We stood there in silence for a while. Neither team saying anything, just staring at the other. Then all of a sudden, the room erupted into activity. Without hesitating, my arm shot out to stop Revenge and the other pulled Dreamers wrist backward as she lunged forwards. Jet Star wrapped his arms around Fun Ghoul as he bounded away from the rest of his team. Kobra's hand clamped onto Party Poison's shoulder to prevent him from moving anywhere. Luckily, Angel had frozen in place because I'd run out of hands to hold people back with. Before I could calm my girls down, the Doctor moved quickly between the two groups.
"Cool it girls." I said to my group. I increased the pressure on my grip slightly and pushed backward on Revenge. After both shooting me dangerous looks, they slacked slightly and stepped back.
"Easy." Kobra whispered barely audibly and carefully to Poison and Star calmed Ghoul. Once everything was settled, we all stood still and the tension was stifling. I felt the awkward nature of the room steadily increase as more time passed with no one making a move to break the silence. Suddenly, Ghoul bounded forward, escaping from Jet Star and collided with me, wrapping his arms around my waist. Despite being a year younger than him, I stood taller than his small frame. I smiled to myself, hoping the rest of the team couldn't see me do so and hugged him back. Even though I had fallen out with the group as a whole, I had no problem with Ghoul.
"You okay about all this?" He asked looking back at me. "It sounds horrific. I don't know how you're coping really." He went back to looking down as he released me.
"It's alright. I'm coping." I murmured back a little unsure of my response as inside I was tearing myself apart. My girls gave me looks of horror as if they couldn't believe that I had willingly hugged Ghoul back. I would have to explain myself a little more later.
"So I guess you all know why you're here now. We want One back and you will go get her. Please put aside whatever differences and squabbles you have and just do this to save One." the Doctor explained, looking from one group to another as he spoke, trying to gauge our responses.
"Careful doc," Poison joked. "You sound like October."
"I don't care Poison." the Doctor shot back and I scoffed as the rest of my team and Ghoul muffled giggles. He shot us glares, leaving the strongest to me and our giggles intensified. Doctor Death, ignoring us, proceeded to hand us our modifiers and we wordlessly clipped them onto the barrels of our guns, the seriousness of our situation hitting everyone all over again. I felt a brief pang of pain but shoved it back down. He handed a map to myself and Poison then a radio kit to Jet Star. No one argued as Star was easily the best with that sort of tech. Once everything seemed sorted, he called for Electric who raced from our home in record time and, surprisingly, Last Crash wandered in for the Fabulous Killjoys. We got set up with ear pieces to allow us to communicate with the base and each other. I tried shooting tentative glances and smiles at Last Crash but she seemed to be ignoring me. I shrugged it off, as I did most things now, and refastened my gun round my leg and adjusted my jacket over my shoulders. I noticed Poison staring at my neck tattoo and to avoid having to discuss it again, I tied my orange bandanna round my neck. As soon as everyone else was set, we thanked Doctor Death and left to find my sister.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
As we left base, I could practically feel the stares bearing into me. I straightened my back and stalked forward, regardless of the looks we were getting. I noticed the readily clenched fists of my teammates and new unwilling teammates, and flexed my own to make sure I, if no-one else, appeared calm. Dreamer seemed to be off in her own little world as she kept stumbling into one of us. She would apologise afterwards then go straight back to whatever she was thinking of. I was worried that she felt betrayed or hurt by their joining us, despite not being able to change it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Ghoul skipped along smiling at everyone. That was so like him. Ghoul never seemed to have a problem with anyone due to his overly cheerful mannerisms and general openness. Except I was one of very few that knew Revenge hated Ghoul for some reason. Thinking this I looked for her to find she was trailing behind and I dropped back to speak with her.
"Hey glum chum, what's bothering you?" I asked.
"Honestly?" she looked at me somehow both unsure and accusatory at the same time.
"Of course. Always honestly." I answered starting to feel like Dreamer did when she told Revenge to take out her make up from her case.
"At the moment, you are." she looked away from me as she said it. I felt the puzzled look cross my face. I was at the same time curious and trepidatious about what was coming.
"Can you explain a bit more so I can try to right whatever wrong I did?" I asked tentatively.
"How could you let him hug you then hug him back?" she hissed under her breath. Ah, the hug was bothering her. I knew I should have been more wary. The reasons we all hated the others were not widely told, even between us. "You know what he did to me."
