incarceration //phan

fourteen

Dan
"So, what you're saying is: everyone's fates are relying on my idiot of a brother?" Zoe questioned now as Dan had come back from the reception.

"Uh-huh."

"We're all fucked then, aren't we?" Joe made a self-deprecating joke at his own expense.

Dan had the theory that to get Phil and Connor back to the place they should be, he'd have to take away the person who controlled their current surroundings. That way the world they were in wouldn't exist, so by default they'd leave it too. Obviously, that plan could backfire and Connor and Phil could hypothetically die alongside the rest of the world, but Dan didn't want to think about that possibility.

But how to get rid of Alfie? Of course, killing him would be a bit of a rash move on Dan's part; it also brought up the issue that his arrest wouldn't be entirely appropriate - if possible at all - if he was already dead. So instead, Joe would simply take Alfie's ability away until police were informed, and probably Marcus' and Cat's for good measure.

They had it all figured out, all Dan could do was hope there would be no complications - but, then again, he had a bad track record for his plans going smoothly.

"Is it a yes, or no then?"

"A reluctant yes."

Before anything more could be said, a slamming open of a door was heard and three figures walked closer to the rest of the group.

"Robert is a complete and utter idiot," Dodie announced, barging in along with Connie and Evan.

"Huh?" people turned their heads from Joe and to the three students by the door.

"Dodie, you're the colour of an actual fire extinguisher right now," Louise added.

"Ironic," Dodie noted.

"What's he done this time?"

"He's started hanging about with Alfie, Marcus and Cat."

"What?"

"Seriously?"

"He got mad that no one took him seriously and now he's gone off with them." she sighed.

"I'd love to say they're not somehow using him, but it's so painfully obvious they're not his friends at all," Connie contributed.

"I mean, he's dimmer than me - an impressive feat." Joe made the second self-deprecating joke of the afternoon.

"The fact of the matter is that you never think about consequences in these sorts of situations, he wasn't being dim - just a little short-sighted.
When you feel like you've been hidden away in everyone else's shadow and finally find even the smallest ray of sunlight, you don't care about how you get it or where it comes from, all that matters is that it's there. He'll be too wrapped up in the fact he has validation to bother how it'd affect the other people around him. That makes him sound selfish, but he's not. We all give him a hard time, all everyone does is take the piss out of him; so if someone shows him the slightest bit of compassion, why would he not leave the people who don't?"

A few people in the room murmured to their neighbour, the odd "s'pose" heard amongst it all.

"But," Dodie continued. "I didn't just come here to rant about Robert - and I get what you're saying, Dan. I want to look into his future to make sure he isn't putting anyone in danger."