24 Ch 23 Taking action

The slow odd day had finally picked up the pace. After being reprimanded by the same teacher that had done so last week, he had been given a stern warning; If he continues with his trend of tardiness she would make sure that he was no longer in her class.

Time had passed since then, and it was already lunchtime.

Isaac had His head bent near to the food in front of him. He ate steadily and without his usual voracious enthusiasm.

He stared, with odd intermittence and furtive movements back and forth in interest at the two people who were sitting side by side in the seats opposite to him.

The girl whose curly hair hung like thin brown ribbons had the noticeable baggy eyes of someone who wasn't able to sleep peacefully for days. Her expression tepid like a frozen lake as she stared at the open space to her side blankly...

The girl to her side; Aileen, was still. She had her head aimed downward as she fiddled with her crossing fingers.

"Um...mary" She began but stopped when she didn't get a response.

She was perplexed about what to say to her friend. She knew that the girl, was going through a difficult situation but she could not help.

After the bad experience, they both suffered last time the curly-haired girl had barred her from interfering, out of consideration for her safety.

Isaac sat with his mouth full, thinking. It was just a few days after the girl had finally taken his suggestion to report the case to the proper authorities. 'What could have gone wrong. he thought.

He pondered on the implications her expression could mean. 'Could it be that the investigation turned up bad for her brother..? 'No'. he questioned that conclusion.

It wouldn't make much sense, considering that she was still in their presence, at school... Any family, be they on good or bad terms would surely have at least a minimum of a few days to grieve about a dead or dying member. Especially one as close to as a brother.

The only conclusion Isaac could find reason behind would be, that the police couldn't find a trace of the boy after their investigation.

He'd thought as much. According to the girl, the boy had been missing for almost three weeks now. In any case, especially for a missing person's case, time was the most critical aspect.

He felt exasperated with the girl. If she had taken his advice earlier on, then maybe some traces of him could've been found by now.

She hadn't wanted to bring the necessary attention to the matter when the case was germinating, and the leads where clear.

She was afraid that the organization would be alerted by the police intervention and do something to her brother. At the same time, she feared that the gangsters would try to harass her small family if she did so.

Isaac, in the past, had felt some confusion on the girl's odd decision-making relating to this case. By the way, the girl had spoken of her brother, he could tell that the two definitely didn't have a good relationship, but still, wouldn't any family try to contact the police immediately, if one of their family member had suddenly disappeared?

It was only after the girl had told him about her and her family's previous relations with the boy did he come to understand. The boy, her brother was in her words, an abusive piece of shit.

He did things that Marionette found reprehensible, like stealing and verbally abusing their grandparents.

The same grandparents that took care of him and his other two siblings upon the death of their parents.

She didn't go into details about the boy's actions, but Isaac at that time could interpret how much of a scumbag the man was by looking at Marionette's angry face while she talked about him.

It wasn't all that odd for him to suddenly disappear overnight, and reappear day's later too.

Marionette, had at first thought that the boy was just out doing what he usually did. She at that time put no further thought into it and even wished that the boy would stay away for longer periods of time.

These two points of contention were the reason why the family had taken as long as they did to report it to the police.

It wasn't until days had passed, did she come to find the boy's extended disappearance odd.

" So.." Isaac winded and talked slowly, breaking the table's silence. "how'd.. the police handle the case". He tried asking subtly, as to not anger the girl.

The girl's eye's pinched as she drew her sight back in. Isaac could see the girl's processing face twitch momentarily in gloomy contemplation as she heard him.

"They didn't," She said briefly, her face looking bereaved. Isaac was confused. 'They didn't find anything....?' he questioned in his mind.

"So they couldn't find your brother," He asked.

The girl shook her head and replaced her blank expression with one of perplexed anger. "They didn't look".

"What?," Said Isaac, he leaned in with confusion in his eyes, thinking he misunderstood something.

"I went, to the police station and told them about my missing brother.. the cop I spoke to looked willing to listen.. but after I mentioned the organization, that took my brother.. he paused and left the room" Isaac, hearing this couldn't help but stare at her with a blank face.

She continued. " Once he came back.. he looked at me apologetically then told me that they weren't able to pursue this case" Isaac couldn't fathom a thought. He knew that the police in this city were negligent, but he'd never thought it was to this degree. It was too strange...

