, flying around. He didn't know. Elizabeth had developed a wound - whether that was present in the library, or gained in the travel to this realm, he didn't know. But, it had been treated, and there was hardly anything else he could do about it besides draw unnecessary attention to it. He did, however, briefly realize that that would explain the sewing kit request.

As he set down the last of the girls' belongings - a pile of sleeping sacks, was his assumption - he let out a sigh.

"You know what, ladies," he said, slipping off his glasses. He handed them to Sasha. "I think I've got to do the same. Hold these for safekeeping."

And as he turned to leave, he made sure to walk at a normal pace, with only a little hustle, like the walk of someone who might actually need to go relieve themselves in the forest. Once in the shelter of the trees he abandoned his loud, flopping sandals in a bush and went ahead on bare feet.

It didn't take long to catch up to Skull. Carter was far from clueless when it came to tracking.

Quietly, and without announcement, he crouched a little ways from him in the shelter of the trees and underbrush, looking to see what Jay and Esther were up to.

Esther was shaking, if only because she was more certain that her life was turning into a bad Back to the Future remake. In the movie, Marty had dodged the advances of his mother by bringing her closer to his father. That wouldn't work here, because in the movie Marty's parents weren't a couple yet.

They had stopped at a clearing to sit on a log. And for a moment, Esther thought that this was nice. To have a moment talking to her father, who she'd never met because she still didn't have the courage to go and visit in prison. Her Grandfather always liked to remind her that she'd actually been at the commune during the first year of her life, so she did know her father, but that did that really count if she had no memories of it?

Esther had no idea what time it was, but it was starting to get dark and she hoped that she could stall long enough to suggest that maybe it was time to start making a fire. Jay was telling her what life was like in the group and how everyone loved each other.

"Congratulations on the child, by the way," Esther said. Really? That was the first thing she'd thought of?

Jay simply smirked. "I think it's cruel, what we do to children," Jay said. "We bring them into the world, we promise everything, and then we learn the world is cruel. I know I didn't ask to be born."

A million thoughts crossed Esther's mind at once. Firstly, what had Jay had said. I didn't ask to be born. She'd also forgotten for a moment that the baby Alex was pregnant with was her, and this is how Jay felt about her. And the last was that he wasn't wrong.

"Can't this child's life be different?"

In response, Jay did what Esther was afraid he was going to do. He leaned in. Esther dodged this kiss, and Jay laughed nervously.

"How can you give everyone your love if you give it to me?' Esther said nervously.

"You're such a fascinating girl," Jay said. "You and your fairy friend."

"And... she has advised me that our love transcends physical bounds. It is too great to be expressed in that way." Esther was just spewing the first bull that came out of her mouth, but her surprise, Jay seemed to listen.

Maybe. He took her hand. That was when she saw two guys hiding in the bushes. Her friends. Thank god.

"Friends!" She shouted, trying to cover for the fact that she was blanking on their names.

Helen went to go help the other girls go pack up their things and Queenie walked in the direction Esther and Jay had vanished off in. What she saw when she got there was....mildly sickening, even for her.

Jay was looking all soft and flirtatious while Esther was looking off at the trees. Suddenly, Ester called out. "Friends!"

Then Queenie spotted the boys in the trees. That was her cue as well, she guessed, and she approached the father-daughter duo.

"Hello," she said with an easy smile, oh so natural on her features, "We haven't properly met, you must be Jay."

I was surprised that I had been spotted - apparently, I wasn't as good at hiding as I thought I was - but I was even more surprised by being called someone's friend. Esther barely knew me. She didn't even know what I was. I wasn't so sure she'd be calling me a friend if she did.

Still, it looked like Esther was in a fairly awkward situation - given that her dad was trying to flirt with her. I had seen a lot of messed up things, but this took the cake.

I took my cue.

"Hey," I said, giving another casual wave. "I'm Skull."

I had already done my introduction back when we first met by the water, but I had a sneaking suspicion he had been more interested in Iris and his gaggle of girls to notice.

Now, time to make it seem like I hadn't been following them.

"I had to pee," I said, with absolutely no shame. A guy's got to do what a guy's got to do - even if it was just a lie. "I heard some talking, so I thought I'd meet up with you. Apparently, I wasn't the only one with that idea."

