Jr Glares, Look Down There! Tell Me What You See! Where Is ALL That Food Going Then?! How Do You Know

Jr glares, “Look down there! Tell me what you see! Where is ALL that food going then?!” “How do you know this? Who told you about this?” Jr swallows and looks away, then looks back, “I had a friend… He was a changeling. He got put in there, but he used to sneak letters out to me...” Your heart speeds up a little, “Used to?” He nods, looking bitter, “They found out. I had got to where I came up here often. I watched it happen…” Your heart jumps to your throat and you barely get out, “Watched what happen?” He points, “They dragged him to the edge of the city. Shot him in the head. They just left him there for the clean up crew to pick up…” You turn your head away. There's so much to process… You look back at him, “I don’t understand. Why would they be MEAN to them? I understand containing them, but it just doesn’t seem realistic that they’d just torture an entire species unnecessarily…” Jr shrugs in defeat, “It’s easier to control a broken people, rather than a thriving nation. If they were strong, they could break out. Better to beat them down and starve them and let them die…” Tears prick at your eyes and you turn away quickly, looking back out, “But there are children out there…” Jr snorts, “Baby monsters you mean? Well, I mean, I’m sure at least half are werewolves. The rest are changelings, mimics, anything that can transform into a wolf. Even if they’re in full control while changed. Even if the moon doesn’t affect them. If any wolf DNA is in you, you’re classified a monster.” You blink away your tears. You will NOT cry in front of Jr. Though this IS horrible. You wish there was some way you could help them. But you know storming around yelling at people isn’t going to change anything. You have no powers to speak of. You’re probably the closest to human that exists. You don’t even have super speed, one of the most basic powers out there, that almost everyone has.You wouldn’t stand a chance against anyone. You’d just end up in jail, stuck, or dead, and then REALLY not stand a chance… Helplessness wells up in you and you lean over the wall, trying to distract yourself. You look for anything interesting. Livestock, trees, anything that's not the people. You can feel Jr's intense stare burning into you. You refuse to look at him. Suddenly a strong gust of wind sweeps by and you scream as it knocks you off balance. You topple over the wall, limbs flailing. “NO!!!” Your desperate wail is snatched away by the wind…

His mother interrupts, “Speaking of which, Jr, go take a shower and change. You’re disgusting and you’re getting filth all over my couch…” Jr gets up immediately, “Sorry… Come on…” You blink, “You’re going to take a SHOWER. I’m NOT coming with you.” Jr rolls his eyes, “You can hang in my room 'til I get out, just come on…” You glare. He frowns, “Please…” You sigh and get up, “Fine. But if you walk out naked, or with a towel on, or without a shirt-” He laughs, “I get it! I’m not…” He heads down the hall. You follow, “Where is your room?” He slips in a door, “Right here.” You stop, blinking. You’re not sure WHAT you had been expecting, but it’s definitely not this… His room is…. Not much bigger than yours…. There’s a bed, a dresser, and a closet. There’s not even a bedside table or a lamp. Admittedly, the bed itself is nice. It’s a good size, with thick covers and soft pillows, but even that isn’t as expensive as you would have thought it would be. Nothing in here is even name brand. You always figured all rich people had name brand EVERYTHING… You frown, “Where’s the built in bathroom? Aren’t you supposed to, like, have one connected to every room or something?” Jr laughs, “What? No. Why would I need my own bathroom?” You look at him, “I… Don’t know… Because your…. Rich?...” Jr laughs again, “Just because my parents are rich doesn’t mean they’ve doused me with lavish everything…” He goes to the dresser and starts pulling out clothes. You watch, “They could at least give you something better than an old, wore out jacket…” He turns and glares, “If I WANTED something different I could have asked for it. I liked that jacket.” You lift your hands in surrender, “Sorry for mentioning it… Grab your clothes so you don’t have an excuse to come back in here naked…” Jr smirks at that and finishes pulling out his pants and underwear. You find yourself looking away. You hear him open his closet door and some ruckus as he jerks a shirt off a hanger, then he walks over to you. You look at him. He pauses, “You can go in you know… Make yourself comfy. I don’t mind if you sit on my bed. There’s really no where else to sit anyway…” And with that, he’s gone. You stare after him. Why is he suddenly being so nice? Is it because he’s in familiar territory, or did that enclosure change him? You shrug to yourself and go to his bed. Guess now all there is to do is wait…

