JP - Flipping a Double Bird to the Sky

“What am I looking at?” Klaire asked as she stared at the wall, both of her children clinging to her hands. All three of them had annoying hats on, making their ears extremely uncomfortable as they watched the strange events unfold before them on the wall. What they watched was a TV from within an old hotel they had decided to stay at for the night with their friends.

What was on the news on this television was very unsettling, though.

“We should tell auntie Piritta and god mama Tzeitel what we’re seeing…” Leon suggested.

“Riley, too,” Lotus joined in.

"See what?" Riley asked entering the room with several bags of take out in each hand. The speedster had not changed much except for the scars near his face.

“Mitä?” Piritta asked as she followed Riley into the room, she may or may not be wearing a shirt and pants.

Tzeitel was not wearing anything because she was in the shower. With the light on as it has been on for about three years straight now.

On the television there was news of a nasty explosion in the next city and some man was speaking anti-meta again. “This is starting to get out of hand…” Cody commented from where he was sitting on the couch, Amber asleep against him while River washed dishes.

“Is that Tzeitel’s bastard setä?” Piritta forgot the English word for uncle, but Tzeitel had no other family that they knew of besides her little sister.

“I’ve never actually seen what he looks like, so it might be.” Cody answered. “Should we tell her when she comes out of the bathroom?”

“Joo.” Piritta nodded, opening one of the takeout boxes.

“I’ll be sure to tell her when she comes out,” Cody said as he stroked Amber’s hair out of her face. The little white haired heathen just snored happily.

Ami was sitting on the floor playing solitaire, but she looked hungrily at the food.

The water in the shower turned off. Tzeitel stepped out of the shower and started drying off.

Piritta started scooping pork fried rice onto a plate.

"Things have definitely changed since the days we were just kids in a van," Riley sighed, taking a seat next to River.

Tzeitel came out of the bathroom in jeans and a T-shirt, the short sleeves still covered the worst of the scars on her arm, that GCS brand. The old rope burn scars and a few random knife scars were still visible. Her hair was still damp. She smiled when she saw the takeout containers. “Great, looks like my timing was perfect.”

"Plenty to go around" Alex replied, handing her a plate “though you might want to take a look at the tv.”

“Why?” Tzeitel turned to the TV and recognized Campbell Brantley. “Oh that fucking asshole.” She unconsciously took some coins from her pocket and handed them to Ami who put them in the swear jar. She glared at the TV as her uncle spoke, everyone around him gazing at him like he was some kind of god. “That fucker is practically quoting Hitler.” She tossed another coin to Ami who caught it. “We need to fucking kill him.” Tzeitel tossed Ami yet another coin.

“Can’t say I don’t agree but that’s a whole different ballfield we’d be playing in” Riley replied in between bites “Megacorp is one thing but whacking a politician you’d get government agencies after you.”

“It might be worth it- look at how people respond to everything he says. He’s obviously a meta himself, but since he wants to enslave us he gets away with it. If he’s allowed to go on like this can you imagine how many of our lives he can destroy?” Tzeitel said angrily, then looked at her kids. “Ami, Cody, get some food!”

Cody covered Amber’s ears. “Not until she wakes up…” He said. “And you’re gonna go broke again if you keep swearing like that. I bet you’ve funded college for Ami and I at this point…”

Tzeitel was not going to eat before her kids so she fixed up Cody a plate, having a good idea of what he liked at this point- and what she thought was good for him to eat. He was always going to be a little ten-year-old boy to her in some ways. “I should get a discount since I’m swearing about a politician.” She told Cody as she gave him the plate, then went to make sure Ami was getting a balanced meal… even if it was takeout.

Cody gladly took the food when he was handed it and ate it. The boy had stopped fighting when it came to food and was no longer all that picky. The only thing he did hate was garlic…the stuff gave him indigestion and he hated that.

“Riley, did you get enough for us to take to James in the next room?” Klaire asked calmly.

“Of course I did” Riley replied pointing to the second pile of food.

“I’ll take it to him and the Westerly’s in there.” Klaire said with a smile. Both Lotus and Leon followed her as she took the food to James’ room.

River watched in silence. “It’s odd seeing her and James be so…friendly.” She said calmly.

“It’s creepy whenever I remember that… other timeline.” Tzeitel said. With her kids fed Tzeitel fixed up her own plate and stole Klaire’s spot on the couch and started eating.

“Don’t overthink it too much” Riley replied “Even with how fast my brain can process things it’ll give me a headache and I’ve lived through them.”