( 30 一 A PARTING OF WAYS. )
Chubs was showing them the tip that Cate had sent through, notifying them that the listing wasn't on the skip-tracer network. The tablet showcased Liam's bruised, scowling face. Signs that he had been living rough as obvious as black paint on a white canvas.
His reward was listed as $200,000, a big catch according to Chubs. Most kids, like a Green or a regular Blue, would go for $10,000 but as you go further up the colour spectrum the reward increases. That's why Clara wasn't all that surprised when she saw Ruby's reward was $400,000 with her own at $450,000. It made sense if you thought about it.
"Why are we listed so high?" Ruby asks, completely oblivious to everything apparently.
"Do you really need me to spell it out for you? You both escaped Thurmond with the help of the League, Clara's one of the first recorded Oranges who was also in a testing facility. Oh and you are, by the way, also an Orange," Chubs exclaimed, pointing to Ruby for emphasis.
Ruby turned to look at Clara with raised eyebrows at his outburst but Clara just shook her head at her, a grin tucked into the corner of her mouth. "Hey Chubs," Clara said. He nodded his head indicating he was listening. "What are all these listings? I've never been to Maine or Georgia," she asked him while indicating at all the listings on her profile.
"Oh well, I post them sometimes to throw other skip-tracers off your scent. I've done the same for Liam, Zu and Ruby." Clara sends him a grateful smile, knowing he was looking out for them even when they weren't together.
"Hey, Asshats! Why am I the only one working?" Vida yelled from across the site. Chubs jumped out of the car they had been sitting in, in two seconds flat, already stomping over to Vida who had crushed his tent into a questionable shape.
Clara already knew tho wouldn't end well so she followed quickly after him. "Could you not destroy my tent, you ungrateful wretch?" he sneered at her.
"Okay, that is more than enough. Let's keep the bloodshed to a minimum, shall we? It's not even 8:30 in the morning yet," Clara said, letting out a nervous laugh in an attempt to diffuse the tension. It appeared that they didn't even hear her joke and instead continued with their shouting match.
Concluding that she could do nothing for them, Clara made her way back towards Ruby and the car, opening the door just in time to see Ruby drop Chubs' tablet in shock. "Uhh, Rubes? You okay?" she asked her hesitantly.
"Oh, um, yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just looking through, you know, other listings," she said nervously. Clara had no idea why she would be acting so guilty until she caught sight of the name printed in bold letters along with no records found directly after it.
Clara sighed softly, "It's okay you know. To want to know what happened to him. What Clancy did to you was awful and you have every right to want to know he's not near you anymore."
Ruby shook her head, her facade falling. "It's stupid, I know it is. It's just, I don't want to see him ever again. I just wanted to know for sure." Clara gave her a reassuring smile, hoping Ruby knew she had every right to feel the way she did.
❊❊❊
When Chubs insisted on stopping at a rest stop that already had a number of adults milling around, just so they could get food, Clara knew he wasn't the old Chubs anymore. Of course, she already knew he had changed, but the Chubs she knew was so careful, insisting on meticulously planning every detail. Now he seemed reckless, and that was the last thing Clara would have assumed he would be.
"Oh, come on. It'll be fine," he said. And that was all the reassurance they got before he slipped out of the car, the rest of them crouching down to the floor beneath the seats.
When he finally climbed back into the car he shot them all a look of confusion. "What are you doing?"
"What do you think? Any one of these people could have reported us!" Ruby said in shock, taken aback at Chubs' new lack of care.
"Yup, just a fucking idiot," Vida commented snidely. Clara hit her arm slightly as she turned towards Chubs, a scowl on her face after having to sit cramped up on the floor while he had a luxurious stroll, enjoying the scenery.
"You have been blessed with a brain, darling, so please use it," Clara said with a snippy tone. Was she being mean? Yes. Did she care? Not really. It seemed like Chubs was getting a little too big for his boots, a Skip Tracer badge wouldn't save him from everything and it certainly wouldn't save the rest of them.
Clara ended up sleeping against Jude for the rest of the trip up to Nashville, blissfully unaware of the havoc that was going to ensue. She was awoken from her sleep by the car lurching forwards sending her headfirst into the headrest in front of her. "What the fuck!"
Chubs had floored the gas pedal for some unknown reason and Clara had absolutely no idea what was going on. Ruby grabbed the wheel from the passenger's side, veering them around to miss a National Guard who Clara had only just noticed. The second they were facing away from impending doom Vida slammed her hand against the grate, using her telekinetic powers to push down on the gas pedal once again.
Chubs was swearing from his seat attempting to push the brakes but Vida didn't let up her influence until they were far away from the chaos.
"I... Why... You...," Ruby couldn't even form a full sentence and Clara was still completely baffled as to why it even happened in the first place. "Dammit!" Chubs shouted, slamming his hand against the wheel in pure frustration and anger. "How dare you do that! How dare you!" He seethed, his glare focussed solely on Ruby.