He shakes his head, “I COULD bust him out and he could hide for the rest of his life… He told me no. I’m going to tell father. He’s… Powerful… He’ll work some of his political magic and Jr will walk free…” Oh… You forgot that his dad is the leader of the most powerful mafia in the city… “Can he do that?” “Yes.” Your first reaction is relief. Then annoyance. Why the Hell does he get to have a rich and powerful dad? What a prick! He’s really gonna go his entire life not having to worry about anything because if anyone does anything he doesn’t like his dad’ll just fucking KILL THEM ALL. You resist the urge to roll your eyes. ‘Calm down. Be happy for him. Be happy. It’s not his fault he was born into a powerful family, though he obviously takes advantage of it, but still. At least he’ll get out. Be happy for him…’ Out loud you say, “When will he get out?” Jr's brother shrugs, “It may take time…” “He may not HAVE time…” He glares, “Listen, I’m doing the best I can for him. This is what he wants. To be able to go back to the city and LIVE A LIFE. Would you like me to drag him out, kicking and screaming, and force him into hiding for the rest of his life?” You fluff, “No! I… I’m sorry. I’m just worried. I want him to be ok…” “I do too… I’ll keep visiting him. If things get bad, he can choose to leave at any time and I’ll get him out…” You nod, “Ok…” “Let’s get home… Before they notice us…” You nod and you both head home. You don’t know wether to be relieved… Or apprehensive. Are you really just going to let a monster back into the city? Especially with the government trying SO HARD to wipe it clean? But there’s no going back now. It’s not like you could stop it if you wanted to. Jr’s dad is way too powerful for you to do anything. Honestly, no matter how much you debate about it in your head, you know you want him back. No matter how much of a threat he might be, he’s still becoming your friend and you think he’s a good person. You would never leave him in there… You look at his brother, “Is Jr… Also a changeling?” He shakes his head, “No. He’s a werewolf. He’s a little different than most werewolves. The type he is can learn to not change on the full moon. They can control themselves. And when they DO turn, they can fight for control…” You look away, “But they have to fight for it…” “Yes. But Jr has been a werewolf for his whole life. He’s very adept at it. I don’t think he even has to concentrate to stay in control anymore…” You nod, “Does he infect others?” “No. Well. If he pierced the skin he would. Like most werewolves. But Jr doesn’t. Like I said. He’s in control…” You nod again and the rest of the walk is in silence…

You walk home from school. Your mind is dull, tired. It’s been two weeks. Nothing. No plan, no sudden epiphany, nothing. If only you were stronger. If only some sudden power would show up. And then what? You’d break him out? Run away? You’d be fugitives forever. Both your futures would be ruined. Somehow, you don’t think Jr would thank you… You suppose it doesn’t matter though, since you don’t have any powers to speak of. Jr’s brother comes up, startling you. He had missed a week of school, and then you had avoided him. You were too ashamed to face him. Too afraid. That makes you want to cry all over again. Why are you SO WEAK? You have no powers, no will, you’re even too much of a coward to face Jr’s brother… Frustration builds in you and you want to scream. If only you were a superhero. If only you were braver. If only you were smarter. But you're not. You're just a little girl, too weak and scared and stupid to do anything. “I want to go see him.” Jr’s brother’s words break you out of your thoughts, “What?” You stare in disbelief. “Jr. I want to go see him. I want you to come with me.” You laugh, but break it off quickly, “You CANNOT go out there. You’re a werewolf too. I’m not having you thrown in there-” “I’m not.” “What?" You blink, “What do you mean?” “I’m not a werewolf.” You roll your eyes, “Yes you are. Jr’s a werewolf. You’re his brother. It runs in the- Did he get bit?” He hesitates, then nods, “Yeah. Yeah he did. When he was young, still a kid. It almost killed him… I think dad was hoping he would die…” Your lips twist, “That’s awful…” He shrugged, “Is it? At least he wouldn’t be stuck down there if he had…” You frown, “Do you wish he had died?” His eyes widen, “No! No, of course not. I’m just… I don’t know. Let’s go.” You shake your head, “We can’t get in. They watch the inner walls VERY strictly. The furthest we can go is on the wall…” “Then I want on the wall…” You shake your head, “We can’t…” His glare is so intense it scares you, “YOU were with him! YOU were there! YOU did nothing! You OWE ME!” You flinch, heart sinking because... You do. You do owe him. It is your fault… You sigh, “Ok… But I can only take you TO the wall. We were on the wall and… Fell…” His eyes widen. You continue “So they’ll be watching that part carefully. I don’t know where the blind spots are and I can’t climb that wall…” He nods, “I only need as far as the wall…” You frown, “You really don’t know where it is? Everyone knows where it is…” He blushes, “I’ve… Never left the city… And I’ve never been curious about it…” You shake your head. You would think, with his brother being so into all that, he would at least know where the GIANT CITY FULL OF HOWLING WOLVES IS… Oh well. You take him, just like you said you would. The walk is long and awkward. You don’t know what to say, and he’s quiet anyway. You open your mouth many times to start a conversation. But how can you? After getting his brother put in Hell, you really have no right to speak to him at all. So you walk in silence. When you finally get there, you zigzag through there blind spots, just like Jr. had showed you. His brother follows. He seems to be fairly adept at sneaking… This worries you a little. What does he do to be that good at being sneaky? You reach the wall and look at him. Then your jaw drops. Feathers are springing up on his face and neck. “Wait for me…” And then he’s a blue jay, flying up the wall.