Being discovered so quickly was both insulting and welcome. On the one hand, it meant Esther was looking for a way out of the conversation with her father and was actively searching for a scapegoat. That was enough to coddle his injured pride at being discovered. Not that he specialized in sneaking.

He looked over at Skull, sending a small glare at the teenager at his last comment.

Apparently, it didn't matter whose idea it was first. Esther was clearly happy to see them, even if it was only because they were a distraction.

"Oh, no, I was eavesdropping," Carter said plainly. At this rate, he didn't care if it made him unpopular with Jay, or Skull. Frankly, he wanted to annoy Skull, for almost throwing him under the wagon. Better to just throw himself under it. That, and he wanted to see how Jay would react, anyways. And if things took a turn, he took comfort in the fact that he would undoubtedly be the one to triumph in any sort of physical altercation.

"And worried when you guys hadn't come back," he added, slipping in a lie with ease. "Thought you'd gotten lost or a wolf found you and tore up your flesh. It's a terrible way to die, really."

"Ah! But- my manners. Introductions." He approached Jay with a smile, giving him a small bow of his head. "I'm Carter."

Jay stood up, clearly uncomfortable at those who had infringed upon his scene.

"I think it's best that you two leave," he said to Skull and Carter. "Take the fairy with you. I don't have a home for either of you here."

Esther's heart was pounding. On one hand, she was thankful that the boys had saved her from having to kiss her father, and on the other, she didn't want to be separated from them.

Then, he turned to Queenie and Esther. "But I would like the two of you to stay."

As they walked up the trail, Jay had turned his attention to Queenie for now. He instructed them to find the road, hitch the nearest ride, and never return.

Esther didn't know what to say or do. Claire had been instructed to drive them to the nearest bus depot so they could buy a ticket to wherever tthey wanted. She couldn't think much on it, because it was getting dark and they'd begun to build a fire.

**



Five people had woken up in the library not long ago. Now, only three returned.

The Librarian was a being who was a lot older than she looked. She'd taken Grace Kelly's form, and wore a long sleeved green dress and stylish glasses. She sat by the fire as she waited to greet those who had returned.

She was hoping she wouldn't have to interact with them, but they'd messed everything up and now it was going to be a lot more complicated, especially because Esther had been left behind.

"You're much too late," she said once she had their attention. "Very, very late."

I had spent the beginning of the bus ride trying to figure out how I could get back to Esther and Elizabeth. The last thing I wanted to do was leave anyone in the hands of someone like him, even though Elizabeth could probably handle herself as well as Megara or Asmira could.

But I had been going for awhile between the library, this place, and the world I had just come from, and I couldn't avoid the urge to sleep. When I woke up again, I found myself back in the library. I might have been grateful that I was back in my own clothes again, but I was more focused on the people present.

Carter and Iris were there. Esther and Elizabeth weren't.

And then there was a girl standing in the library, talking to us like the whole transportation thing was somehow under our control.

I got to my feet.

Despite the roaring fire, the room turned just a little bit colder as I tapped into the powers I wasn't supposed to have. I couldn't do much more than that if I didn't want to pass out a few minutes later, but the cold felt good.

It was a reminder, if the girl knew what I had once been, that I was more powerful than I seemed.

And if not, I thought it was just the kind of petty thing I need right now.

"I'd say sorry," I said, "but that would imply that I care."

I crossed my arms and looked her over. I hadn't ever seen her before, but that didn't mean anything - other than me not knowing what she was capable of.

"It would also imply we had some kind of control over what just happened, and I'm pretty sure that bringing us here in the first place was your doing."

Queenie didn't know if the boys and whatever the little thing was being banished was better or worse than them being there.

Better.

It was better.

She didn't know about the lumberjack-looking guy, but the goth kid was definitely too annoying not to stab within the next few days. Hours. Probably minutes, if she was completely honest. He was really annoying. Even his voice grated on her nerves.

Still, now they were gone, and she flashed the man beside her a smile. She had to admit that she was a bit grateful to him for purging her of that little annoyance. She'd have to repay him somehow. It was unfortunate she couldn't use any of her skills to do so. Or, at least, she couldn't let him know that that's what she'd done.

A bit of theft, maybe. Everyone liked the idea of a little extra cash.

Okay. Carter admitted it.