'Wait a minute... Aren't they just a little criminal organization?' If things really transpired as the girl said, then Isaac would have to re-examine the entire situation.

First being, he would have to question if the gambling organization, was really a solo entity or some off-shoot branch of a larger gang enterprise. This, to most people, would seem like an overstatement, but by the way, the girl described the cop to be; first leaving when she mentioned the organization's name, then returning with an apologetic face telling her there was nothing they could do. Something potentially dangerous might be brewing for the girl.

This sequence could mean that in the time the cop left he went to talk with a higher-up official in his department and was told to not pursue the case.

But, to think that the official just blanketly said no, without even a proper investigation or even a simple talking to with the gang members.

They didn't even put the minimum amount of effort into the case at all. In fact, judging by the way the conversation went, it could be said that the police department were explicitly barred from investigating the gang...

"Isaac!!" The black-haired girl, Aileen said with a voice loud enough that most people in the cafeteria heard.

Isaac, dropped the spoon he was eating with on the side of his tray, unconsciously.

His eyes widened. The girl had done something ridiculous, drawing plenty of eyes to the table.

She got on her knees like she was praying. Her eyes looked the most composed and serious than he'd ever seen from the girl.

All around stares of confusion was aimed at them. Hearing the name that came out of her mouth they subsequently stared at Isaac.

Isaac was stunned by the sudden boisterous actions from the shy girl.

"W..what?" he questioned, barely able to voice the simple word.

"Please... Can you help Marionette?!!" She screamed again, drawing crowds of huh's and murmur's from the other students.

Marionette, Seeing this was first surprised but then became a little angry. "What are you doing". She said. Pulling the girl upwards off of her knees. She tried dragging the girl but found that she was heavy like a block of stone.

"No, I'm tired of seeing you like this.." The shy girl surprisingly didn't shrink away like she usually did. Choosing to instead shift her weight further downwards, getting her back on her knees.

She then continued " You're always trying to do things by yourself... You never ask anyone for help even when you so desperately need it... Even if you're doing it for the people around you... even if you're doing it for me... How do you think it makes me feel having to watch you always suffer on your own?".

Isaac could feel the tension building. At the same time, he could tell what that girl had said, had been something very heavy on her heart.

Marionette paused, she had no idea why the girl was acting like this. Her breathing got a bit heavier and her eyes began to mist as she felt an anxious anger brewing.

Seeing, Marionette on the verge of tears herself, Isaac made up his mind. Isaac thought about the last few weeks of his life. Even though they couldn't be considered friends of his, at least he could say that they were well-known acquaintances.

He'd feel bad to let her suffer, but that alone wouldn't be enough for him to act against this mysterious gang.

What would make him act though, was the fear of that same gang learning of his identity. What if they went after his family? If the girl is pushed by those three gangsters to reveal who he was, then there was a chance...

With this in mind, Isaac decided... "I'll see what I can find" He said suddenly Surprising the two girls. They paused in mid-conversation and looked back at the boy.

"You will" Aileen nearly screamed, sounding hopeful by the prospect. And Marionette just stared with blank surprise.

The things that Aileen had said hung heavy on her heart. All this time she'd been handling the difficult affairs of her family. Her grandparents were at an age where they couldn't handle much of the world's stresses and her older brother was always too much of a mess to be there for his family. She alone, from a young age, had learned how to do most things regulated for adults. Such as food making, clothes washing, and other important matters for her, her grandparents, and her little sister.

At some point in those day's, she had forgotten how to ask for anything. She would always choose the path that burdened fewer people.

She was truly surprised that the boy would help. Finally she looked down quietly. Her living the life she had lived till now, had at first made the girl want to immediately say no

But, for some reason this time she could not find the will in her heart to decline.

Looking at the boy, she felt a mixture of shame and desperation. She could still remember clearly on that day, Isaac's mysterious blue energy, but she could tell by how weak Isaac was after using it was, that it was burdensome for him to use it.

She didn't want him to place himself in danger because of her.

Even still.. She couldn't find the words to decline his offer.

She debated and re-debated in her mind.... and finally

"Thank you" She said after a long time.

....

A/N: Hi guys.. sorry i've been gone for so long. I needed the time both for family issues and re-planning. I'm going to make sure the releases become more stable, and I don't have to take anymore small pauses every week. Thank you for reading, and as always please share with me any complaints or likes you have about the story in the comment section.