Flatline ((Jughead Jones)) 3

23

Lewis Caroll wrote 'Why sometimes I've believed in as many as 6 impossible things before breakfast.' If you had told me on that morning to list some impossible things that would happen that day, one of them would have been that Cheryl Blossom wouldn't wear red. I was shocked to see her walking through the halls with Everlyn, Fangs and Kevin, donning a white top and matching skirt. The next thing I would have said would be that she would join the farm, and yet, that is exactly what had happened. It wasn't quite 6, but two impossible things were far too many for the morning.

"Invasion of the Body Snatchers continues." I was very thankful that I could laugh at Jughead's comment as I sat on the couch in the student lounge beside Betty. I was glad that I wasn't brainwashed into following them, but I knew I would catch up with my sister eventually.
"So, let me get this straight. The reason Cheryl is all-in on the Farm is that she gets to see and talk to Jason?" Ronnie asked. My eyes were still watching after my sister. However they were making her think she was talking to Jason, I knew she missed him. I was lucky, Archie had somewhat filled the void the death of my brother had created. I would always miss Ja-Jay, but Archie made my heart hurt a little less. I also knew that there was no way she could actually be seeing him. Jason Blossom was dead.

Betty told us that her mom was talking to Charles, and that was the reason she had become so involved with the Farm.
"What if you could prove Charles was dead?" I offered, looking to Betty. Jughead agreed, adding that her mom had lost touch with reality, so the best way to snap her out of it would be with a harsh dose of truth. At the sound of the class bell, we all groaned before Jughead pulled me under his arm, offering to walk me to Chemistry.

Jughead had been running around town with his dad, finding out about the latest G&G murder of Baby Teeth. Apparently, not only was Gladys' drug trade up and running, it was also spinning out of control, people having nasty reactions to whatever chemical is in the drug. My brother had challenged a gang member to a boxing match and Betty had her mom in Dilton's bunker trying to get her to come around and planning to listen to her mom's testimony to look for clues.

As I was walking through the halls of Riverdale High school, there was a loud banging. I had been making my way to the student lounge after handing in an assignment to my English teacher, when I turned the corner to see a new Vixen stood banging her head against her locker. When she pulled away, you could see the blood that had spilled onto the locker.

I stood, frozen as her friend tried to pull her away only to be thrown to the floor. When this girl threw another of her friends to the floor, I ran over. I dragged the girl away from the locker and restrained her until her two friends had hold of her. This young girl was foaming at the mouth, her forehead bloody.
"Did she take something?" Jughead asked as I let go of the girl. Her friends told us that she took some 'G', whatever that was. I told her to go to the infirmary before looking at Jughead. His mom was definitely behind this. From the look on his face, he had seen this before.

While Jughead headed to see his dad, I got a message from JB, telling me to meet her at Pop's.

Of course, I headed there straight away, and saw her with a young kid. She was wearing an elf hat, and immediately stood when I entered, guiding me over to the table. I saw what was on the table and I pulled Jellybean to a stop.
"JB, you can't be playing that game." I told her. I hated feeling like the parent, in fact, the set up would be the closest I had gotten to G & G after Jughead banned me from playing. Despite being the Angel of Death, I had only actually played the game with Ethyl for an hour.
"Cyn, you're the only one I could call. I just wanted you to play with us, and if you played, then mom and dad wouldn't have to worry." She said, begging me with my eyes. She pulled me towards the booth, sliding in and making space for me to slide into the booth as well. Opposite me, the young boy smiled, and welcomed the Angel of Death.

I should have pulled JB out of that booth then and dragged her home. But as I looked at the game pieces and the boy in front of me, I couldn't help the overwhelming curiosity that rose in me. It seemed that this game had a space for me, a specific character that only I could use, yet I knew nothing about it. This would be my chance to find out more. Sighing, I took a seat, praying that Jughead didn't see this.
"Welcome to the game, Angel. Now you decide the fate of the Gargoyle Army that just destroyed your sister's Elven Army. Roll." The young boy nodded to the dice in front of me. I couldn't help it. I picked up the dice and shook them gently in my hand before letting them fall onto the table. 6 and 4 and 1

Over the next few days, a few more impossible things developed. Number 1, Toni joined the farm, clearly not because she valued their ideals, but just so she could see my sister, who had completely cut me off. Which brings me to the next impossible thing, that my sister would block my number and refuse to speak to me in school. Finally, and probably the most alarming with the benefit of hindsight, was the fact that every night after the one I had spent with JB and the gamemaster that wouldn't tell me his name, I met up with JB and played G&G. That wasn't the impossible thing though, the part that made it seem impossible, was the fact that when we got home, and Jughead or Gladys or FP asked where we were, we simply told them we were bonding. And no one thought anything of it. So that takes our impossible total up to 5. Okay, they weren't things that I thought of before breakfast, but I couldn't help wondering where impossible thing number 6 would take me.

