The Second || 𝘩.𝘴.

『20』| 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙷𝙾𝚁'𝚂 𝙱𝙾𝚆

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THE
SECOND
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CHAPTER
TWENTY
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THE
ANCHOR'S
BOW
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[[ CARMEN. ]]

The helicopter whirred, hovering above our heads by meters. We all grouped together, outside in the Sakamoto garden the wind blowing smoke of dirt into the atmosphere as winds gushed violently.

I shielded my face, holding my hand above me. Looking over my shoulder, I see Ace hugging Ivy. He tucks a crumpled piece of paper in her skirt as she looked at him confusingly.

"Don't be a stranger." He told her, his voice barely audible over the helicopter's slow roar.

"No. I-I won't." She said, shaking her head swiftly, briefly. She pressed her cheek to his hair, whispering something to him that we all couldn't hear, though Harry looked over in curiosity.

Ace withdrew from the hug, taking a stride back as the emotions on his face turned indifferent as the helicopter gradually lowered.

"See you around, princess." I said neutrally.

Ivy nodded. "Cocktails on me. Alright?"

"You don't even have an ID."

"Whatever." She sassed, shrugging it off as she stepped over a lily bush tentatively. A secret service man looking spiff in a black suit had opened the back door of the helicopter, stepping out and ushering Ivy inside.

We all watched as Ivy elevated in the helicopter, her father Christoffer Jupiter in the front passenger seat of the helicopter. He had sent an intense glare our way, though it gave me chills as his cold stare met my stoic gaze of unhinged stone. My jaw tensed, as I lifted a hand professionally to send him a single wave.

He lowers his heavily tinted sunglasses, smiling at me crookedly as he nodded once.

"Big fish." Harry had said as the helicopter flew away gradually as its whirring sound gradually resided. He lifted a hand, shielding his eyes away from the soil and sand.

"And Sage Castillo?" I asked him.

"Possibly." His British accent was thicker than I remembered, as he drawled in a low dripping honey tone. "I'd tell you that we can't show our weaknesses to these protestors, because all they're going to do is use them against us. We approach them with a playing-it-safe facade, as they're going to do the same, playing it cautious."

"They think we're monsters, don't they?" Vera wondered.

"It's most likely. If they had to bring Dixie into this whole mess, it's a damn trap. Clearly."

"So we play things safe." Max said in disbelief.

"As we would." Harry emphasized. "What have I taught you all? You'll remember it. The evening we all shared peanut butter oreo sandwiches, over a year and a half ago now."

"Look, Jace is my friend." He protested, the blonde boy running a hand through his greasy hair. "And I'm not going to let his pockets run dry."