"If you're going to fight, can you do it outside?" Vida said. "I already have a headache without hearing Mummy and Daddy at each other's throats." Both Chubs and Ruby stormed out of the vehicle going to stand on the side of the road.
Clara took that moment to turn to the other two in the car with her, hoping for some sort of explanation. "What the hell just happened? Why would Chubs do that, what was up ahead?" she asked them quickly, wanting to get all the facts before having to break Ruby and Chubs apart.
Jude looked at her nervously, panic from the whole ordeal still fresh on his face. "There was a blockade up ahead, Chubs wanted to just, I don't know, storm through it," he said with a shrug.
"Jesus," Clara sighed before pushing her door open.
"Who else would I blame?" Clara could hear Chubs shouting. "It's your fault dammit, and Clara sure as hell didn't stop you! And now you're acting as though those kids are more important than us? So what, I've had to make a few changes, you're not the same person as before either Ruby. I've been making decisions fine on my own but you and Clara keep acting as though I'm still bleeding out in your arms, but guess what? I'm freaking fine! Better than fine and you're the one that's wrong! You're⎼"
Clara would be lying if she said Chubs' words didn't sting. It hurt the words he was saying. But that's just it. They were only words. Because Chubs didn't mean what he was saying, he never did when he was angry.
Clara didn't even notice Vida slipping out the door until she saw her through the window grabbing Ruby's wrist. "Back. Off." she spat. Clara could see Jude rushing over to Vida and Ruby's sides, bags in hand, another person Clara hadn't seen. Clara's heart dropped when she realised where the fight was heading.
"You don't want us here, ass-clown? Fine. We're out," Vida said with a scathing glare towards Chubs. Hell-to-the-fucking-no. There wasn't a chance in hell Clara would let them all split up, not when they'd only just gotten Chubs back.
Clara marched up to them, "No, no, we aren't doing this. We stick together, Ruby sit your ass down, Vida shut the hell up."
Vida snorted out a humourless laugh, "No, I won't just sit here while this dumbass treats us like shit Clara, you included."
"What are you doing?" Chubs asked Ruby, his fingers catching on the soft leather of her jacket. "I think... I think this was a mistake," Ruby said quietly as though she couldn't bear to speak above a whisper.
Clara looked between them all in disbelief. "Stop it guys⎼" she tried but Vida cut her off before she finished. "Clara, are you coming or not?"
Clara scoffed out an incredulous laugh at her question. "You can't just make me choose one of you over the other. What the fuck Vida?"
Vida glared at Clara before hooking her arm through Ruby's. "Fine, your choice." And then Vida pulled Jude and Ruby away from her. Clara stood next to Chubs in shock as they watched Vida, Ruby and Jude make their way into the forest.
How could everything fall apart so quickly?
Clara turned to Chubs who had tears brimming in his eyes. Clara meant what she said, there wasn't a chance in hell they were splitting up. " I'll be right back. Don't move a fucking muscle, okay Chubs? I'll bring them back."
Without a moment's hesitation, Clara sprinted towards the trees, following the footsteps they'd left in the snow. She crashed through the brush not worried about the noise she was making. They couldn't have gotten far. And they hadn't, they were a few yards ahead of her, still walking forwards.
"Stop fucking walking, all of you," Clara shouted at them. She could hear Vida sigh before opening her mouth, "Clara can you just⎼"
"No, you're listening to me now. First of all, fuck all of you for trying to make me choose, that was a dick move. Second, Ruby, family doesn't split up. You know that as damn well as I do that Chubs is family. So If you don't haul ass back to that car and make up with the boy I will force us into that car as a happy family or not," Clara demanded, panting slightly by the end of her speech.
Clara had expected Ruby to fight her on it or something but she just nodded at her words. "You're right Clara. I'll be right back, okay?" Ruby placed a quick hand on Clara's shoulder before marching back the way she came. As she left Jude, Vida and Clara settled into a slightly awkward silence.
Clara was still furious at Vida. Making her choose one of them, putting all of that on her. Clara couldn't even look at her, instead choosing to sit down at the bottom of a tree as they waited for the other two. Jude followed her lead, taking a seat next to Clara as Vida leaned against a tree across from them. Vida's arms were crossed in such a nonchalant way that if you didn't know her you'd assume she could care less about the events of the last fifteen minutes.
But Clara did know her. She knew by the way she didn't stop tapping her fingers against her leg, and by the way she checked the cartilage of her gun three times in five minutes that something was bothering her.
Just as she was about to give in and go check on her something happened. There was a rustle of leaves and the crack of a twig from behind Jude and Clara. Now usually that wouldn't mean anything, simply an animal. But when Clara turned to look in the direction of the noise, leaning out from behind the tree, she was met with the butt of a gun, glinting in the winter sun.
❊❊❊
We've reached 2K MFING READS?!?!? thank you guys!!