With a torch in hand, I followed behind JB, the princess, and the mystery boy, the gamemaster, as we walked through the woods.
"I don't get it. Why couldn't we just keep playing in Pop's?" JB asked, she was holding my hand, as if scared of what could happen because this was, after all, THAT forest. The same one every dead body had been found. Luckily for her, I was certain the little runt in front of me, would be no match for a Serpent Queen.
"Because, Princess Jellybean, he wanted to meet you. And you Angel." The kid said. I pulled JB to a stop as she nervously questioned the boy. I stood near her, needing to keep her safe. When we heard rustling behind us, we turned around and saw the familiar figure of the Gargoyle King. But who was behind the mask?

I ran forward, straight away. The moment I pulled the mask down, it revealed that no one was inside it. We both turned back to the boy who was just starting to unfold a game board for us to play on.
"You two should have seen your faces." The boy laughed, and we both sat down. Well, Jellybean moved around to his side and began to jokingly hit him. I couldn't help but feel as though the pair would have made quite the couple had this game not been invented.
"What now?" I asked, breaking up the moment between the two.
"Now, you can learn how to get rid of your title." I gasped, ready to find out everything. We headed home then, because this quest required a change of scenery.

What I discovered was something that I didn't expect. I thought that this would maybe be my sixth impossible thing. It was an answer that I hadn't been expecting, but I couldn't argue that I didn't understand it. What made this not one of my impossible things, was the fact that I could understand it. I had played the game and understood the rules now, and I had also learned a little more about the King himself. I could now see why Jug had become so obsessed with the game.
"Angel of Death, you have stared Death himself in the face and returned, becoming one of his disciples. You simply have to return to death. Do you accept the final quest?" The boy finished and I looked to Jellybean in shock. Did I want to rid myself of that title? It would stop any more fizzle rocks junkies from shouting at me, and using me, I would no longer be part of the Gargoyle King's game. For once, I could be off the board. Just as I was about to agree, the boy's phone went off.

He handed it to Jellybean. "Hey Jug, I'm at home with Cynthia. We're just hanging with my pal, Ricky." When Jellybean said his name, I looked to Ricky. That's why he had hidden his name from me. "We've been playing G&G, I know you said not to, but Thia has been watching over us so nothing bad happens." Then she handed the phone back to Ricky, who looked at me in shock. JB looked between us, not understanding what I knew. This was the Ricky who had stabbed Archie. "I think it's past your bedtime, Ricky." I spat at him and he quickly gathered his things and left. About an hour later, when JB and I were sitting on the sofa, cuddled up with a Disney Movie playing, Jughead ran in. He ran in and embraced his sister straight away, grabbing me and pulling me close to him as well. Jug looked terrified. "I'm so glad you two are okay!" He said, kissing my head as I looked at him. His face was one of pure relief. I didn't know what had happened, but he sure seemed happy that we were both safe. "Where's Ricky?""He left after your call, I kicked him out." Jug smiled at me and pulled his sister in again. It wasn't until Jellybean had gone to bed that I learned of the highly dangerous round of G&G that he and his parents played all to save myself and Jellybean. Sadly, that also didn't make my impossible list. Because in a town like Riverdale, carrying out a fake robbery, fighting a one eyed cyclops and being held at gunpoint all to save a princess and an angel was just another day in the town. It was a story that wouldn't even make it onto the front page. What did make it onto my list, the sixth impossible thing, did happen before breakfast that Sunday. Gladys Jones said her goodbyes to her husband, her daughter and her son. When she came to Jughead and I she embraced Jug, then turned to me. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to Jughead. You stay by him." She said, holding me close. That was my imposible thing. Gladys Jones wasn't the drug dealing dragon after all, she was the mother that loved her family, and approved of her son's choice in women. She was an ex Serpent Queen approving of her successor. And that, a few weeks ago, seemed near impossible.