You have to go to school with Jr's brother the very next day. It's too soon. You're not ready yet... He’s worried. Of course he is… “Do you know where Jr is?” You want to tell him, you do, but you can’t speak. You just stare at him, mouth glued shut. His eyes widen, face filling with dread, “What happened? Where is he? Is he hurt? Talk to me!” You’ve never seen him raise his voice like this. He’s always been quiet, reserved, and shy. Tears stream down your cheeks, unwanted. His face drains of color, “What happened?” You finally find your voice, and whisper, “Did you- Did you know… Jr’s a werewolf? Of course you did… You’re his brother…” He lets out an audible gasp, then grabs you, “Where is he?! Please don’t tell me he got-” He can’t finish the sentence. You lower your head. It’s your fault he got caught. If you had just refused to go. If you hadn’t felt the need to confront him in the first place… His brother turns, grabbing his hair, “FUCK!” You cover your face, shame filling you. You should have done more. You were so afraid. You just sat, frozen. You didn’t even fight for him… ‘What would be the point?’, a voice whispers in your ear, ‘you’re weak. You have no power. You would have lost, been thrown in jail, and Jr would still be taken. Then you wouldn’t be able to come and warn his brother…’ You look at his brother, pacing, pulling on his own hair, tears welled in his eyes. ‘Why am I warning him? If he’s a werewolf too, then he’s a monster… His disease almost wiped out… Well… The world… They need to be contained…’ But watching him pace, looking so distressed, seeing how worried he is, thinking of everything you’ve done with them, the conversations, hanging out, you can’t believe that. Jr may have been a jerk, and maybe, POSSIBLY had it in him to be a monster. But his brother? He can’t even look a stranger in the eye. You saw him step on a caterpillar and get so sad at school. He's the softest, most innocent person you’ve ever met. He doesn’t have it in him to be a monster… ‘They can’t control themselves. When they turn, they don’t remember that…’ But Jr had seemed SO HUMAN… And some animals are gentle…. You look at the ground, unable to say any words of comfort. There are none. Jr is gone, and it’s your fault. You wipe away your tears furiously and walk to school. You’ll think of something to get him out…

Sam isn’t at school the next day. You figure he’s probably with the family, celebrating Jr’s return. You resist the urge to snort. You’re not even sure they would celebrate that. They aren’t exactly the nicest people…. But, you’re sure, at least Sam would want to celebrate it… You sigh. You’re really glad they get to reunite with each other and be happy and all that good stuff. But you’re also really bored… You didn’t realise how close you and Sam had gotten nor how much he entertained you, until he didn’t show up today. You sigh again and rest your chin in your hand. You will be happy for them and let them have their family time, but you’ll also be relieved when they’re back to entertain you….