Until We Break (Formerly Wicked, Wild, Wonderful)

Original Edition: Chapter Twenty-Five

AT FIRST, NAOMI MORGAN COULD NOT SLEEP. Her eyelids would not shut themselves so easily when The Guise was standing just before her. So instead she trained her eyes on each of them. In her silent observation, she quickly came to the conclusion that they must've not known just how infamous they were outside of this cramped basement.

Sometimes Saint would assert something he thought was important but Chyna would remind him that 'it wasn't that deep'.

But there were families that hated them and people who wrote strongly-worded letters to newspapers about them. Social media was set on fire each time they were spotted and they were the repeated topic of interest in all of California.

Lia would correct Sully's grammar and ensure he recalled the things he could never seem to keep track of (the younger boy always blushed embarrassingly).

But there were citizens of Riverside left up in arms about The Guise's destruction. Mr Morgan hated them. News anchors spoke of them like they were the newest internet trend for kids. Millennials gone wrong. The lost generation.

Of course, Sully often leapt up to say something that he clearly thought was funny, much to the chagrin of Chyna and Lia who hushed him and turned up the television. Saint humoured him though, crossing his legs on the floor to take in every word the younger boy said to him as if it was his life's mission. Cairo, on the other hand, never got up from his far corner; but he never had to. At one point or another, they all walked over to him, whispering things that Naomi didn't think she was supposed to hear. Except for Lia, who only stared intently at the screen alongside him. Naomi suspected, words weren't ever needed anyway.

The reckless gang of hooligans that the news anchors and politicians, even her parents, blamed for Riverside's recent ruin, was not even a quarter of the people that stood in front of Naomi Morgan now. A small part of them was reckless, yes. They said things without thought or diligence and did what they liked out of pure intention. A gang, maybe. After all, they did carve loyalty all over their beings like a brand or an arm tattoo. But still, that did not account for all of who they were. Right then, in front of her, they seemed to be made up of so many other infinite things like youth and laughter, a little sadness and hints of sarcasm.

Perhaps, Riverside's ruin had never been their responsibility at all. Perhaps, it was a slow storm that picked up along 6th avenue and drizzled atop rooftops till it became what it was now, and everyone suddenly began to take notice.

Naomi thought of that last when sleep began to whisk her mind away and the exhaustion that her adrenaline had been barring off finally broke free and crushed her eyes closed. That night, she dreamt of her brother when he was much, much younger and bruise-free.

When she woke, she stirred to the sound of multiple footsteps clambering around her. Similarly to her recent days, she was coming out of sleep at some time near noon, but on this morning Naomi actually wanted to be awake. It was a feeling the thought she had long become numb to. Naomi sat upward and stared as The Guise— the real Guise, with masks on and everything—packing duffel bags and backpacks. She wiped the crust from her eyes.

"Morning, sunshine." The Tiger, came to stand over her, a bag on his back and his eyes hidden behind plastic.

"What's going on?"

"Well, Tio's sick of us running him out of business, so we're gonna do some runs and then get food. We should be back before evening."

Her mind was struggling to keep up. She squinted up at the Tiger. "Runs?"

Lia chuckled audibly as she packed her bag. "Don't worry about it," the boy advised, his Tiger mask never once turning away from her.

Cairo tucked his IPad into a bag. "We have to go," he announced stepping toward them. Naomi had only barely heard his words but everyone else perked up at it. Saint nodded once, affirmation settling throughout his body, confidence coming next.