He should've just played along with things. That would've been better for everyone, but namely Esther, and himself. But it was too late to right any of his wrongs now. After they'd fallen asleep on the "bus," they'd woken up in the library again - though this time, not all of them returned.

It was just him, Iris, and Skull.

Did that mean Esther and Elizabeth were still stuck with Jay and that harem of girls? He couldn't imagine that ending well for either of them, but he could see Elizabeth, maybe, finding a way out of there. Esther though... she was in a sticky situation, being thrown into the past with a father who apparently flirted with anyone that moved and appeared to blindly trust him.

Carter sat up slowly, taking in a deep breath as he looked over at Skull, and then at the stunning bespectacled woman by the fire. Carter was glad to be back in his regular clothes - covered, and without the nonsensical footwear.

Skull was predictably childish in his response. Carter decided to ignore him.

"Late in what way?" Carter asked as he stood up and walked closer to the woman who appeared to know what was going on, if she wasn't the one who orchestrated things herself.

I honestly can't believe what's happened. We're separated from Esther and Elizabeth because of that creepy human. One moment, I was wandering around the camp and introducing myself to Esther's mom and her friends - the next, the others were telling me it was time to go.

We're now sitting in the bus, dusk light streaming through the window. I'm leaning against the windowpane, watching Carter and Skull nod off. I'm so exhausted I can barely think straight. But one thing I know for sure: I am going back. And small as I am, I'm going to find a way to get them out.

**

I wake up in the library again. It's quite cool, a stark difference from the forest. My clothes have returned to my soft shift, now my most favorite piece of clothing in my wardrove.

A woman in a green dress sits by the fire, and though she looks young, her eyes reflect wisdom and age. And disapproval. Her lips are pursed in dissatisfaction and I swallow. Whatever happened, we surely did wrong.

I try to think of what it was, but everything about it pointed to us being expelled. Jay clearly doesn't want anybody other than young women in his "family". And it's terribly unfair for us because we had no inkling about our task.

I summon my courage, fly over to the woman, and speak. I'm surprised at the flurry of questions bursting out. "What were we supposed to have done? Why are we here? What do we have to do now to save Esther and Elizabeth and go home?"

"There is no more time to waste," the Librarian said. "I'm sure you've noticed my collection of books is no ordinary collection."

Just then, Starman by David Bowie began to play. "This is Esther's favorite song. She is the key."

The Librarian stood up, taking a book from the shelves. "This place will be of comfort to you, I hope, in between your journeys," she said. "I had to pick beings who were not from her world. Ones that wouldn't have any preconceived notions."

She handed Carter the book, and promptly left.

**

Claire returned just as the fire was beginning. Jay locked eyes with her.

"Did they make it to the bus depot?" He asked.

"Yes," Claire said. Her uneasy tone suggested that she was lying. She sat in between Alex and Helen.

Jay promptly turned specifically to Elizabeth. "I'm glad you two rid yourselves of your excess weight today. Those men, I don't know if they were your lovers but it doesn't really matter to me. I only offer a home to the best.

Esther bit her lip. She knew exactly what Jay was doing. Because she rebuffed him earlier, he was giving her the cold shoulder. Esther had to warn Elizabeth, somehow. When they had a moment alone.

Just then, Jay turned to her. "Alexandra tells me you're a wonderful singer."

"I suppose," Esther said quietly.

"Why don't you sing something for us?"

She took a deep breath, supposing she had no other choice.

One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you, don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall...

She had no backing band, no music, but she sounded just like Grace Slick. Or so everyone else said, and she could tell the girls and Jay were enraptured too. Whenever she sang, it was the only time she ever felt happy to be who she was.

Queenie tilted her head and listened to Esther sing. She was a lovely singer, even if her taste was a bit outdated. She was probably just one of those hipster kids. The ones who delved into the aesthetics of the past and turned their nose up at the 'popular' trends of the time. The real irony was that those people were their own kind of trendsetters.

Once Esther finished her song, Queenie turned her attention to Jay. "They weren't anything like that," she said with a practiced, 'easy' smile, "Just a couple of pests." She was more than capable of robbing a bank, especially one with security like she'd expect from the time they'd found themselves in. Not quite as easily as if they were using Ringly tech, but close enough. Then again, a bank robbery was a little dramatic. Something else then.

"Why'd you pick us as 'the best' for you to offer a home to?"