"Actually Rev, I have no idea what he done or what any of them done to you. You never want to talk about it. Which I completely understand but I may need some raw basics to see why it was such as massive problem." I explained. I kept my tone even, I didn't want to upset her any further.
"Fine. It was when I was starting out as a singer. Base was doing some open act nights remember? It was how I met you." I thought back to it and nodded when I remembered.
"Yeah, you were really timid back then and nervous before you ever performed."
"Yes alright I remember. Don't rub it in. It was not a good time for me."
"Sorry." I apologised quickly, looking away from her face.
"Anyway, there was one song that I really wanted a guitar accompaniment to as it sounded so much better acoustic. I asked around about who was most likely to say yes and everyone suggested you or Fun Ghoul. I couldn't get in contact with you straight away as you were in the infirmary for something." I grimaced remembering that must have been the time I got ditched by the Fabulous Four. I had been in the hospital for nearly four weeks afterwards mending from my injuries. "Either way, I went to speak to Fun Ghoul about it and he pretty much turned me down flat. Said he didn't work with amateurs and that he would never have done it even if he did."
At this announcement I moved to stalk forward but Revenge grabbed my arm and pulled me backwards. Whilst that response was uncharacteristic of Ghoul, he had no right to go back on his ability to play with anyone. We'd done riffs and tricks together. I could remember sitting up in our room practising the sections of the songs he struggled with or I wanted to learn and Ghoul being unbelievably patient with me.
"Let me go Revenge. He needs to be sorted out." I struggled a little. I knew him well enough that there had to be a reason for his response.
"Cool it, Black." she kept her voice low like before, aware much more than I was that the offender was only a few metres in front of us skipping along, seemingly oblivious. "Anyway that wasn't what I was mad about. I understood completely that he wouldn't want to work with a newbie. Heck, I definitely wouldn't want to for fear they'd keep messing up. But next week after I had changed what song I was going to do, I saw him happily up on stage with a singer I had never seen before who kept stumbling over words and messing up lines and I was furious." I neglected to tell her at this point she looked furious now. I knew how to keep my head on my shoulders. "I flew out of the place after that and as I left I bumped into the other three outside. They laughed and mockingly pat me on the head and they said stuff like 'aw its Funs reject' and 'how bad did she have to be for Fun not to want her'. I felt so stupid and pitiful. I just ran away. So there that's why I can't believe you. Not as bad as leaving me to die but still, I hurt. A lot."
"I can't believe he would do something like that..." I trailed off fuming. I wanted reasons and an apology for Revenge. "You need to tell the others." She nodded her agreement as I moved back up to my place at the front, where I continued to mull over the matter. I signalled subtly to Angel to move back to Rev and I heard her do so. Ghoul moved up beside me, oddly silent. He sighed.
"I didn't mean to upset her that much. I just wanted everyone to leave me alone. I was having a bad day and I was so harsh to her. She didn't deserve that. I'm sorry I didn't tell you first, you're my friend I should have trusted you with the truth. I can't believe the guys would act that way afterwards though. When I explained to them how bad I felt about it because I had said I would help someone else for that night that was probably worse, they just told me there was nothing I could do now." he mumbled on about how bad he felt. I looked down at him as we kept walking. We had left base some time ago and I hadn't even noticed. Then again, desert was all there was going to be so I didn't feel too guilty for missing our exit from base.
"Ghoul, I'm not the one you should be saying this to really, am I? I appreciate your honesty though." I said, once he'd finally trailed off.
"I know but I'm scared. I know she hates me and I would probably chicken out. I'm not brave like you or Party" He looked at the floor a slight blush creeping across his cheeks and the tips of his ears. I ignored the comparison between me and Party as best I could.
I grabbed his shoulders and shook him lightly. "Where is the FUN Ghoul I know? Apologise and even if she doesn't forgive you, I will and you'll feel tonnes better for doing it."
"Later I will. I promise. I don't really want to do it as we are walking it makes sound less sincere. It would be better when the guys aren't around either." he mumbled. I released him and grinned at him until he looked up at me.
"Good man." I said to him then put my hand to my forehead, sighing. "Great. Now I sound like my father." He giggled and hugged me tight again.
"Thanks advice box." He beamed and released me before I could hug him back and then went to bother Jet Star and clamber into a piggy back ride. I rubbed between my eyes. This was going to be more strenuous than I had originally thought if we were going to talk through all our problems on this trip. But before I could linger on negative thoughts Dreamer, who had seemingly risen from her own little world, grabbed my hand and was forcing me into a little dance with her.
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