The Beginning

It was the circle that caught your attention at first. It was a simple circle, hanging in the air of the deserted alleyway. A simple circle of shining white light that suddenly elongated into an oval.

Then came the boxes. Simple, battered edged boxes with 'IWA Pineapple' and 'IWA Mocha Caramel' stamped on their sides. Made of basic corrugated cardboard as told from the slightly ripped sides.

It was the hand that pushed them through that garnered the most interest. An elegantly fingered hand with nails painted in green and purple, it pushed both boxes all the way through with hardly a stutter of movement. It was quickly followed by another hand and a pair of equally elegant arms clad in a worn denim jacket. After that was the rest of the girl, platinum blonde hair gleaming in the dim light of the alley and the almost white-hot light of the oval.

She stood, pushing the boxes even further out of the way with a long leg encased in slim navy jeans and ending with a worn demi-boot of elaborately tooled leather. Then she turned and jerked her head.

Following her out of the circle came an almost emaciated teen, two others slung, sleeping, over his shoulder. He offered her a charming smile that had her almost unwillingly jerking her own lips into an answering smile when he stumbled forward a bit, the one behind him getting impatient.

Then another girl emerged. Her nearly blue-black hair was cut shaggily short and her equally piercing green eyes darted between her two cohorts. There was something almost off about her outfit, as if she was trying hard to emulate the shabby chic style of the other two.

"Oh, come on, Aarti! It was just a smile," the girl said with a warmer version directed at her friend.

"Oh, and a smile from you to San is a normal, harmless thing?" Aarti replied, arching one brow. She glanced around the alleyway and sniffed.

"I wouldn't mind a smile from you, Aarti," San said, turning his attention to her instead.

"See? I—" whatever the first girl was going to say was stymied by an almost tackle that had her stumbling back a few steps, a peal of silvery laughter escaping from her lips.

"Flirting without me?" was whispered into her ear, leading to more giggles as her assailant circled around her, arms possessively tight around her.

"Well, I was getting lonely and you weren't here," the blonde replied, a true smile stretching her lips and brightening up her face. One hand reached up to ruffle his purple curls before trailing down to his chin.

"So, what's the next move?" her assailant directed towards Aarti before nibbling on his captive's ear.

"Court, you and Lucy can go flirt later. We need to move," Aarti said, slipping her fingers around the strap of one box. With a slight grunt, she picked it up.

"True." Lucy glanced at the oval. "What do we owe the Dime Store for this?"

A black woman stood in the oval, frowning thoughtfully. A man clothed in cowboy gear came up behind her and whispered in her ear, turning the frown more serious.

"Get Ashley's hat back and we're even. It never returned after all." The woman glanced at the cowboy and then tossed a small black bead at Lucy. "It's a one-way. Use it after you find your friend and you'll go back to where you need to be."

"Where we need to be?" Lucy asked, frowning herself.

"I just run the place, hon. You'd have to ask the Owner about that and who knows where she is nowadays," the black woman returned. She stepped back and the oval started shrinking. "Of course, we can't guarantee anything else so be careful."

"We shall," Aarti said, sharing a look with San.

"Let's get started."

—Three Months Later—

Court leaned back against the wall, sucking in a breath of air as he gingerly touched his black eye. Then he riffled a hand through his curling, purple hair. He really, really wanted a hot bath but things just weren't going his way right this instant.

He eyed the other occupants of his tiny cell. It was the Tank, where everyone was dumped prior to processing and his fake ID said he was twenty-two, not seventeen. He was sure the cops didn't buy it, but they were trying to teach him a lesson before they were distracted.

The big fish that distracted them was sitting on the other side of the cell, the rest of the thugs hovering almost reverently beside him. He was muttering unhappily, a line of blood still oozing from his jaw. Bloodshot blue eyes narrowed on Court who felt a familiar thrill trill through his bones to his instant disbelief.

Even as they both registered the reaction, the man smiled widely, coming to his feet. He brushed at his crumpled purple suit and brayed a laugh.

"Why so glum, chum?" He asked, his voice so familiar Court's eyes widened even as the disbelief in his eyes mellowed into blatant self-shock.

The man took a step forward but paused as a cop stopped by the door to the cell and swung it open.

"You've made bail, sir. Your lawyer is waiting," the cop said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Court looked down at his clenched fist. Was he really so easy, he asked himself before dismissing the whole affair.

Even as the door swung shut behind the man who glanced back once, said "nice hair" and then departed, Court's mind was in a whirl.

"So you know Mr. J, kid," one of the other men asked, gruff and menacing.

"Not a bit," Court replied. "Just shocked to see him here of all places."

Even as the men started congregating, there was a small ting of noise. A tiny cylinder flew into the cell from the barred window. Smoke, a soft greenish-grey started billowing, making the men cough. One by one, they started collapsing.

"Looks like my lawyer's here as well," Court said to the high-pitched whine of concrete saw.

"Didja get it?" Lucy asked, removing her goggles as a perfect rectangle fell outwards. She was standing on a roughly jury-rigged scaffolding.

"How did no one notice?" Court asked, stepping through the exit and gingerly onto the scaffolding.

"Some bigwig was here, and everyone was busy," Lucy said, dropping the saw. "So?"

"Got it," Court replied, fishing out a small vial from his shirt. A tiny black square tingled against the sides.

"Good," Lucy said, kicking a support and making the whole scaffold start to crumble.

Court glanced back once as they jumped to safety, his mind on the bigwig and his lawyer.